Zoom will detect any audio sources (like a built-in speakers or USB headsets) and will attempt to use your default device when joining or hosting meetings. However sometimes you may want to mute your audio, or you may have more than one viable audio source. Unlike the video options, audio may use a mix of two different devices–for example, you may want to use a USB headset for your microphone, but a set of external speakers for playback.
While attending or hosting a Zoom meeting you can adjust which audio device you are using by clicking the small arrow next to “Mute”, found in the lower left corner of the Zoom taskbar. This will pull up a list of possible audio sources with a checkmark next to the currently active device. Simply click on one of those devices to make it active. To toggle the audio device on or off just click the microphone icon rather than clicking the associated arrow–a red slash over the microphone icon indicates the audio is currently muted. If no audio options are listed try unplugging your headset/external speakers and plugging them back in–if that doesn’t work, please contact the Helpdesk for additional troubleshooting.
If you are unsure which devices you would like to use, click the “Test Speaker & Microphone” option. This will play a tone through the currently selected speakers. If you cannot hear a tone (or if it’s coming out of the wrong speaker) you can change which speaker is active by using the pull-down menu on that page. Once you hear the tone, click “Yes” to proceed to the microphone test, which will prompt you to speak–if you hear your voice play back to you then select “Yes” to finish the test, otherwise use the pull-down menu to select a microphone until you are able to hear your voice play back.
You can adjust advanced audio options by clicking the “Audio Settings…” button, which allows you to adjust volume levels for both speakers and microphones, as well as adjust Background Noise Suppression levels.