Why Can’t I See Myself in My Zoom Meeting?: 8 Fixes!

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One of the most common questions for Zoom problems is, “Why can’t I see myself in my Zoom meeting?” I get it; I have been there too.

Here are the top 8 fixes I have found.

Want to look your best on Zoom? Good webcam lighting and a laptop stand to keep your camera at eye level will help you look great!

Table of Contents show

1. Turn your camera on

The number one reason why you can’t see yourself on Zoom is also the most obvious: Your camera isn’t on!

How do you turn the camera on Zoom?

To turn on your video on Zoom, click “Start video” on the bottom toolbar:

How do you turn the camera off on Zoom?

To turn your camera off on Zoom, click “Stop video” on the bottom toolbar:

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2. Make sure you don’t have Self View hidden

If you have hidden your Self View, you won’t be able to see yourself on Zoom.

Show Self View on laptop

Show Self View on Zoom on your laptop by clicking “View” in the top right-hand corner. Select “Show Self View” from the dropdown list:

Dropdown list from when you click on View on Zoom with a red arrow pointing to "Show Self View"

Show Self View on tablet

Click on the “More” button in the top right-hand corner and click “Meeting Settings” from the dropdown list:

On iPad, More option in top right-hand corner with a red arrow pointing to "Meeting Settings"

Click “Show Self View” back to green:

Meeting Settings on iPad with a red arrow pointing to "Show Self View"

Show Self View on phone

To show Self View on your phone, click on the “More” button in the bottom right-hand corner:

Zoom on phone with a red arrow pointing to the More option in the toolbar

Click on “Meeting Settings”:

More option on Zoom on phone with a red arrow pointing to "Meetings Settings"

Click on “Show Self View” (so it is green) to see yourself again:

On phone Meeting Settings on Zoom with a red arrow pointing to "Show Self View"

To learn more about the different views on Zoom, check out our guide on changing views on Zoom.

3. Start meetings with video on

You can turn on your camera during the meeting, but if you don’t like your video being off from the start of the meeting, you can choose to start meetings with your video on.

On the Zoom app, click the down arrow by “New Meetings”:

Zoom dashboard with red arrow pointing to click down arrow by New Meeting button

Check the box for “Start with video”:

Zoom dashboard click down arrow by New Meeting button with the "Start with video" option checked

Make sure the “Stop my video when joining a meeting” is disabled:

The “Stop my video when joining a meeting” setting overrides the “Start with video” option, so check that “Stop my video when joining a meeting” is disabled by clicking on your name or picture in the top right-hand corner and clicking on “Settings” from the dropdown menu:

Dropdown list on Zoom with a red arrow pointing to Settings

Click on the video tab and make sure that the box next to “Stop my video when joining a meeting” is unchecked:

On video tab in Zoom setting, a red arrow pointing to "Stop my video when joining a meeting"

4. Make sure Zoom has camera permission

Make sure that Zoom has permission to use your camera.

On Macs:

Click on the Apple icon at the top left of your screen
Click System Preferences
Select Security & Privacy
Scroll down and click on “Camera”
Make sure that the box next to Zoom is checked under “Allow the apps below to access your camera.”

The process is similar for Windows:

Click Start
Go to Settings
Select Privacy & security
Choice Camera
Make sure camera access for Zoom is turned on.

5. Check default camera

If you have more than one camera, check that the one you want to use is set as the device option.

On the dashboard app, click on your name or picture in the top right-hand corner and then select “Settings” from the dropdown list:

Then open the dropdown list by “Camera” and select which camera you want to use:

Red arrow pointing to Camera dropdown list in Video tab on Zoom settings

6. Check if other apps are using the camera

If another app is already using the camera, then Zoom won’t be able to use your camera.

You should be able to know if your camera is on by if the LED light by your camera is green, but you can also check that the other apps that use the camera, such as FaceTime, Skype, and Photo Booth, aren’t using the camera and are closed.

7. Update Zoom app

A problem with the Zoom app can cause problems with your video not working. Update the app to see if they have fixed any bugs that could be causing your problem.

8. Restart computer

If all else fails, restart your computer.

Can the class see you on Zoom?

If students have their videos on, everyone on the call can see them. If they have their videos off, then no one can see them.

Rest assured that no one can see you when your camera is off, and teachers cannot turn on your camera.

If I can’t see myself on Zoom, can others see me?

Whether others can see you on Zoom when you can’t see yourself depends on why you can’t see yourself.

If you can’t see yourself because your video is off or your camera isn’t working, others will not be able to see you. If you can’t see yourself because you have hidden your Self View on Zoom, others can still see you.

How do you tell if someone is looking at you on Zoom?

There are different theories on the internet about how to tell if someone is looking at you on Zoom, such as:

yawning and seeing they yawn too since yawning is contagious
making certain movements and seeing if they mirror your movements
turning off your camera and seeing if they turn off their camera

Some of these may work; I think the yawning test would be your best bet.

However, the truth is that there is no good way to tell if someone is looking at you on Zoom because everyone is looking at their screens, and you don’t know where your video box is on their screen.

Now you know why you can’t see yourself in Zoom and how to fix it.

For more tech tips, check out our post: Zoom: Reactions, Nonverbal Feedback, & Gesture Recognition and our comprehensive guide on The Basics of How to Use Zoom.

My favorite products for Zoom meetings and classes

Thank you for reading this article—I hope you found it helpful! Here are some of the best products I have found to help make Zoom meetings and classes go smoothly.

Noise-canceling headphones: All students and anyone attending a lot of Zoom meetings need to invest in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones. I have used Bose earphones Opens in a new tab. for over a decade, and I love them! I practically live in my earphones and have tried many different brands. Bose is by far the best brand at actually blocking out noise.

Laptop stand: One of the best ways to look good on video calls is to have the camera at eye level. A laptop stand Opens in a new tab. is an easy and affordable way to do this.

Webcam: If you have a good laptop Opens in a new tab. with a functioning webcam, then you don’t need to buy an additional webcam, but if your laptop webcam is poor quality, you may need to buy a webcam.

Webcam lighting: Another way to look good on video calls is to have good lighting. A great way to achieve this is with lighting that attaches to your computer Opens in a new tab. . This will also ensure that you can be seen no matter where you attend are when you attend the Zoom meeting.

To see all of my most up-to-date recommendations for tools and products for students, check out this resource Opens in a new tab. that I made for you!