How To Turn Off Camera On Zoom?

Turning off your camera on Zoom is straightforward no matter what device you're on. There is always an option somewhere to stop video. On desktop, the button is in the bottom corner of the meeting window. On an iPhone, you might need to tap the screen once to find the video off button. If you want to ensure that your video is off before joining a Zoom meeting, click the more ··· icon at the bottom-right of the Zoom app, scroll to the video section, then toggle on the "Turn off my video" button.

Turning Off the Camera During a Meeting

If your Zoom meeting has begun, you can turn your camera on or off by clicking the video icon in the bottom-left corner of your meeting window. No matter what device you're on, there is always an option to stop video. On desktop, the Stop Video button appears in the bottom corner. If it says "Start Video," you are not sharing video. On an iPhone, you might need to tap the screen once to find the video off button.

• Desktop: click the video icon in the bottom-left corner of the meeting window
• iPhone: tap the screen once to reveal the controls, then tap the video off button
• If the button reads "Start Video," your camera is already off

Turning Off the Camera Before Joining a Meeting

If you want to ensure that your video is off before joining a Zoom meeting, click the more ··· icon at the bottom-right of the Zoom app. Once you have accessed your meeting settings, scroll to the video section, then toggle on the "Turn off my video" button. You can also get a sticky note and put it over your webcam to physically disable your video.

Camera Appears "In Use" After Switching Meetings

After upgrading to Zoom version 6.7.5 on Windows 10, some users find that when closing a meeting in a personal room and attempting to open a connection to a colleague's personal room, the camera is not found, with an error message reading "in use by other application." This also happens when moving from open group meetings using a web browser to a personal room or vice versa. This issue may happen if the camera resource isn't fully released after a meeting ends. The following steps may help resolve the problem:

1. Fully exit and reopen Zoom between meetings: Instead of just closing the meeting window, right-click the Zoom icon in the system tray and choose Exit, then reopen it before joining the next meeting. This forces the camera resource to reset.
2. Check if the browser is still using the camera: If you joined a meeting through your browser, the browser tab may still be holding the camera. Make sure to close the meeting tab completely or close the browser before joining another session.
3. Disable and re-enable the camera in Zoom settings: Go to Settings → Video, switch to another camera (if available), then switch back. Sometimes this releases the device without needing to unplug it.
4. Check Windows camera permissions: In Windows Settings → Privacy → Camera, confirm that desktop apps are allowed to access the camera and that no other application is listed as actively using it.
5. Update or reinstall Zoom: If the problem started right after the update, it might be a bug in that build. Reinstalling the client or updating to the next patch version of Zoom often resolves device-locking issues.
6. Check the camera driver: Updating or reinstalling the camera driver in Device Manager can also help, especially for integrated laptop cameras.

Stopping the Camera from Auto-Following Movement (Centre Stage)

On Apple devices such as the Apple M4 Mac and iPad, the camera may auto-focus and move when you move your hands during a Zoom meeting. This is not a Zoom setting — it is an Apple feature called Centre Stage. The following methods can be used to disable it:

On iPad (within the Zoom meeting)

Go to the 9-dot view grid at the top right of the Zoom screen. As well as "Gallery View" and "Speaker View," there is a Centre Stage view. Uncheck this and the camera will stop following you automatically.

On Mac (via FaceTime)

Look at the very top right of your Mac screen and click the small magnifying glass icon (Spotlight Search). Type "FaceTime" and press Enter to open the app. Once FaceTime is open, look at the top right of your screen for a green camera icon and click on it. A menu will appear — look for "Centre Stage" and unselect it to turn it off.

On Mac (if external monitors are connected)

If you cannot find the green video button, disconnect all external monitors and start the Zoom meeting. The green video button will then appear on the top right bar, where you can find Centre Stage and other effects.

General camera software setting

Open the settings for your video call app or your camera's own software. Look for an option like auto-framing, auto-zoom, or person tracking and disable it. This will keep your camera from moving automatically.

Using the Video On/Off Feature for Meeting Engagement

There are two techniques that use the video on/off feature to create more impactful and engaging Zoom meetings.

The first is called the Termite Technique — the ability to turn off your video and go into the woodwork. Audio still comes through just fine. This can also be called podcast mode. It is useful for virtual meetings because it lets go of self-consciousness and gives people a minute to digest what has been said. Introverts especially will appreciate this. There is also a related hidden tool: when you turn video off and click the settings button, then click Video Settings, you can scroll down to find "Hide all non-video participants." If you have 40 people in the call and 30 of them don't have their video on, clicking this makes them disappear from view. It creates a fishbowl dynamic where only the people who have their videos on remain on screen — even if you have 40 people on a call, it only shows who has their video on. This is an individual setting that everybody needs to individually opt into.

The second technique involves framing and inviting more people to turn on their videos. When everybody has their video on, you can get non-verbal feedback in gallery view. You can gauge the group's reaction in real time and respond to the group's needs in that moment. Even if people are on audio only, the reaction button allows people to give some non-verbal feedback. There are lots of reasons why people want to turn their videos off — they may not want to show their space, they may not have enough bandwidth, or other personal reasons. To increase engagement and connection and effective communication, framing the request in the benefit of the participants — rather than the meeting leader's preference — is more effective.