Is Zoom Down? How to Check Zoom Status & Quick Fixes

Meeting won't start. Screen sharing frozen. Audio cutting out. When Zoom has issues, millions of meetings grind to a halt simultaneously—from classrooms to boardrooms. But "Zoom down" can mean different things: the web portal, desktop app connectivity, individual features like screen sharing, or regional server issues. This guide helps you diagnose what's actually broken and how to recover fast.

Check Zoom Status Right Now

Check real-time Zoom status on API Status Check →

We monitor Zoom's meeting services, web portal, and regional infrastructure every 60 seconds. See exactly which services are affected and whether it's a widespread outage or a local issue.

Understanding Zoom's Service Architecture

Zoom operates multiple interconnected services. An outage in one doesn't always affect others:

Zoom Meetings (meetings.zoom.us)

The core video conferencing service where meetings happen.

Infrastructure: Distributed across 17+ global data centers with automatic failover When down: Can't join meetings, black screen, "connecting..." stuck, error 5003 Impact: All meeting participants affected, but web portal may work fine

Key distinction: Meeting service can be down while the web portal (account management) works perfectly. Different systems.

Zoom Web Portal (zoom.us)

The website where you manage account settings, schedule meetings, access recordings.

When down: Website won't load, 502/503 errors, can't schedule meetings Impact: Can't schedule new meetings, but existing meetings may still work via desktop app

Zoom Phone

Separate voice calling infrastructure.

When down: Calls drop, can't dial, voicemail issues Impact: Phone users affected, but video meetings typically unaffected

Zoom Webinars & Events

Higher-capacity infrastructure for large broadcasts.

When down: Can't start webinars, attendees can't join Impact: Webinar hosts and attendees, regular meetings usually fine

Regional Data Centers

Zoom uses geographic routing. Outages can be regional:

North America: US-East, US-West, Canada Europe: UK, Germany, Amsterdam Asia Pacific: Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia South America: São Paulo

During regional outage: Users in that region experience issues while others are fine.

Common Zoom Error Codes

Error Code 5003: "Cannot Connect to Zoom"

Most common Zoom error. Means your client can't reach Zoom's servers.

Possible causes:

1. Zoom server outage (rare but happens)
2. Firewall blocking (corporate networks)
3. Network connectivity (your internet)
4. Antivirus interference (blocks Zoom ports)

How to diagnose:

Test 1: Can you access zoom.us in browser?

• Yes → Likely firewall blocking desktop app
• No → Likely Zoom outage or your internet

Test 2: Try mobile app on cellular data

• Works → Corporate firewall issue
• Fails → Likely Zoom outage

Fix for firewall issues: Ask IT to whitelist:

• *.zoom.us on ports 80, 443, 8801, 8802
• UDP ports 3478-3479, 8801-8810

Error Code 104101/104103: "Can't Start/Join Meeting"

Meeting-specific connectivity failure.

Common triggers:

• Meeting ID doesn't exist or expired
• Host hasn't started meeting and "join before host" disabled
• You're banned from that meeting
• Zoom experiencing meeting server issues

Quick test: Try joining a different meeting. If other meetings work, it's that specific meeting (not Zoom outage).

"Your Internet Connection is Unstable"

Network quality warning, not a Zoom outage.

Zoom requires:

• 1-on-1 video: 600 kbps up/down
• Group video: 1.2 Mbps up/down
• 720p HD video: 2.6 Mbps up/down
• 1080p HD video: 3.8 Mbps up/down

Test your bandwidth:

# Fast check
https://fast.com

# Zoom-specific test
https://zoom.us/test

Bandwidth-saving fixes:

1. Turn off video (audio only)
2. Disable HD video in Settings → Video → HD
3. Close bandwidth-heavy apps (Netflix, downloads)
4. Switch to wired ethernet from WiFi

Black Screen / Camera Not Working

Different from Zoom outage—usually local device issue.

