Zoom noise cancellation on Windows: set up your mic

Start with Zoom’s own controls

Open Zoom Workplace, click your profile picture, then Settings → Audio. Select your physical microphone under Microphone and choose Test microphone. Speak at your normal volume and play the recording back. Select your usual headphones or speakers separately; changing the microphone does not require changing the output.

Under Microphone modes, Noise removal is Zoom’s default. Its background noise suppression offers Auto, Low, Medium and High. Auto adjusts to detected noise; Low is a useful starting point in a quieter room; stronger settings target more noise but may change how quiet speech sounds. Compare a sentence spoken normally and softly with a representative fan or keyboard sound. Ask another participant to listen in a meeting too: a local test is useful, but the call is the outcome that matters.

Zoom also offers Personalized audio isolation based on a voice profile. That is a different choice from ordinary Noise removal. Because it is personalized around your voiceprint, test it when another person needs to use the same microphone. Availability and labels can depend on the Zoom version and account.

Route your microphone through KleenMic

For a separate microphone filter that can also be selected in other calling apps, download KleenMic and follow the Windows installation guide. The Windows download is a ZIP containing a self-signed installer; read the guide’s explanation of Windows warnings before installing. It supports 64-bit Windows 10 and 11; Windows 11 on Arm runs the x64 app under emulation.

1. Open KleenMic, complete Setup and choose the actual headset, USB or built-in microphone on its Microphone page. Turn noise cancellation on.
2. Use headphones and KleenMic Test Mode to listen to your voice, then turn Test Mode off.
3. In Zoom Settings → Audio, choose KleenMic, or the exact virtual microphone name Windows reports, as the microphone. A Windows adapter suffix may appear. Leave your normal speaker or headphones selected for output.
4. Run Zoom’s microphone test and make a short call. Closing KleenMic’s window hides it to the tray; keep the app running while using its input.

Avoid assuming more processing is always better. Start with Zoom Noise removal on Low when testing KleenMic, then compare with Zoom’s other available modes if the voice is clipped or sounds unnatural. Zoom’s Low setting still applies some suppression; it is not an off switch. Change one setting at a time, keeping microphone position and test phrases consistent.

For music and quieter voices

Zoom’s Original sound for musicians disables Zoom noise suppression and can preserve more of the sound entering Zoom. Select it in Audio settings or from the microphone modes menu during a meeting. It does not undo filtering earlier in the chain: if KleenMic is still on, its processed signal reaches Zoom. For an instrument or a deliberately quiet sound, compare with KleenMic noise cancellation off or select the physical microphone directly in Zoom. Switch back to your speech setup afterward.

Zoom’s high-fidelity music option has separate equipment and bandwidth requirements, and disables echo cancellation and post-processing. Use headphones when disabling echo control so speaker sound does not feed back into your microphone. These settings are for a different purpose than ordinary speech noise removal.

If Zoom cannot hear you

If the Zoom test is silent, first confirm the physical mic works and its meter moves in KleenMic. Check Windows microphone permissions for the desktop apps, reconnect the device and select it again in KleenMic. If the virtual input is absent, check the driver action in KleenMic Setup, reopen Zoom and reselect the virtual input. Confirm Zoom is unmuted and has joined computer audio. If the Zoom test works but a participant cannot hear you, check the meeting’s audio connection and ask them to check their playback device.

For fading or clipped words, move the microphone closer, test Zoom’s automatic microphone volume setting and compare with less suppression. Do not adjust several controls at once. KleenMic has a 72-hour trial and a $20 one-time license for one active computer, Mac or Windows, so you can test your own setup before deciding.

Common questions

Does Zoom need my physical microphone when I use KleenMic?

Choose the physical microphone in KleenMic and its virtual microphone in Zoom. Selecting the physical device directly in Zoom bypasses KleenMic.

Does Original sound turn off KleenMic?

No. It changes Zoom processing, not an upstream filter. Turn KleenMic noise cancellation off separately if you want to compare.