Recorded sound timing not synched to video

Hi Stephanie, 

Thanks for reaching out!

Sorry to hear about the audio/video sync issues — that's definitely frustrating, especially when it's showing up on both machines. The good news is that since it's happening on two different computers, it actually helps narrow down the cause. Here are some things to check and try:

Start with your network. Since both devices are affected, your internet connection is the most likely common factor. The visual pauses you're describing — where your mouth stops moving but the audio keeps going — are a classic sign of video frames being dropped due to packet loss or jitter. Even if your speeds seem fine for general use, Zoom recordings are sensitive to upload stability. Run a speed test and pay attention to your upload speed (aim for at least 3–5 Mbps) and jitter (ideally under 30ms). If you're on Wi-Fi for both machines, try switching to a wired ethernet connection for your next recording and see if it makes a difference. Wi-Fi congestion, especially on shared networks, is one of the most common causes of this.

Lower the processing load on your machine. If you have HD video enabled, try turning it off — go to Settings → Video and uncheck HD. Also, if you're using virtual backgrounds or the blur effect, disable those temporarily. They're CPU-intensive, and when your processor gets overloaded, Zoom prioritizes audio over video, which causes exactly the kind of desync you're seeing. Close any unnecessary apps during your meetings too.

Check your recording type. If you're using local recording on both machines, that could be the issue. Local recordings depend on your computer's ability to process and write the file in real time while also running the meeting. If the CPU spikes, the recording drops video frames while audio continues. If you have access to cloud recording, try switching to that — cloud recordings are processed on Zoom's servers, so your local machine's performance doesn't affect the output. The sync is generally much more reliable.

Toggle hardware acceleration. Go to Settings → Video → Advanced and try toggling "Use hardware acceleration for video processing." On some systems enabling it helps, on others disabling it helps. Worth testing both ways.

Check your audio device. If you're using the same external microphone or webcam with a built-in mic on both machines, there could be a sample rate mismatch between the audio and video capture. Make sure the correct mic is selected in Settings → Audio, and if you're using a USB mic, verify it's set to 48kHz or 44.1kHz in your system sound settings. A mismatch can cause the audio to gradually drift from the video over time.

Make sure Zoom is up to date. Go to Settings → General → Check for Updates on both machines. Zoom regularly patches encoding and sync issues, so running the latest version is always a good first step.

If none of that resolves it, I'd recommend opening a support ticket and attaching a sample recording. The technical team can analyze the audio and video streams in the file to pinpoint exactly where the desync is happening.

Hope that helps — let us know what you find!