Background noise
Most background noise is the room reaching an open mic. Fix the room and the mic distance first, then let the app's suppression clean up the rest.
- Room · source off
- Mic · closer mic
- System · input volume
§ Apps · Zoom
Zoom
Video meetings and webinars for work, school and family calls.
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · Linux · iOS · Android · Web browser
- Suppression
- Background noise suppression · default Auto
- Echo cancel
- Yes · Echo cancellation
- Noise gate
- No setting listed
- Push-to-talk
- Yes
- Last verified
- 2026-10-18
§ 01 — Setting
Where the setting is
| Platform | Path |
|---|---|
| Windows | Profile picture → Settings → Audio → Microphone modes: Noise removal (default) → Background noise suppression |
| macOS | Profile picture → Settings → Audio → Microphone modes: Noise removal (default) → Background noise suppression |
| Linux | Profile picture → Settings → Audio → Background noise suppression (Linux offers the level only) |
| iOS | Profile picture → Settings → Audio → Microphone modes → Noise removal (default) |
| Android | Profile picture → Settings → Audio → Microphone modes → Noise removal (default) |
| Web browser | In a meeting: arrow next to Mute → Audio settings → Audio → Audio Profile → Background noise suppression |
Levels: Auto · Low · Medium · High The default is Auto.
Part of the Noise removal microphone mode, which is the default. Auto adjusts on its own and suits most rooms; Medium targets fans and pen tapping; High is the most aggressive and can remove other people's background speech, at the cost of more CPU.
§ 02 — Layers
The three layers
Noise can be fixed at three points before it leaves you. Start at the top: a fix at the device beats any amount of software.
| Layer | What it does | What to set |
|---|---|---|
| L1 · Device | The mic and where it sits. Distance to your mouth sets how loud your voice is against the room. | Pick the right mic in the app. A headset or a mic close to your mouth beats a laptop mic across the desk. |
| L2 · System | Your operating system passes the mic to the app at the input volume you set, sometimes with its own processing. | In your system sound settings, choose the same input device and set its volume so speech stays in the green on the noise test. |
| L3 · App | Zoom cleans the signal before it sends it: Background noise suppression (default Auto), Echo cancellation. | Profile picture → Settings → Audio → Microphone modes: Noise removal (default) → Background noise suppression |
Echo cancellation. On by default. On Windows, macOS and Linux, Settings → Audio → Advanced lets you set it to Auto, Low or High; High suits rooms where several people talk at once.
Noise gate. Zoom's audio settings list no gate or sensitivity threshold. Automatically adjust microphone volume is a gain control, not a gate.
§ 03 — Limits
What it cannot fix
- The Auto, Low, Medium and High levels are in the desktop app. On Android and iOS, Noise removal adjusts suppression automatically.
- The web app offers Zoom background noise removal or the browser's own noise suppression, with no level choice.
- High uses more CPU, which can hurt on an older laptop.
- Original sound for musicians turns all noise suppression off until you switch it back.
- Echo you hear from another participant comes from their speakers and mic, so it has to be fixed on their side.
§ 04 — Symptoms
Fixes for what you hear
Echo
Echo is almost always someone's speakers playing the call into their own mic, and the person causing it usually cannot hear it.
- Room · headphones
- Room · one device per room
- Room · TV down
Laptop mic picks up typing
A laptop's built-in mic sits in the same case as its keyboard, so a headset or external mic helps more than any setting can.
- Mic · headset
- Mic · external keyboard
- System · system filter
Mic too quiet
A quiet mic is usually distance, the wrong input device or a low input volume in the system, not a broken mic.
- Mic · closer
- Mic · right input
- System · input volume
Voice cutting out
Clipped first words almost always mean a voice activation threshold set too high. Dropouts mid-sentence point to the connection or Bluetooth.
- Mic · closer
- Mic · USB headset
- App · threshold
Others hear themselves
If others hear themselves when you unmute, the echo is on your side: your speakers, a second device or your sound driver sends their voices back.
- Room · headphones
- Room · one device
- Room · one audio source
Robotic voice
A robotic voice is usually late or lost packets on the network, or a headset sending audio at a rate the app does not expect.
- Mic · USB headset
- System · separate devices
- System · close apps
One-sided audio
One-sided audio is almost always a mute, a blocked mic permission or the wrong device, in that order. Firewalls come last.
- Mic · unmute
- Mic · one device
- System · mic permission
Bluetooth mic sounds bad
Classic Bluetooth drops to a narrow, mono call mode whenever its mic is on. A separate mic, or LE Audio, avoids the switch.
- Mic · separate mic
- Mic · one device
- Mic · AirPods mic
Delay and lag
Most call delay comes from the network: a distant server, busy Wi-Fi or a VPN. Some apps add a little delay of their own.
- App · push to talk
- App · video off
- Network · VPN off
§ 05 — Test
Test it
The noise test rates your mic fine for Zoom when your noise floor is at or below −50 dBFS and your voice is at least 20 dB above it. Between −50 and −40 dBFS it is usable with suppression on; above that, the noise needs fixing at the room or the mic.
These bars are our rule of thumb for how much steady noise Zoom's built-in suppression copes with, not figures from Zoom. The methodology explains them.
Test my mic for Zoom → § 06 — Questions
Zoom questions
Q.01Which background noise suppression level should I pick?
Auto is the default and suits most rooms. Low keeps the most of the original sound, Medium targets fans and pen tapping, and High is the most aggressive: it can remove other people's background speech and may use more CPU.
Q.02Why can't I choose a level on my phone?
On Android and iOS, Noise removal adjusts suppression automatically. The Auto, Low, Medium and High choice is in the desktop app.
Q.03What happens when I turn on Original sound for musicians?
All noise suppression is turned off. When you turn it off again, Zoom goes back to the level you chose in settings.
§ Sources
Checked against
Zoom's own help pages and announcements, last checked :
- support.zoom.com · Setting Up Professional Audio for Zoom Meetings
- support.zoom.com · Changing Settings in the Zoom Workplace Desktop and Mobile App
- support.zoom.com · Changing Audio Settings During a Zoom Meeting
- support.zoom.com · Managing Advanced Audio Settings
- support.zoom.com · Using Push-to-Talk
- support.zoom.com · Managing Audio Echo in a Meeting