Zoom Call Volume Too Low on Mac? How to Boost It

You're on a Zoom call. The other person is talking, but you can barely hear them. Your Mac volume is at maximum, Zoom's speaker volume is at maximum, and you're still leaning into the screen.

Low Zoom volume is common and has several causes. Here's every fix, from settings checks to boosting Zoom past its normal limit.

1. Check Zoom's audio output settings

Open Zoom's settings and go to Audio. Under Speaker, make sure:

• The correct output device is selected (not an inactive monitor or a disconnected device)
• Zoom's speaker volume slider is at maximum
• Test Speaker plays a tone you can hear clearly

If the test tone is also quiet, the problem is between Zoom and your speakers: keep going with the fixes below. If the test tone is fine but calls are quiet, the other person probably has a microphone problem on their end.

2. Check your Mac's output device

Go to System Settings > Sound > Output and make sure the right device is selected and the output volume is at maximum. If you recently connected or disconnected headphones, a display or a Bluetooth device, macOS may have switched to an output you didn't expect.

3. Lower background noise suppression

Zoom filters out background noise, and a strong setting can make voices sound quieter, especially in a quiet room. In Zoom's audio settings, look for the background noise suppression option and try a lower level or Auto, then test again.

4. Bluetooth headset mode

If you use AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, joining a Zoom call turns on their microphone. Many headphones then switch to a hands-free (headset) mode that sounds lower in quality and often quieter.

Fix: keep the headphones as the speaker, but choose a different microphone in Zoom's audio settings: your Mac's built-in mic or a USB mic. The headphones then stay in their normal, better-sounding mode. More on this in Bluetooth headphones too quiet on Mac.

5. Restart Core Audio

The macOS audio service sometimes gets stuck at a low level, especially after sleep or switching devices. Open Terminal and run:

sudo killall coreaudiod

Audio restarts after a brief interruption. Rejoin the call and check whether the volume improved.

6. Boost Zoom past 100%

If you've tried everything and Zoom is still too quiet, the call audio may simply not be loud enough for your setup. Some participants have quiet microphones, and Zoom can only do so much with that.

SoundDial lets you boost one app above 100%, up to 200%, including Zoom. If someone is too quiet, drag Zoom's slider up in small steps, to 150% or 180% if needed (a boost can clip on loud voices, so stop when speech is clear).

Boosting Zoom doesn't raise anything else: only Zoom gets louder. (Separately, SoundDial's auto-duck is on by default and lowers your other apps to 30% of their level during a call, which also helps voices stand out; you can change the level or turn it off in Settings > Auto-Duck.) The same works for Teams, Webex, FaceTime, Discord, Slack huddles and other call apps, since each running app gets its own slider. If Zoom runs in a browser instead of the app, the slider covers that whole browser, because SoundDial works per app, not per browser tab.

If your problem is the reverse, with music dropping whenever a call starts, see stop Zoom from lowering your music.

SoundDial, a per-app volume mixer for Mac, needs macOS 14.2 or later and costs €14.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, no subscription.

Get SoundDial on the Mac App Store.