Troubleshooting:

1. Check camera permissions:

• Mac: System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Camera → Enable Zoom
• Windows: Settings → Privacy → Camera → Allow apps to access camera

2. Camera in use by another app:

# Mac: Check which app is using camera
lsof | grep "AppleCamera"

# Close competing apps (Chrome, Skype, Teams)

3. Update Zoom client: Old versions have camera compatibility bugs. Update to latest.

4. Test camera in other apps:

• Photo Booth (Mac) or Camera (Windows)
• If camera works elsewhere, reinstall Zoom

Screen Sharing Not Working

"Cannot share screen" or black screen when sharing.

Common causes:

1. Screen Recording permission denied (Mac):

• System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Screen Recording
• Check Zoom, click the lock to enable

2. Application won't share (protected content): Some apps (Netflix, Apple TV) block screen sharing due to DRM.

3. Zoom client bug: Restart Zoom app. If persists, sign out and sign back in.

4. Network bandwidth: Screen sharing requires 1.5-2 Mbps upload. Lower quality in Zoom settings.

Audio Issues: Can't Hear or Be Heard

Echo, choppy audio, or complete silence.

Quick diagnostics:

Test audio settings:

1. Join meeting
2. Click arrow next to microphone icon
3. Select "Test Speaker & Microphone"
4. Should hear test tone and see microphone level moving

Common fixes:

Can't hear others:

• Check output device (headphones vs speakers)
• Increase volume in Zoom (audio icon → volume slider)
• Try "Leave Computer Audio" then rejoin audio

Others can't hear you:

• Check input device (correct microphone selected)
• Unmute both in Zoom AND on your headset
• Check system microphone not muted

Echo/feedback:

• Use headphones (prevents speakers from echoing into mic)
• Mute when not speaking
• Host can mute all participants

How to Check Zoom Status

1. Official Zoom Status Page

https://status.zoom.us

Shows:

• Meeting Connecivity
• Zoom Website
• Zoom Phone
• Zoom Webinars
• Scheduled maintenance

Real-time indicators:

• 🟢 Operational
• 🟡 Degraded Performance
• 🔴 Partial Outage / Major Outage

Historical data: Past incidents and resolutions

Subscribe to updates: Email/SMS notifications for outages

2. Zoom Support Twitter

@ZoomSupport

During outages, Zoom tweets updates:

@ZoomSupport: "We're aware of users experiencing issues joining meetings 
and are actively investigating. Updates to follow."

Often faster than status page updates.

3. API Status Check (Real-Time Monitoring)

https://apistatuscheck.com/zoom

We test Zoom every 60 seconds:

• Meeting join success rate
• Web portal accessibility
• Response time trends
• Regional availability

Shows granular view: "US-East degraded but Europe operational"

4. Community Reports

Zoom Community Forum: https://community.zoom.com

Search for recent reports. During outages, dozens of "can't connect" posts appear within minutes.

Reddit: r/Zoom - users report issues immediately

DownDetector: https://downdetector.com/status/zoom Real-time crowdsourced outage map. Spike in reports = likely outage.

5. Manual Connection Test

Quick health check:

1. Go to https://zoom.us/test
2. Click "Join" test meeting
3. Should connect within 10-15 seconds

If test meeting works but your meeting doesn't: Issue is with that specific meeting, not Zoom platform.

Troubleshooting Zoom Issues Step-by-Step

Step 1: Verify It's Actually Zoom

Is the problem widespread or just you?

Check multiple sources:

• Can colleagues join the same meeting?
• Does Zoom's test meeting work? (zoom.us/test)
• Is status.zoom.us showing issues?

If only you're affected: Likely your network/device, not Zoom outage.

Step 2: Try Different Connection Methods

Zoom has multiple entry points. Test alternatives:

Desktop App → Web Browser: If desktop app fails, try joining via browser at zoom.us/wc/join/[meeting-id]

WiFi → Cellular: Switch to phone hotspot. If works, your WiFi/network is the issue.

Different Device: Try joining from phone instead of computer. Isolates device-specific issues.

