Fix · Zoom on a Mac
Zoom audio not working? Hear your call again.
If the meeting is silent, Zoom either hasn't joined audio or is playing it somewhere you aren't listening, like a monitor or AirPods in another room.
Quick check first: Play a tone on the free speaker test. If you hear it, your speakers work and the fix is in Zoom (steps 1 to 3). If you don't, start with the Mac checks.
Fix it in Zoom
- Join computer audio.If you see Join Audio in the meeting controls, you aren't connected to the meeting's sound yet. Click it and choose Join with Computer Audio.
- Pick the speaker in Zoom.Click your profile picture, then Settings › Audio. Under Speaker, choose where you want sound and click Test speaker. If you don't hear the tone, pick another speaker or raise the Output volume.
- Switch speakers during a meeting.Click the arrow next to Mute. The same menu lists speakers as well as mics, so you can move sound to your headphones without leaving.
Sound goes to your monitor
Displays with speakers show up as outputs. If you picked one in Zoom, or your Mac switched to it when you plugged in, the call plays from a screen you may have muted. Pick your headphones or Mac speakers instead.
Everyone sounds like a phone call
On AirPods or another Bluetooth headset, Zoom turning on the headset's mic drops the sound you hear to phone quality. Use your Mac's mic for your voice and the headset just for listening.
Then check your Mac
If Zoom looks right and the sound still doesn't work, go through these in order.
- Check your Mac's output.Open System Settings › Sound and click Output. Select the speakers or headphones you're listening on, raise the Output volume, and make sure Mute is off.
- Reconnect Bluetooth headphones.AirPods can switch to your iPhone or iPad when you use it. Connect them to this Mac from the Sound section of Control Center or Bluetooth settings, then pick them again.
- Reconnect wired speakers.Unplug USB speakers or a headset and plug them back in, or try another port. A display with speakers can take over the sound when you plug it in.
Test it outside Zoom
The free speaker test runs in your browser, with nothing to install. If your sound works there, your Mac and the hardware are fine, and the fix is in Zoom's settings above.
On a Mac? See where Zoom's sound is really going.
Green Room shows which app has each speaker open, and warns you when zoom.us is playing somewhere that isn't your setup. When AirPods drop into call mode, it tells you and offers your Mac's own mic so the sound comes back. One click puts your setup back. Free, with no account.
zoom.us is using AirPods Pro, not Studio Monitors.
Switch to Studio MonitorsAirPods Pro is in call mode
zoom.us turned on its mic, so your voice and everything you hear drop to phone quality.
Use MacBook Pro MicrophoneQuestions
Why can't I hear anyone on Zoom?
Check for a Join Audio button first. If you've joined, click the arrow next to Mute and make sure the speaker is the one you're listening on, then check your Mac's volume.
Zoom's test tone works but the meeting is silent. Why?
The meeting may be using a different speaker than the one you tested, or you haven't joined computer audio. Pick the speaker again from the arrow next to Mute.
Why does Zoom sound bad on my AirPods?
When Zoom uses the AirPods' mic, they switch to call mode and everything you hear drops to phone quality. Pick your Mac's mic in Zoom and keep the AirPods as the speaker.