Fix meeting and live session issues

In this article: How to fix common problems with live meetings in your Ruzuku course, whether your instructor uses built-in Ruzuku video or Zoom. Covers trouble joining, audio and video issues, getting disconnected, and finding recordings.

All Plans

Live sessions are one of the best parts of an online course. When something goes wrong technically, it can feel urgent because the session is happening right now. These fixes are organized so the most common solutions come first. Try them in order.

For general information about how to join meetings, see Join a Live Session.

You cannot join the meeting

You click Join Meeting and nothing happens, or you see an error.

1. Make sure the meeting has started. You can only join after your instructor starts the session. If you arrive early, the Join Meeting button may not work yet. Wait a minute and try again.
2. Refresh the page. Press F5 (Windows) or Cmd+R (Mac), then click Join Meeting again.
3. Check that you are logged in. If you were logged out of Ruzuku, you will need to log back in before you can join. Go to courses.ruzuku.com, log in, navigate to your course, and click Meetings.
4. Try a different browser. Chrome is the most reliable choice for built-in Ruzuku meetings. If you are using Safari or Firefox and having trouble, switch to Chrome.
5. Disable your ad blocker and browser extensions. Some extensions block the meeting player from loading. Turn them off for your course site and reload the page.
6. Clear your browser cache. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac), clear cached files, then reload and try joining again.

For Zoom meetings specifically:

• If clicking Join Meeting does not open Zoom, try copying the meeting link and pasting it directly into your browser's address bar.
• If you do not have the Zoom app installed, the page should offer a "Join from your browser" option. Look for that link below the main "Launch Zoom" button.
• If your instructor set up a waiting room, you may need to wait until they admit you. Stay on the Zoom screen and do not close it.

You are in the meeting but cannot hear anything

No audio is the most common meeting issue. Here is how to fix it:

1. Check your device volume. Make sure it is turned up and not muted. This sounds obvious, but it is the fix about half the time.
2. Check that your browser has microphone permission. Built-in Ruzuku meetings require microphone access even if you are just listening. Click the lock icon (or camera icon) in your browser's address bar. Make sure microphone access is set to Allow. If it says "Blocked," change it to "Allow" and refresh the page.
3. Refresh the page. This reconnects you to the audio stream. After refreshing, click Join Meeting again.
4. Check your audio output. If you have headphones, a Bluetooth speaker, or an external monitor connected, audio might be going to the wrong device. On Windows, click the speaker icon in the taskbar. On Mac, click the speaker icon in the menu bar. Select the correct output.
5. Close other apps that use audio, like music players, other video calls, or browser tabs playing sound. These can interfere with the meeting audio.
6. Try headphones. Plug in wired headphones. If you hear the meeting through headphones but not through your speakers, the issue is with your speaker configuration.

For Zoom meetings: Check the audio settings inside the Zoom window. Click the arrow next to the microphone icon (bottom left) and make sure the correct speaker and microphone are selected. You can also click "Test Speaker" to confirm audio is working.

Your microphone is not working

You can hear the instructor, but they cannot hear you (and neither can other participants).

1. Make sure you are unmuted. In both Ruzuku and Zoom meetings, your microphone starts muted by default. Look for a microphone icon and click it to unmute yourself.
2. Check browser permissions. Click the lock icon in your browser's address bar and confirm microphone access is set to Allow.
3. Check that the right microphone is selected. If you have multiple microphones (for example, a built-in laptop mic and an external headset), your browser or Zoom may be using the wrong one.
   • In Zoom: Click the arrow next to the microphone icon and select your preferred microphone.
   • In your browser: Click the lock icon in the address bar, then the microphone setting, to see which device is selected.
4. Close other apps that might be using your microphone. Only one app can use the microphone at a time on most devices.
5. Test your microphone outside of the meeting. On Mac, go to System Settings > Sound > Input and speak. You should see the input level move. On Windows, go to Settings > System > Sound > Input and do the same. If your mic does not work there, the issue is with your device, not Ruzuku.

Your camera is not working

Your video shows a black image, or other participants cannot see you.

1. Check that your camera is not covered. Some laptops have a physical privacy shutter over the camera lens. Make sure it is open.
2. Check browser permissions. Click the lock icon in your browser's address bar and confirm camera access is set to Allow.
3. Make sure your camera is turned on in the meeting. Look for a camera icon in the meeting controls. If it has a line through it, click it to turn your camera on.
4. Close other apps that might be using your camera. Video call apps, photo booth software, and other browser tabs with camera access can block the camera from working in your meeting.
5. Try a different browser. Chrome is the most reliable option for built-in Ruzuku meetings on both Mac and Windows.

You keep getting disconnected

If you join the meeting but keep getting kicked out or losing connection:

1. Check your internet connection. Open a new browser tab and load any website. If other sites are slow too, your internet is the issue.
2. Move closer to your Wi-Fi router if you are on a wireless connection.
3. Switch to a wired connection if possible. Plug an ethernet cable directly into your computer. Wired connections are more stable than Wi-Fi for live video.
4. Close other browser tabs and apps. Video meetings use a lot of bandwidth and processing power. Closing everything else gives the meeting more resources.
5. Switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data (or the other way around). If one network is unstable, the other may work better.
6. Turn off your camera. If your connection is struggling, turning off video and keeping just audio reduces the amount of data your connection needs to handle.
7. Restart your browser. Close it completely, reopen it, navigate back to your course, and rejoin the meeting.

If you are on a shared network (office, coffee shop, school), other people's activity may be using up the available bandwidth. A dedicated or less crowded network will be more reliable.

The recording is not available

Your instructor mentioned a recording, but you cannot find it.

1. Check the Meetings page in your course. Recordings appear there after the session ends. Go to your course and click Meetings to see the list.
2. Give it time. Recordings are not available instantly. Built-in Ruzuku meeting recordings can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours to process, depending on the length of the session. Zoom recordings may take even longer if the instructor needs to upload them.
3. Check if the meeting was recorded. Not all instructors record their live sessions. If you do not see a recording after 24 hours, your instructor may not have recorded that session. Contact them to ask.
4. Refresh the page. If you have been waiting on the Meetings page, refresh it to see if the recording has appeared.

Audio and video are out of sync

If the instructor's lip movements do not match the audio, or slides change at the wrong time:

1. Refresh the page. This is the most effective fix. Reload and rejoin the meeting.
2. Close other browser tabs and apps. Sync issues often happen when your computer is working too hard. Freeing up resources usually fixes it.
3. Try a different browser. Chrome tends to handle sync most reliably.
4. Check your internet speed. A slow connection can cause audio and video to fall out of sync. If your connection is marginal, try turning off your own camera to reduce the load.

If none of these fixes work

If you have tried the steps above and still cannot get the meeting to work:

1. Let your instructor know through the course discussion or by email. They may be able to share the content another way or provide a recording after the session.
2. Email support@ruzuku.com and include:
   • What the problem is (cannot join, no audio, getting disconnected, etc.)
   • Whether this is a built-in Ruzuku meeting or a Zoom meeting
   • Your browser and device (for example, "Chrome on a Mac laptop" or "Safari on iPhone")
   • The course name
   • A screenshot of any error message you see

The support team typically responds within a few hours on weekdays (Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM Eastern).

Frequently Asked Questions