How to Make Voice Calls with Zoom

Zoom offers two ways to talk by voice. The first is an audio-only meeting, which is a regular Zoom meeting with video turned off. The second is Zoom Phone, a separate calling service that lets you call phone numbers and extensions if your account includes it. This guide covers both and points out what you should confirm on your own account rather than assume.

Before you start

Zoom calls do not run only on your device. Your audio goes through the Zoom service, so you need a working internet connection and the Zoom desktop or mobile app, or the web client where the meeting host allows it.

• Update the Zoom app. Menu names and button positions change between versions, so labels on your screen may differ slightly from the ones below.
• Have a Zoom account ready. A meeting link may let you join as a guest, but the host can require participants to sign in.
• To call phone numbers or extensions, your account needs a Zoom Phone license. If the app has no Phone tab, this feature is probably not assigned to you. Ask your account administrator.
• Give Zoom microphone permission in your operating system or mobile settings. A voice-only call does not need camera permission.
• Use a headset or earbuds if you can. They usually cause less echo than laptop speakers and a built-in microphone.

Recording, voicemail, transcripts and data storage depend on your account settings and your organization's policy. That includes whether calls can be recorded, where files are stored and how long they are kept. Check these settings or ask your administrator rather than relying on assumptions.

Step-by-step instructions

Set up your audio devices

• 1. Open the Zoom app and sign in.
• 2. Open Settings, usually through the gear icon or your profile picture, and go to the Audio section.
• 3. Select the microphone and speaker you want to use. If several devices are connected, choose one explicitly instead of relying on the system default.
• 4. Run the speaker test and the microphone test. Adjust the volume until the input level moves clearly when you speak.
• 5. Optional: in the Video section, turn on the option to keep your video off when joining meetings, if your version has it. Calls will then start without the camera.

Start or join an audio-only meeting

• 1. To start a meeting, go to Home. If the New Meeting button has a menu with a video option, turn video off before you start.
• 2. When Zoom asks how to connect audio, choose computer audio, or the device audio option on mobile.
• 3. Invite people with the meeting link or the in-meeting invite option.
• 4. If your camera turns on anyway, select Stop Video. Your selected camera stays configured, but no video is sent.
• 5. To join someone else's meeting by voice only, open the link, turn video off on the preview screen and join with computer audio.
• 6. If you have no reliable internet connection, check the invitation for dial-in numbers. These appear only if the host's account offers telephone dial-in.

Make a call with Zoom Phone

• 1. Open the Phone tab in the Zoom app.
• 2. Type a phone number or extension, or pick a contact or an entry from your call history.
• 3. Select the call button.
• 4. During the call, use the on-screen controls, such as mute, keypad, hold or transfer. Which controls appear depends on your plan and administrator policy.
• 5. Select End or Hang up when you are done.

The mobile app follows the same basic flow. On phones and tablets, incoming Zoom Phone calls can also depend on the app's notification and background settings. All of the settings above are reversible: you can switch back to a previous microphone or speaker, or turn video back on, at any time.

Check the output

Before an important call, repeat the built-in speaker and microphone tests from the Audio settings. During the call, look at the microphone indicator: it should react when you speak and stay still when you are muted.

• Ask the other person whether your voice is clear, loud enough and free of echo.
• Check that the device names shown in the call's audio menu match the headset or microphone you meant to use.
• If your client shows connection statistics, for example in a Statistics section of Settings, check them for audio problems such as packet loss.
• If you plan to record, confirm afterwards that the recording exists in the location your account settings specify.

Audio quality depends mostly on your network and your microphone, not on the app version. Video resolution and frame rate do not matter in a voice call. On a weak connection, though, keeping video off leaves more bandwidth for audio.

Common problems and next steps

Other people cannot hear you

Work through these checks in order:
1) Make sure you are not muted in Zoom, and that no hardware mute switch is on your headset.
2) In the call's audio menu, confirm that the correct microphone is selected.
3) Check that the operating system allows Zoom to use the microphone.
4) Close other apps that might be using the microphone, then rejoin the call.

You cannot hear the other person

Check which speaker is selected in Zoom and the system volume. Bluetooth headphones sometimes connect after the call has started, so you may need to select them again in the audio menu.

Echo or feedback

Echo usually happens when sound from your speakers reaches your microphone, or when two devices in the same room join the same call. Use a headset, and keep only one device connected to audio in each room.

Choppy or robotic audio

This usually points to a network problem. Pause large downloads and streaming, move closer to the router or use a wired connection, and keep video turned off.

No Phone tab or you cannot call a number

Calling phone numbers requires Zoom Phone, and the numbers and regions you can call depend on your plan. If the tab is missing or a call is blocked, ask your account administrator to check your license and calling permissions.

If a problem remains after these checks, update the Zoom app and restart your device. If it still persists, contact your administrator or Zoom support and tell them which app version and audio devices you are using.