Article
Meeting AV issues
"You're on mute," "I can't hear you," "Your camera is off" — almost every meeting wastes a minute on these. The fixes are nearly always the same three things: pick the right device, give the app permission, and restart the app.
Before The Meeting
Two minutes that prevent most problems
Open the meeting app's audio settings and pick your devices
Teams: Settings > Devices. Zoom: Settings > Audio and Video. Webex: Settings > Audio and Video. Pick the headset / webcam you intend to use, not "Default."
Run the test call or speaker / mic test
Teams "Make a test call," Zoom "Test Speaker / Test Mic," Webex "Test." If the test fails, it'll fail in the real meeting too.
Plug headset and webcam in before launching the app
Some apps only scan for devices at startup. If you plug the headset in after Teams is open, restart Teams.
No Audio
"I can't hear anyone" or "no one can hear me"
The app may be sending sound to the wrong device
Open Settings > Devices (Teams) or Settings > Audio (Zoom / Webex) and check that Speaker and Microphone both point to your headset, not "Internal Display" or "Realtek HD Audio."
Check the OS volume and the app volume separately
Windows: click the speaker in the system tray and confirm the right output device, plus volume. macOS: Sound in System Settings, plus the volume slider. Some headsets also have their own volume wheel.
Confirm you're not muted in two places
Bluetooth headsets, USB headsets, and the meeting app all have their own mute. The meeting app shows your mute state in the meeting toolbar; check the headset's hardware mute too.
Restart the meeting app
Leave the meeting, fully quit the app (Task Manager on Windows, or Cmd+Q on Mac), reopen, rejoin. Fastest fix when audio is genuinely stuck.
No Video
"Your camera is off" or "Camera is in use"
OS permission is the most common cause
Windows: Settings > Privacy & security > Camera. macOS: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera. Make sure Teams / Zoom / Webex is allowed.
Another app may be holding the camera
If Teams says "Camera in use," another app (often a browser tab from a previous meeting, or the Camera app) has the webcam. Close those, then try again.
Check the physical camera shutter
Many laptops have a small slider over the webcam. If everything else is right but you see black, the shutter may be closed.
Pick the right camera in the app
If you have a built-in laptop camera and an external webcam, pick the one you want explicitly. The app default might be the wrong one.
Echo & Feedback
"There's an echo" or "I hear myself"
Two devices in the same room with the same meeting open
The most common cause. If two laptops or a laptop + a phone are in the same room and both joined the meeting unmuted, audio loops. Mute one device fully or leave the meeting on the second device.
Speakers + open microphone
If you're using laptop speakers (not a headset), the mic picks up the speaker output. Use a headset instead. Echo cancellation is built into Teams / Zoom / Webex but it's not perfect.
Conference-room speakers and a personal laptop joined
Same problem in an office. If the room speaker is on, mute your laptop or join "without audio."
Choppy Audio Or Video
"You're breaking up" or freezing video
Most often: your network
Wi-Fi at the edge of range, a busy household network, or VPN routing meeting traffic over a slow link. See work-from-home essentials.
Turn off video to save bandwidth in a pinch
Video uses far more bandwidth than audio. If you're breaking up, turn off your camera and the call usually stabilizes.
Disconnect from VPN if the meeting app doesn't need it
Teams, Zoom, and Webex don't typically need VPN. If everything routes through VPN to a far data center, audio quality suffers.
Wired ethernet beats Wi-Fi
If meetings consistently drop on Wi-Fi, try a USB-to-ethernet adapter and a cable. Most reliability fix you can make.
Bluetooth Specifically
Headsets that connect but sound bad
Bluetooth has two modes: high-quality stereo (no mic) and low-quality two-way (with mic)
When the meeting app uses your mic, the headset switches to the lower-quality two-way mode and music sounds tinny. Normal — not broken.
Pick the "Hands-Free" or "Headset" version in the app
Windows often shows two entries for one Bluetooth headset: a Stereo one and a Hands-Free one. Pick Hands-Free for meetings (otherwise the mic won't work).
Plug in instead, when reliability matters
For an important meeting, a USB or wired headset is more reliable than Bluetooth. Bluetooth is convenient; cables are predictable.
If You're Still Stuck
Backup plans
Dial in by phone
Teams, Zoom, and Webex meeting invites usually include a phone number. If the laptop won't cooperate, dial in with audio while you screen-share or take notes from the laptop.
Join from your phone instead
Have the meeting app on your phone, signed in. Join from cellular if your home internet is the problem.
What to send IT
Which meeting app, which physical headset / camera, screenshots of your audio settings, what you've already tried. See taking screenshots for IT.