During the global pandemic, nearly everyone has been spending more time on their PCs at home in Zoom meetings. This video conferencing program is typically a simple and effective way to get employees together. Everyone can participate in a discussion on one screen via webcam and microphone. However, for some users, it can cause some frustration, particularly by way of CPU usage problems. This can make it difficult to jump into meetings without experiencing constant freezing or hang-ups, which can hinder communication for remote workers.
Zoom is known to put a strain on CPU usage when it runs, whether users are on Windows, Mac, or even a Chromebook while participating in video conferences. More than simply broadcasting video feeds to others, it includes a variety of processes that run in the background as well, such as noise suppression and even the images people opt to use as their backdrops. All of these things can contribute to higher CPU usage, especially considering there are multiple video feeds going all at once.
As a consequence of Zoom's typically CPU-heavy operations, there may be times where error messages like "Your CPU is affecting meeting quality" could pop up. This is a common occurrence among users who spend time on Zoom often and find their PC or workstation may be buckling under the pressure. Users on Reddit have reported this error several times, many on Google's Pixel Slate, Android tablets, and a variety of other devices. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are ways to resolve this problem.
How To Fix CPU Usage Affecting Meeting Quality Error
For anyone who runs Zoom and ends up having a CPU-related error, there are a few things that can be done to try and resolve it. First, checking to make sure Zoom is actually using CPU power is a good idea. On Windows 10, simply press CTRL/ALT/DELETE and view the task manager from there or right-click on the taskbar to choose the task manager. This will launch a list of apps that can be sifted through to see what's using up the CPU and how much of it is currently being utilized.
For Mac users, open the Activity Monitor app. Look where it says "CPU" to sort a list of which apps are using the most CPU power. Once this has been determined, it's time to try closing out the apps that are causing issues. Once that's done, see if the issue has improved. If there were additional apps causing the problem, Zoom may not be the culprit. If these problems still occur, there may be another fix to try.
After clearing out apps, a restart may be required to get rid of the persistent error. If the web extension is being used instead of the Zoom app, that may be another avenue to explore. If these problems continue to happen, it could be time to look into upgrading the workstation in general. It's best to keep an eye out and watch for other related issues going forward to see if a new computer purchase is warranted.