Troubleshooting in Live Zoom Meetings

Common Live Meeting Problems and Solutions

In live Zoom meetings, you or your students may encounter technical problems. Being able to troubleshoot the most common issues is very helpful. Here are some common issues and possible solutions.

Common Live Meeting Problems and Solutions
Problem Solutions to Try/Questions to Ask
Participant is unable to enter the Zoom meeting
  • Confirm that the participant has the correct Zoom link (and passcode if necessary)
  • Confirm that the participant is logged in through his or her Northwestern Zoom account
  • While the meeting is in session, you can click on the Participants icon in the control bar to copy the meeting invitation information and send it directly to a student.
Participant's camera doesn't work
  • "Did you turn your video on? That option is in the lower-left of your Zoom window."
  • "Do you have a webcam cover or something else blocking the camera?"
  • "If your video is turned on, which video option did you select?"
  • "Is Zoom the only app trying to access your webcam? If there are other apps accessing the camera, turn them off. This may include FaceTime or other communication apps."

Learn about additional tips for testing a participant’s camera from Zoom's support page Links to an external site..

There is an echo in the meeting

This is a common problem! Suggest that participants mute themselves if not speaking. If you hear audio feedback or an echo during your meeting, possible causes include:

  • Participants on the call are unmuted and not using headphones, creating a feedback loop.
    • Solution: Encourage participants to use headphones if possible and to mute themselves when not speaking. Hosts and co-hosts can also mute non-speaking participants who have feedback or an echo.
  • A participant has both computer and telephone audio connected to the Zoom meeting.
    • Solution: Participants should mute audio on a device. If the microphone must be on for both devices, suggest that the devices are moved further apart from each other.

Learn more tips for dealing with echos from Zoom's support page Links to an external site..

Audio does not work on any device
  • "Is your computer audio muted?" (Ask this in the chat if they cannot hear you.)
  • "Have you turned up your volume on your computer and any external speakers or headphones?"
Audio does not work on a mobile device
  • "Is the speaker icon in the top left hand corner on? Tap this speaker icon to turn the speaker on and off."
  • If participants cannot hear the meeting audio using the Zoom mobile app, they may try calling into the meeting with the phone number provided in the Zoom meeting invitation.

Troubleshooting tips for testing mobile device speaker and microphone issues are found on a Zoom support page Links to an external site..
A presenter's video and audio freezes or lags due to poor internet connectivity This is a common problem, too. If the presenter's video is less important than audio, turn off the video, disconnect other internet-connected devices, and turn off any programs that may have running in the background.

More Information

Take a few minutes now to familiarize yourself with the resources available from Zoom about Troubleshooting. You may want to bookmark this Zoom support page Links to an external site. for quick reference while in Zoom meetings.

If you are experiencing true technical problems with Zoom, you may want to contact Zoom Support, available 24 hours.

You can also reach out to Northwestern IT.