Step 3: Restart the Zoom Client

Full restart sequence:

1. Quit Zoom completely (don't just close window)
   • Mac: Zoom → Quit Zoom
   • Windows: Right-click system tray icon → Exit
2. Wait 10 seconds
3. Relaunch Zoom

Clears temporary connectivity glitches and re-establishes server connection.

Step 4: Check Firewall & Network

Corporate network issues:

Many corporate firewalls block Zoom. Required ports:

• TCP: 80, 443, 8801, 8802
• UDP: 3478, 3479, 8801-8810

Test if firewall is blocking:

# Mac/Linux
nc -zv zoom.us 443
nc -zv zoom.us 8801

# Should say "succeeded" if ports are open

VPN interference: Some VPNs block Zoom. Try disconnecting VPN temporarily.

Ask IT to whitelist:

• *.zoom.us
• *.cloudfront.net (Zoom CDN)

Step 5: Update Zoom Client

Outdated clients have compatibility bugs.

Check version:

1. Zoom desktop app
2. Click profile picture → Check for Updates
3. Install if available

Current version (as of Feb 2026): 6.0.x

Force reinstall if stuck:

1. Uninstall Zoom
2. Download fresh installer from zoom.us/download
3. Install and sign in

Step 6: Test Audio/Video Hardware

Verify devices work outside Zoom:

Camera:

• Mac: Photo Booth
• Windows: Camera app
• If broken here, it's hardware/driver issue

Microphone/Speakers:

• Record voice memo (Mac) or Voice Recorder (Windows)
• If broken, update audio drivers or check connections

Bluetooth headphones: Can cause latency/disconnection issues. Try wired headphones to test.

What to Do During a Zoom Outage

1. Switch to Backup Meeting Platform

Don't keep retrying Zoom. Switch immediately:

Google Meet (fastest fallback):

1. Go to meet.google.com
2. Click "New meeting"
3. Share link in Slack/email: https://meet.google.com/abc-defg-hij

No account required for participants. Works in browser.

Microsoft Teams: Free tier: teams.microsoft.com Create instant meeting, share link.

Other alternatives:

• Jitsi Meet (open source, jitsi.org/meet)
• Whereby (whereby.com, simple browser-based)
• Discord (for informal team calls)

Pro tip: Have a backup platform already agreed upon. Document in team wiki:

"If Zoom is down, default to Google Meet. Check #engineering-status channel for link."

2. Use Zoom Phone Number Dial-In

If video is down but phone service works:

Every Zoom meeting has dial-in numbers. Share with participants:

Join by phone:
  +1 669 900 6833 (US)
  Meeting ID: 123 456 7890
  Passcode: 987654

Audio-only workaround while waiting for video to recover.

3. Enable "Join Before Host"

Prevent meeting delays when you can't connect:

1. Zoom web portal → Settings → Meetings
2. Enable "Allow participants to join before host"
3. Meeting can start even if your connection fails

4. Download Important Recordings Locally

Cloud recordings fail when Zoom is down.

Proactive backup:

1. Zoom web portal → Recordings
2. Download important recordings to local drive
3. Upload to Google Drive/Dropbox for redundancy

Cloud-only recordings are inaccessible during outages.

5. Set Up Status Monitoring

Get alerted before meetings fail:

Monitor Zoom + backups →

Our Alert Pro plan ($9/month) tracks:

• Zoom Meetings + Web Portal
• Google Meet (your fallback)
• Microsoft Teams (alternative)
• 60-second checks from multiple regions
• Instant alerts via email, Slack, Discord

Know about Zoom degradation before your 10 AM standup fails.

