Wired Earphone Audio not working

[criticalproblem]

Zoom Audio not working on Windows 10

I have tried every tutorial/guide on the internet and nothing is working! Please Help
No audio from zoom while on earphones. I cannot hear others' audio or speak while plugged in my earphone.

- I am unmuted
- My earphones work when using other software and websites but just not zoom
(e.g. skype, youtube, etc)

Things I have tried:
- Changed the input and output audio settings in zoom to 1) the same as system and 2) to my earphones

- Tried the "test speaker and microphone" and failed in every test

- Used different earphones to plug into the earphone jack -> same result, no audio output or input (My Bluetooth wireless buds works on zoom without audio issue but not wired earphones )

- Make sure system > advanced sound options > zoom meetings are turned up to 100

- Allowed microphone access in Windows' Privacy Setting

- Uninstalled zoom (and removed all of the leftover files), restart my laptop and reinstall zoom for 3 times

- Edit: I updated, uninstalled and installed the external mic, headphones, microphone and speakers drivers on my laptop as per Ip-Man's suggestion (Thank You!)  below but it did not solve my problem

(I am on a Windows 10 laptop with earphone plugged into the earphone jack)

Please help! This problem has severely affected my zoom meetings and lessons - Thank you in advance

[criticalproblem · Accepted solution]

I finally solved the problem with the help of the zoom support team!

In my case, it was my computer's zoom volume mixer that was turned off for some reason.

Here is the instructions from the zoom support team:

Right-click on the Volume icon (on the task bar) > select “Open Volume Mixer” > form here, verify that all Zoom Applications listed are not muted.

and see the attached photo from the zoom support team for further illustrations.

Hope this helps you guys:)

@minna1 @AngieB 

[kaz2523 · Accepted solution]

The solution that worked for me:

Settings > System > Advanced > Volume Mixer > Zoom

Hit the drop down arrows and change the default input/outputs

Don't leave them on default and manually select 

[IP-Man]

@criticalproblem have you tried upgrading your laptop's drivers?

[criticalproblem]

@IP-Man Thank you for your suggestion, it sadly did not work.  I updated my external mic, headphones, microphone and speakers drivers and found they are all up to date.  I then uninstalled and reinstalled all 4 drivers but to no avail.  

[IP-Man]

I would suggest that you log a problem with Zoom Support at
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/requests/new so support team can do further troubleshooting on your issue.

[AngieB]

I am having the exact same issue - did you find a solution? My issue started about 3-4 weeks ago; prior to that, my wired headphones were working fine. 

[criticalproblem]

I sadly have not yet found a solution.  I contacted zoom support for help but their solution (to update zoon, use the clean zoom application and redownload zoom) has not helped.   I submitted a report via the zoom software (settings > statistics> send report) and am now awaiting their further instructions.  

I guess my last resort is to do a factory reset on my laptop, sigh.

Maybe you can also try contacting zoom support for help?

[minna1]

Hi.  I'm having the same problem with wire headphones and zoom meeting.  At the apple store now, thinking it was a problem with my equipment.  It isn't.  Did you ever resolve your problem?  

[criticalproblem · Accepted solution]

I finally solved the problem with the help of the zoom support team!

In my case, it was my computer's zoom volume mixer that was turned off for some reason.

Here is the instructions from the zoom support team:

Right-click on the Volume icon (on the task bar) > select “Open Volume Mixer” > form here, verify that all Zoom Applications listed are not muted.

and see the attached photo from the zoom support team for further illustrations.

Hope this helps you guys:)

@minna1 @AngieB 

[kfunli]

The solution helped me solve the same problem. Thank you!

Based on my observation in my case, I noticed that when I open a Zoom link in Edge, the Volume Mixer only shows one Zoom Application. Consequently, I couldn't unmute other Zoom Applications as suggested. However, when I opened the Zoom link in Chrome, the Volume Mixer displayed all Zoom Applications, with some being muted. Once I turned on the volume for all Zoom applications, the problem was successfully resolved!

