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Five audio rules, noise suppression, camera and light, a virtual background without a green screen, blur, a video background, slides behind you and what to do if it does not work.
Good sound matters more than a good picture: a weak camera is forgiven, noise and echo are not. Three things give almost the whole result: wired internet instead of Wi-Fi, a headset instead of laptop speakers, and the right microphone chosen in Zoom's settings. Everything else, noise suppression, touch-up, lighting, virtual background, is switched on in the app settings, the gear in the top right corner.
A virtual background works without a green screen on any modern computer: a picture or a video instead of the room behind you, blur if a picture is not needed, and presentation slides behind the presenter. Below, in order: audio, video, background, and what to do if it does not work.
Fluctuating speed and dropouts of a wireless network are the first cause of a "robot" voice and disconnections. Zoom needs little: a stable channel from 100 kilobits per second is enough for audio, but it has to be stable. Connect by cable; if you cannot, sit closer to the router and switch off the VPN.
A microphone at your mouth and headphones remove echo and most of the room's noise. A headset with microphone noise cancelling is what separates the participants who are "always heard perfectly" from the rest. Bluetooth is fine if it is charged.
Settings → Audio: choose the microphone and speakers and click "Test". If you have a headset, choose it both as microphone and as speaker. Leave automatic volume adjustment on.
Echo appears when a microphone hears a speaker: its own or a neighbour's through the wall. In one room only one participant switches audio on; the rest join with microphone and speakers off. Does not help? A headset.
When you are not speaking, the microphone is off. The space bar in Zoom works like a walkie-talkie: hold it to speak. Switched on in the audio settings.
By default Zoom cuts out keyboards, rustling paper, fans and barking dogs. The level is adjustable: Settings → Audio → "Background noise suppression": auto, low, medium, high. For a noisy place set it to high. For music, singing and instruments the opposite: switch on "Original sound" in the same section, otherwise Zoom will take the music for noise and cut it out. How suppression works is in a short note on noise suppression.
In a meeting room the laptop's built-in microphone hears only whoever sits next to it. A room for four needs a camera-microphone-speaker bar with echo cancellation; a room for ten needs a table or ceiling microphone array. This is the most common budget mistake: people save on audio and then switch it off. How a room is put together is in the Zoom Rooms guide.
Settings → Video: choose the camera, switch on HD, set "Mirror my video" to see yourself the usual way. A laptop's built-in camera will do; an external one at eye level is better: it does not film you from below.
The main rule: light in front, not behind. A window behind you makes you a silhouette, and no camera will fix that. A window to the side or a lamp in front of your face is cheaper than any camera. If there is still too little light, the video settings have "Adjust for low light": automatic or manual with a slider.
"Touch up my appearance" smooths the skin; a slider sets the degree. Filters add colour tones and frames, as well as stickers on the face; for work meetings the first is enough, the second is for parties. What else is in the picture settings is in the article on video image features.
live next to the video: the icon appears in your window and in the participants list, and the speaker is not interrupted.
Settings → Video → "Turn off my video when joining a meeting": switch on when you are ready, not when the window opens.
Choose one of the ready backgrounds, blur, or click "plus" and upload your own picture or video.
If Zoom asks about a green screen, untick "I have a green screen" when you do not have one.
During a meeting the same menu opens with the arrow next to the "Video" button: "Choose virtual background".
Without a green screen the background works on computers of recent years; on old ones Zoom will offer only blur or ask for a screen. Zoom publishes the processor requirements on its help page, and they change with versions.
The camera's aspect ratio, usually 16:9: 1280×720 or 1920×1080 pixels. A file up to 15 MB. A company background with a logo is best kept calm: a bright design behind you distracts from your face.
A short clip in MP4 or MOV, looped. Two ready ones are in Zoom; your own is uploaded with the same plus.
The option without a picture: the room behind you is visible as a blur while you are sharp. For business meetings this is often the best choice.
Clothes should differ from the colour of the background behind you, otherwise Zoom will "eat" them together with the background. Even light on the face helps separate you from the room.
A green screen still gives the cleanest edge: how it works is in the article on chroma key. At home it is not needed; for a webinar studio it is useful.
A presentation can be shown not as a separate window but as a background you stand in front of, like a news presenter. In a meeting: "Share screen" → the "Advanced" tab → "Slides as virtual background", choose the presentation file, and after loading switch your video on. Your window can be moved and resized; the slides are turned with the arrows. It also works in webinars.
The administrator uploads branded backgrounds in the account settings on zoom.us, section "Background & effects", and they appear for all employees. Personal backgrounds can be forbidden, leaving only corporate ones. The same in meeting rooms: Zoom Rooms can do a virtual background on a green screen, with backgrounds uploaded by the administrator. This is part of Zoom branding together with the vanity URL and email templates.
| What happens | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| I cannot be heard | Wrong microphone, or it is muted | Arrow next to the "Audio" button → choose the device; check the microphone is enabled in the system |
| I cannot hear anyone | Wrong speakers | Choose the speakers there; check the system volume |
| Echo | The microphone hears a speaker; two devices in one room | A headset; audio for only one person in the room |
| A "robot" voice, dropouts | The network | A cable, switch off the VPN, close downloads and extra tabs |
| The camera is not in the list | Used by another program, or no permission | Close other programs using the camera; on macOS grant permission in the privacy settings |
| The picture is dark | Light behind you | Move the lamp, switch on adjust for low light |
| No "Virtual background" item | Switched off by the administrator, or an old version | Update the app; ask the administrator |
| The background "eats" the head or hands | Weak light, clothes the colour of the background | Add light, change the background, set blur |
| Slides behind you do not turn | The wrong sharing mode is open | Share through "Advanced → Slides as virtual background", not ordinary window sharing |
Half of audio and video problems are solved by updating the app: how to update and check the devices before a meeting is in the installation and sign-in guide.
Settings → "Background & effects" → choose a background or upload your own. In a meeting: the arrow next to the "Video" button → "Choose virtual background".
No, on modern computers the background works without one. A green screen gives a cleaner edge and is needed for a studio.
In the same "Background & effects" section choose "Blur".
1280×720 or 1920×1080 pixels for a 16:9 camera, a file up to 15 MB.
The wrong microphone is chosen, or it is muted. The arrow next to the "Audio" button, choose the device, check the "Unmute" button.
A headset. If several people are in one room, only one switches audio on.
Settings → Audio → "Background noise suppression" → high. For music the opposite, "Original sound".
"Share screen" → "Advanced" → "Slides as virtual background".
Yes, the administrator uploads backgrounds in the account settings and can forbid personal ones.
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