How to Reduce Zoom Data Use

Zoom can be a real data hog, and it only makes things worse when you share Wi-Fi with multiple people. If you want to optimize your Zoom speeds, you can upgrade your internet plan, beg your kids (or roommates) to not stream Paw Patrol while you’re on a Zoom meeting, or try these three tips:

1. Turn your video off
2. Don’t use HD video settings
3. Avoid screen sharing for too long

Obviously, option number three is the easiest solution, so let’s try and figure that one out.

How much data does Zoom use?

Real quick, let’s get an idea of how much data you burn while using Zoom. Before we drop a ton of internet jargon on you in the tables below, feel free to familiarize yourself with our internet speeds guide.

For a 1:1 Zoom meeting, you spend somewhere between 540 MB and 1.62 GB per hour, or somewhere between 9 MB and 27 MB per minute, depending upon the streaming quality.

The more people you have in a Zoom call, the more data you’ll use up to run the meeting. Your data usage jumps up to somewhere between 810 MB and 2.4 GB per hour, or somewhere between 13.5 MB and 40 MB per minute.

Okay, so we just talked a lot about MBs and GBs, but let’s give some context as to what those data measurements really mean for you.

Based on AT&T data calculator estimates. Amounts may vary.

Now that we’ve got context for how much data Zoom uses, let’s try to dramatically lower your Zoom data usage.

1. Leave video off when you don’t need it

The bulk of your internet upload speeds are dedicated to streaming your video to other folks on the conference call. If you turn off your video feed, then your Zoom data usage drops by at least 30% by our estimation. Plus, with your video feed off, you can do Zoom meetings in your pajamas completely guilt free!

How do I turn off my Zoom video?

Before you join a meeting, you should get a prompt asking you whether or not you want to turn on your video. It will look like this:

You can click Join without Video and your video feed will be turned off at the get-go of the meeting.

If you already have started your camera in the meeting, but want to turn it off to conserve some of your data, you can just click the Stop Video button on the bottom right corner. It looks like this:

2. Turn off HD video

Reducing your streaming quality can reduce the Zoom data you use by more than 60%. Besides, do you really need everyone’s faces on a  Zoom call in full high-definition? Personally, I would prefer people see me in a lower definition.

How to turn off HD video

First navigate to your Zoom settings. On the desktop Zoom client, you can find the gear icon for settings in the top right corner when you first open the app.

Once you get to Settings, click the Video tab on the left-hand side, and untoggle the box that says Enable HD. You can also apparently touch up your appearance here, too, but I can’t really tell if it’s helping.

By clicking on that box, the amount of data your Zoom requires should drop dramatically.

3. Don’t screen share longer than necessary

Screen sharing takes up more data than just broadcasting a live video. If you want to pinch pennies with data, show what you need to show with your screen sharing, and then hop back to your normal camera.

Are your Zoom calls always glitchy?

If your Zoom calls look as fuzzy as 1980s basketball used to look on TV, then it might be time to consider upgrading your internet—preferably to a provider that offers unlimited data. If you have options, we recommend Xfinity or Verizon Fios Home Internet as two of the best ISPs out there right now.

There always might be an internet service provider in your area that can give you better internet speeds for a better price. Enter your ZIP code below to see the best internet providers