Don’t worry about preparation! How to test the microphone in a Zoom meeting?

Zoom has made it possible to start a meeting with a distant party immediately, regardless of location, making it easier to communicate. It is also a great advantage that you can effectively use the labor and time that you have spent on scheduling and traveling for meetings.

Zoom meetings are easy to join if you have a computer or smartphone at hand, but on the other hand, you have to be prepared for troubles that are unique to online. If audio or camera problems occur after the meeting has started, it will be more stressful than face-to-face, and it will take a long time to resolve. It’s a good idea to test your audio before that big meeting.

How to test audio with Zoom

Zoom has the ability to test audio. With this function, you can check whether the microphone is being recognized normally.

How to test your microphone before a meeting

In important meetings and seminars, it would be more reassuring if you could check the operation of the microphone before participating in the meeting.

The Zoom app has a function to check the operation of the microphone by yourself before the meeting starts. There are several methods, so please use them according to the device you are using and the situation.

How to test the microphone on your computer: 1

If you want to test your microphone on your computer, use the Zoom desktop app.

This section explains how to test the microphone from “Settings“.

1. Launch the Zoom desktop app.
2. Sign in with your Zoom account.
3. Click Settings (gear icon).
4. Click “Audio”.
5. Make sure the correct device is selected in the “Microphone” column.
6. Click Test Microphone.
7. When the button changes to “Record,” speak into the microphone.
   If the microphone is picking up sound, the “input level” bar moves left and right.
8. The button changes to “Playing” and your recorded voice is played.
9. If there is no problem with recording/playback, the test ends.

If your voice isn’t being recorded or the volume is too loud or too soft, review your device settings and volume.

If you uncheck “Automatically adjust volume”, you can manually adjust the volume by dragging the volume bar.

How to test the microphone on your computer: 2

This is how to test the audio by joining a Zoom test meeting with the desktop app.

Not only the microphone, but also the video and speakers are tested at the same time.

1. Access the Zoom test meeting (https://zoom.us/test).
2. Click Join to launch the Zoom desktop app and join your test meeting.
3. Click Test Computer Audio on the pop-up.
4. Do a camera test. If there is no problem, click “Yes” to proceed.
5. Do a speaker test. If there is no problem, click “Yes” to proceed.
6. The last is the mic test. When you speak into the microphone, the “input level” bar moves and your voice is recorded. When you stop talking, your recorded voice will play. If there is no problem, click “Yes”.
7. The test results are displayed and the test meeting ends.

How to test the microphone on your smartphone/tablet

Even if you’re using the Zoom mobile app for iPhone/iPad/Android, join a Zoom test meeting to see if audio is being recognized correctly.

1. Access the Zoom test meeting (https://zoom.us/test).
2. Tap Join to launch the Zoom mobile app and join your test meeting.
3. Tap “Allow” when the microphone and camera permissions are displayed.
4. If the “Audio” icon at the bottom left of the Test Meeting screen does not have a slash, the speaker/mic is being recognized correctly.
5. Tap Leave to end the test meeting.

How to test your microphone during a meeting

After starting the meeting, if you think “I can’t hear you!”

How to test the microphone on your computer

If you’re joining the meeting with the Zoom desktop app, you can test your audio while you’re in the meeting.

1. Launch the Zoom desktop app and join your meeting.
2. Click the arrow next to Mute.
3. Click Test Speaker & Mic.
4. Do a speaker test. If there is no problem, click “Yes” to proceed.
5. Then test the mic. When you speak into the microphone, the “input level” bar moves and your voice is recorded. When you stop talking, your recorded voice will play. If there is no problem, click “Yes”.
6. Click End Test to return to the meeting.

How to test the microphone on your smartphone/tablet

If you are using the Zoom mobile app for iPhone/iPad/Android, check the status of the audio icon on the meeting screen.

1. Join the meeting with the Zoom mobile app.
2. If the “Audio” icon at the bottom left of the screen does not have a slash, the speaker/mic is recognized correctly.

This is the cause when the microphone does not sound on Zoom!

If the sound from the microphone is not recorded even after the test, or the audio is not recognized, you can find the cause by going through the settings one by one.

Let’s look at them in order.

Common to PC (Windows/Mac) and mobile devices

The most common reason why the microphone does not pick up sound during a Zoom meeting is that it is ‘muted’.

It seems like a simple matter, but there are many cases where “I accidentally turned on mute while operating” or “I intentionally muted and forgot to unmute when speaking”.

Also, since the host has permission to mute other participants’ microphones, they may be muted without your intervention. Check to see if the microphone icon is muted.

For PC

In the case of a computer, it is necessary to check the settings of the Zoom app and the settings of the computer itself.

• Zoom app audio settings
• computer audio settings
• microphone failure

Zoom app audio settings

Check if the correct audio device you want to use in your Zoom meeting is selected from the audio devices connected to your computer.

Many laptop models have built-in cameras, microphones, and speakers, and if you connect an external microphone, you can switch it in the audio settings.

1. Click Settings (gear icon) in the Zoom desktop app.
2. Click “Audio”.
3. In the “Microphone” column select the correct device from the list.

computer audio settings

Check the audio settings on your computer.

The following is a confirmation example on Windows.

1. Click Start > Settings (gear icon).
2. Click System.
3. Click “Sound”.
4. Select the correct device from the list in the “Select your input device” field.
5. Click “Device Properties” and make sure “Disable” is unchecked and the volume is zero.
6. Go back to the “Sound” screen and click “App volume and device settings”.
7. Check if the “Zoom” volume is zero.

Device failure

If there are no problems with the settings of the Zoom app or the settings of your computer, it is possible that the device is malfunctioning or has poor contact. Try replacing it with another microphone, changing the port for connecting the external microphone, etc., and check if it picks up sound.

For smartphones and tablets

The main points to check when the microphone cannot be used on mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, and Android are as follows.

• Is the microphone access permission set to “Allow”?
• Is there dust on the microphone?

Is the microphone access permission set to “Allow”?

If you select “Block” in the “Allow?” message displayed when joining a meeting from the Zoom app, the app will turn off your microphone and speakers.

Even if you select “Block” once, you can change the permission for each app from “Settings”.

Is there dust on the microphone?

If the small hole of the microphone is clogged with dust, it may not pick up your voice.

summary

• Zoom has a function to test the microphone
• If the microphone does not pick up sound, check “mute”, “Zoom app settings“, “device settings”, “device failure”, etc.
• If you test the audio in advance, you can rest assured of the actual performance

While web meetings are convenient, the means of communication are limited compared to face-to-face meetings, so it is even more important to create an environment in which meetings can proceed smoothly.