How to Turn Off your Webcam and Microphone on Zoom

There may be times when you want to turn off your Zoom video and audio. By doing so, you can ensure the chaos of your home doesn’t reach to your mates on call. Follow the steps mentioned below to learn muting and unmuting while getting a hang of some keyboard shortcuts to save you time.

Turning Off Webcam Video

1. To turn off your video during a Zoom call, click the “Stop Video” tab on the left side of the toolbar. Alternatively, you can also press Alt+V on a PC to turn your webcam on or off.

2. To confirm that your video is off, you’ll see a camera icon with a red slash through it. This means that other people won’t be able to see you.

Muting Microphone

1. Move your mouse to the lower-left corner of the window and click on the “Mute” button. Alternatively, you can press Alt+M on a PC, or tap the Space bar to mute and unmute yourself.

2. To confirm that you’re muted, you’ll see a microphone icon with a red slash through it. 

Turning off Microphone and Video by Default

To choose if you want Zoom to automatically activate your webcam and microphone while joining a meeting, you can go into Zoom’s settings window.

1. Click your profile icon at the top of the main Zoom window and click “Settings.”

2. To automatically turn off your webcam video when joining a Zoom call, click the “Video” option on the left side of the Settings window.
3. Tick the “Turn off my video when joining a meeting” checkbox.

4. To automatically mute your microphone’s audio when you join a Zoom call, click the “Audio” option on the left side of the window.
5. Activate the “Mute my microphone when joining a meeting” option.

P.S. You can still enable your video and audio whenever you want to during the meeting by following the steps mentioned above.