Zoom Outage History & Patterns

Notable Incidents

August 24, 2025 - 3-hour global outage

• Cause: Database cluster failure during routine maintenance
• Impact: Users worldwide couldn't join or start meetings
• Recovery: Failed over to backup database, restored service region by region
• Lesson: Even "routine" maintenance can cascade

May 2025 - US-East regional issue (2 hours)

• Cause: AWS infrastructure problem in Virginia data center
• Impact: ~30% of users (routed to us-east) experienced connectivity issues
• Recovery: Traffic rerouted to US-West automatically
• Lesson: Regional failures don't affect all users equally

February 2025 - Screen sharing broken (4 hours)

• Cause: Bug in client update caused screen sharing to crash
• Impact: Meetings worked but screen sharing failed globally
• Recovery: Released hotfix update
• Lesson: Update rollouts can introduce new bugs

November 2024 - Zoom Phone outage (90 minutes)

• Cause: SIP gateway misconfiguration after network change
• Impact: Phone calls failed, video meetings unaffected
• Recovery: Reverted network config
• Lesson: Phone and video run on separate infrastructure

Patterns Observed

Time of day:

• Most issues: Weekday mornings (8-10 AM local time) when load spikes
• Least issues: Weekends and evenings

Day of week:

• Mondays: Highest meeting volume = highest chance of overload
• Fridays: Fewer users, typically more stable

Update-related:

• Client updates occasionally introduce bugs
• Roll back to previous version if new update causes issues

Zoom uptime:

• Overall: ~99.9% uptime (8 hours down per year)
• Meeting service: Most reliable component
• Web portal: Occasional brief outages

Zoom vs Alternatives: Quick Comparison

When Zoom is Down, Where to Switch?

Platform	Free Tier	Max Participants (Free)	Time Limit (Free)	Reliability
Zoom	✅	100	40 min (groups)	99.9%
Google Meet	✅	100	60 min	99.9%
Microsoft Teams	✅	100	60 min	99.8%
Jitsi Meet	✅	75	Unlimited	98.5%
Whereby	✅	100	45 min	99.5%

Best fallback:

• Enterprise: Microsoft Teams (if you have Office 365)
• Quick switch: Google Meet (no account needed for participants)
• Privacy-focused: Jitsi Meet (open source, self-hostable)

Migration in 30 Seconds

Google Meet:

1. Go to meet.google.com
2. Click "New meeting"
3. Copy link, paste in Slack/email
4. Participants click link (no account required)

Microsoft Teams:

1. teams.microsoft.com → Calendar → "Meet now"
2. Copy join link
3. Share with participants

Whereby:

1. whereby.com/[your-name]
2. Instant room created
3. Share URL

FAQ

Q: Is Zoom down right now?
A: Check apistatuscheck.com/zoom or status.zoom.us for real-time status.

Q: Why can I access zoom.us but can't join meetings?
A: The web portal and meeting infrastructure are separate systems. Portal can work while meeting servers are down.

Q: How long do Zoom outages typically last?
A: Minor issues: 15-30 minutes. Major outages: 1-3 hours. Longest in 2025: 3 hours (database failure).

Q: Does Zoom have an SLA?
A: Not for free accounts. Paid accounts have 99.9% uptime SLA (8.7 hours downtime/year allowed). Enterprise can negotiate custom SLAs.

Q: Can I get a refund for Zoom downtime?
A: If Zoom breaches SLA (below 99.9% for the month), paid customers can request service credits. Must submit ticket within 30 days.

Q: Why does Zoom work on my phone but not computer?
A: Likely corporate firewall blocking desktop app but allowing mobile (via cellular). Ask IT to whitelist Zoom ports.

Q: What's the difference between "Degraded Performance" and "Partial Outage"?
A: Degraded = slow/laggy but functional. Partial Outage = some users completely unable to connect. Major Outage = nobody can connect.

Q: Should I keep retrying during an outage?
A: No. If status.zoom.us confirms outage, retrying won't help and may slow recovery. Switch to backup platform.

Q: Does Zoom prioritize enterprise customers during outages?
A: Recovery affects all tiers simultaneously. Enterprise gets dedicated support channels and communication, not faster recovery.

Q: Can I host a meeting during a Zoom outage?
A: Not if meeting servers are down. Pre-scheduled meetings stored on Zoom servers won't be accessible until recovery.

Q: What's Zoom's worst outage ever?
A: Partial outages have lasted up to 4 hours. Full global outages are rare—typically regional (affecting 20-40% of users).

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Last updated: February 7, 2026
Next review: Monthly

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