How to Turn Off Your Camera on Zoom (2026)
Turning your camera off on Zoom is one click — and you can also set it to start off in every meeting so you’re never caught on camera unexpectedly. Here’s how on desktop and mobile, plus how to fix a camera that won’t come back.
Turn Your Camera Off During a Meeting
- In the meeting, find the camera icon (Start/Stop Video) at the bottom-left, next to the mic.
- Click Stop Video — a red slash crosses the icon.
- Your tile switches to your name or profile picture.
- Click Start Video to turn it back on.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt + V (Windows) or ⌘ + Shift + V (Mac) toggles your camera.
Always Join With Your Camera Off
So your camera never starts automatically:
- Open Zoom > Settings (gear) > Video.
- Under Meetings, tick Turn off my video when joining a meeting.
You’ll join every call with video off and can turn it on whenever you’re ready.
Turn Off Camera on Mobile
- Tap the screen to show the controls.
- Tap Stop Video (the camera icon) at the bottom.
- Tap Start Video to resume.
Set a Profile Picture for When Video Is Off
Instead of a black tile with your name, show a photo:
- Go to zoom.us > Profile and add a profile picture, or
- In a meeting, click the … on your tile > Edit Profile Picture.
Now your picture appears whenever your camera is off.
Troubleshooting
My camera won’t turn back on
Another app may be using it. Close Zoom-competing apps (FaceTime, Teams, browser tabs with camera access), then click Start Video. If it’s still stuck, restart Zoom.
”Camera is blocked” or a black box
Grant Zoom permission: macOS — System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera > enable Zoom. Windows — Settings > Privacy & security > Camera > allow desktop apps.
Wrong camera is showing
Click the ^ arrow next to the camera icon and pick the correct device under Select a Camera.
I want to leave audio on but video off
Turning off video doesn’t touch your mic — they’re separate buttons. Stop Video alone keeps you heard but not seen.
My video is upside down or mirrored
Settings > Video — toggle Mirror my video (only affects your own preview, not what others see).
Quick Reference
| Goal | What to do |
|---|---|
| Turn camera off | Click Stop Video |
| Toggle by keyboard | Alt+V / ⌘+Shift+V |
| Always start off | Settings > Video |
| Show a photo instead | Add a profile picture |
| Camera won’t start | Close other apps / grant permission |
| Pick a different camera | ^ next to the video icon |
Related Zoom guides: How to change your background on Zoom · How to pin someone in Zoom · How to raise your hand in Zoom · How to change the host on Zoom · How to share your screen on Zoom
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