Most users rely on the Zoom application for online video conferences and meeting calls. However, there are times when Zoom doesn’t seem to work on a Mac computer. That is, either an ongoing audio-video issue interferes with their calls, or the app crashes/fails to load up entirely. However, the situation itself is not very uncommon, and some easy and straightforward fixes will get it back on track.
For starters, if Zoom doesn’t have your system’s camera and mic access, you’ll not be able to turn on your video or use your microphone. However, if the application itself doesn’t open or load up, the problem might be within its app build, and reinstalling it will solve the issue. But there are other methods to fix a malfunctioning Zoom application as well, and this guide shall take you through them all.
Why is Zoom Not Working on My Mac?
- Zoom server is down
- Application glitch
- No camera/mic permission
- Other apps using camera and mic
- Firewall block
How to Fix Zoom Not Working on Mac?
Whenever Zoom is not working on your system, first restart your computer and reopen the Zoom application. This can discard any previous OS-related glitches and bugs, and the application might start working well now.
Also, if the Zoom server is down, you won’t be able to work on the application. And in such cases, all you can do is wait for the developers to fix the problem and get the server back up. But if everything’s fine and the app is still not working on your Mac, follow the steps shown below.
Make Sure You’re Online
Zoom requires an active internet connection to function properly. That means, if you’re not connected to the internet, the application will not work and sometimes might even fail to start up.
Also, if you notice that your video calls are buggy or if the audio/video is not present, your network connection might be too slow. A slow internet connection gives rise to many issues with the Zoom application. Hence, it’s better to check the connection status before diving into more technical solutions.
Force Quit Zoom
If your application is not working like it’s supposed to, you can force quit it and try to reopen it again. Any minor app-based bugs could disappear, and your app might start operating normally. So, here’s how you force quit Zoom on a Mac:
- Open Finder.
- From the finder menu bar, go to Apple > Force Quit.
- Select Zoom from the list of running processes and choose to Force Quit.
- Confirm the prompt message and Force Quit Zoom.
- Re-open Zoom.
Allow Camera and Mic Permissions for Zoom
If you don’t permit your application to access certain system resources, it will be blocked from doing so. Similarly, if you don’t give your system’s camera and microphone access to Zoom, you will not be able to present yourself efficiently on a conference call.
So, if you notice that your audio and video are not popping up, you can check the permission settings and alter the configurations there. Here are the steps to do so:
- Open Finder.
- From the finder menu bar, go to Apple > System Preferences.
- Select the Security & Privacy settings.
- Click on the lock to allow new changes.
- Navigate to the Privacy tab.
- Choose Camera from the sidebar.
- Mark the Zoom application.
- Then, from the sidebar, select Microphone.
- Here too, mark the Zoom application.
- Finally, click on the lock again to save your changes.
Alter Your Zoom Settings
If your audio/video is still not up even after giving Zoom the related access, you have to change the in-app settings to fix the problem.
- Open Zoom.
- Now, from the menu bar, select Zoom > Preferences.
- Then from the left panel, select Camera.
- Make sure you have the correct Camera set up from the drop-down menu.
- Deselect the Stop my video when joining a meeting option.
- Then, select Audio from the left panel.
- Here, set up the correct Microphone and Speaker from the drop-down menu.
Close Other Applications Using the Camera
If other system apps are actively using the camera and microphone, Zoom will not be able to function properly. That’s because multiple applications cannot use these resources at the same time. And if that’s the case, you have to close these applications, no matter whether they are running in the foreground or the background.
We can visit the Mac’s Activity Monitor to track, monitor, and quit any such applications.
- Press Command + Space and bring up the Spotlight.
- Go to Activity Monitor.
- Navigate to the CPU tab.
- If you see any application that might be using the camera/mic, select it and click on the ‘x’ sign to close it.
Close Apps With High CPU Usage
Zoom requires a certain amount of CPU access to carry out its workflow properly. But when other applications(s) are using a significant amount of CPU, the system can get overloaded, overheated, and the entire OS might have stability issues. And amidst all that chaos, the Zoom application itself might appear unresponsive. When this happens, closing those applications with a high CPU percentage will return the most favorable outcome.
- Press Command + Space and bring up the Spotlight.
- Go to Activity Monitor.
- Navigate to the CPU tab.
- If you see any application that’s using an abnormally high CPU percentage, select it and click on the ‘x’ sign to close it.
Disable Firewall
Your system firewall is known to block the Zoom workflow at times. So, when everything is in the right order and the application still doesn’t function properly, the firewall might be the culprit. However, you can temporarily disable the Firewall from your Mac’s system preferences window, and here’s how to do so:
- Open Finder.
- From the finder menu bar, go to Apple > System Preferences.
- Select the Security & Privacy settings.
- Click on the lock to allow new changes.
- Navigate to the Firewall tab.
- Then, Turn Off Firewall.
- Click the lock again to save your changes.
Reinstall Zoom
If none of the aforementioned steps work, you, unfortunately, have to delete the entire application and reinstall it again. This will discard any corruptions of the previous build, and re-installing it sets up a newer build of the applications. Here’s the exact flow you can follow:
- Open Finder.
- Select Applications from the left sidebar.
- Right-click on Zoom and Move to Trash.
- Then, go to the dock, right-click on your Trash Can and choose to Empty Bin.
- Now, download the Zoom Desktop Client and install it on your system.
