Zoom - Testing your Audio and Video before your Zoom Meeting

Video

It is a good idea to test your video in Zoom before a meeting.  You can do that either manually or via a test meeting.

Manual

1. Make sure you have the correct software installed:
   • Either the Zoom Plugin for Microsoft Outlook and the Zoom Client for Meetings OR 
   • The Zoom mobile app on your smartphone or tablet.  
2. For instructions on testing video for your specific device, read How Do I Test My Video? in the Zoom Help Center.

Test Meeting

You can also launch a test Zoom meeting anytime at zoom.us/test.  This will launch a meeting where you are the only participant (you can then invite others if you want to).  This option lets you test your audio and video even if you don't have the Zoom desktop client installed.  It is a good choice if you plan to host or attend a meeting through Google Chrome.  If you do have the desktop client installed, zoom.us/test will open the test meeting in the client, just like it does for a normal meeting or webinar. 

This option will also let you test your audio, screen sharing, and chat.   

See the article Joining A Test Meeting in the Zoom Help Center for more information about using the using the Zoom Test Meeting feature.

Audio

You will need to connect to the audio conference so that you can hear and be heard in Zoom events.  You can also use these instructions for testing your audio before a meeting.

There are two ways to join the meeting/webinar audio conference, depending on the settings chosen by the host:

Joining via computer or the Zoom mobile app

Make sure you have the correct software installed:

• Either the Zoom Client for Meetings desktop application OR 
• The Zoom mobile app on your smartphone or tablet OR
• Google Chrome

Next, read How Do I Join or Test My Computer/Device Audio in the Zoom Help Center.

Joining via telephone

Joining via telephone is a good option when:

• you do not have a microphone or speaker on your computer
• you do not have a smartphone (iOS or Android) while on the road
• you do not have the Zoom Client for Meetings desktop application or the Google Chrome web browser installed on your computer

For detailed instructions on using a phone to dial-in to the meeting audio, or conduct an audio-only meeting in Zoom, see the Join By Telephone article in the Zoom Help Center.  

• The above article also covers phone commands for dial-in participants and hosts, such as *6 to mute or unmute yourself

Note: when scheduling a meeting, the host decides what audio options to allow.  Our recommendation for most situations is to allow Both so that participants can connect to the audio conference via either telephone or computer/device audio depending on their needs and preferences.