[AngelaC1964]

Thank you for posting this! It solved my problem! I can hear it through my headphones now!

[KorayL]

This solution worked for me as well! 

Additionally, fixing the issue, uninstalling Zoom, and reinstalling Zoom resets the volume mixer back to muting Zoom. Very odd...

[dubaivms]

Hi my Mac Os is working perfect. The microphone test is working perfect. I could able to use my laptop for google meet calls and WhatsApp calls. But unfortunately i could not use zoom. The other side could not receive my audio. I could be able to listen them. I restarted the laptop. I re installed zoom app. Still the problem persist. Can some one help to resolve this?

[kaz2523 · Accepted solution]

The solution that worked for me:

Settings > System > Advanced > Volume Mixer > Zoom

Hit the drop down arrows and change the default input/outputs

Don't leave them on default and manually select 

[raulgonzalez]

okay fix it

[jmdglss · Accepted solution]

If other solutions don't work, during a Zoom call/session try this: Click on the up arrow next to "mute/unmute" and make sure "Same as System" is checked under "Select a Speaker" and "Select a Microphone."

[JohnKyte]

Don't know how it got changed.  Update?  This worked for me on Macbook air.  Thank you!

[AdamGruder]

That worked for me, finally. Thanks!

[theseek777]

Not sure how the setting was changed, but this solution worked. Thanks!

[lolgal555]

THIS is what worked for me. Going into the volume mixer did not work for me.

[raulgonzalez]

lets have a meeting

[fzmuhammad]

Here is the solution,

1. Force Zoom to Use the Right Audio Device (Even if it's not default)

Even though you’ve selected the correct devices in Zoom, Zoom sometimes misbehaves with audio routing. Do this:

• Open Zoom > Settings > Audio

• For Speaker and Microphone, instead of selecting “Same as system,” explicitly choose the wired headset (e.g., "Realtek High Definition Audio" or similar).

• Now, click Advanced at the bottom of the Audio Settings page.

  • Set “Signal processing by Windows audio device drivers” to Off (Windows - Raw)

  • Disable "Automatically adjust microphone volume"

  • Uncheck “Enable audio enhancements” (very important for some Realtek drivers)

Then restart Zoom and try again.

---

✅ 2. Run Zoom as Administrator

Zoom sometimes can't access hardware properly without elevated permissions.

• Right-click on the Zoom shortcut

• Choose "Run as Administrator"

• Try your wired earphones again

---

✅ 3. Check Windows Sound Control Panel (Legacy UI)

Let’s see if Windows sees your wired earphones as a proper device:

• Right-click the sound icon in the taskbar → Sounds

• Go to the Playback tab. Make sure your earphones are Enabled, Set as Default, and the volume is not muted

• Then go to the Recording tab → find your mic input → again ensure Enabled, Set as Default, and check levels

⚠️ If you see multiple audio devices (Realtek, Communications Headphones, Stereo Mix, etc), test them all by setting each as default.

---

✅ 4. Disable Exclusive Mode for Devices

This solves many weird Zoom audio issues:

• Go to Sound Settings > Sound Control Panel (right side)

• Under Playback tab → Select your earphones → Properties

• Go to Advanced tab → Uncheck both:

  • "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device"

  • "Give exclusive mode applications priority"

• Repeat for Recording devices as well

---

✅ 5. Try Zoom in the Browser

Just to isolate if this is only happening in the desktop app:

• Open a Zoom meeting from https://zoom.us/join

• Click “Join from your browser”

• See if your wired earphones work in the web version.

If it works in the browser, that’s strong proof the issue is with the desktop app’s device recognition.

---

✅ 6. Reset Zoom Settings Completely

There may be corrupted config files.

1. Exit Zoom completely.

2. Go to C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Roaming\Zoom

3. Delete the Zoom folder (this resets all settings — Zoom will regenerate them)

4. Restart Zoom and try again