By David, , updated
To run Zoom well on Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), install the Zoom Workplace VDI app on the session host and the matching Zoom plugin for Azure Virtual Desktop on each user's Windows device. With both in place, Zoom moves the meeting's audio and video off the session host and onto the user's device, so calls stop competing with everyone else on the host for CPU.
The short version: install the Zoom VDI app per machine on your image, never the standard Zoom client. Install the Azure Virtual Desktop plugin on each Windows endpoint, at the same version as the VDI app and never newer. Users on macOS, iOS, Android, thin clients or the web client get Zoom without optimization, so plan for that load on the host.
How Zoom optimization works on AVD
Zoom's VDI architecture has two halves, and both need to be present:
- The Zoom Workplace VDI app runs inside the virtual desktop. Zoom's own guidance is that organizations running on virtual desktops should always use the VDI app, even where the plugin isn't installed.
- The VDI plugin runs on the device the user connects from. When the VDI app finds a compatible plugin on the other end of the connection, it hands the media work to the plugin. The camera, microphone and speakers are used locally, and the call's audio and video are processed on the user's device.
Without the plugin, the VDI app still works, but the call is processed on the session host like any other app. On a multi-session host that means every video meeting uses host CPU, and call quality drops when the host or the connection is busy. It's the same trade-off as Teams on AVD, with a different vendor's components.
| Optimized | Not optimized | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs | VDI app on the host and a matching plugin on the device | VDI app on the host only |
| Where media is processed | On the user's device | On the session host |
| Host CPU during calls | Low | High, per call |
| Sensitive to the RDP connection | Less: media doesn't ride the remote display | Fully: audio and video travel inside the RDP session |
| Who gets it on AVD | Users on Windows devices with the plugin installed | Everyone else |
Setup checklist
On the image or session host
- Install the Zoom VDI app, not the standard Zoom client. Download the current VDI release from Zoom's VDI downloads page and install it on your golden image. Don't let users install the consumer client into their profile: on a pooled host it ends up in every user's profile container and isn't optimized.
- Install it per machine. Deploy the MSI on the image, or push it with your deployment tool, so every user on every host gets the same version.
- Decide how Zoom updates. On a non-persistent pool, update Zoom by rebuilding the image rather than letting each host update itself, so every host and every user's plugin stays on a version pair you have tested.
On each user's device
- Install the Azure Virtual Desktop plugin. On Zoom's release page for the VDI version you installed, the Compatible Plugins table lists an Azure Virtual Desktop entry for Windows. Install that MSI on each Windows device. Microsoft's Zoom guidance says only Windows clients are supported for these optimizations.
- Match the versions. Zoom recommends the same version for the VDI app and the plugin, and doesn't support a plugin version higher than the VDI app. When you upgrade, upgrade the hosts first, then the plugins.
- Use Windows App or the Remote Desktop client. Microsoft lists both as supported for Zoom optimization. Connections through a web browser aren't.
Network
- Let the device reach Zoom directly. Once optimized, the user's device makes the media connection to Zoom's cloud, so the device's own firewall, proxy and VPN rules decide call quality. Use Zoom's published network requirements for the ports and ranges.
- Keep RDP on UDP. The meeting window, chat and screen-share preview still travel over RDP. RDP Shortpath keeps that responsive.
Troubleshooting Zoom on AVD
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Calls work but use a lot of host CPU | The plugin isn't installed or didn't load on that device | Install the AVD plugin on the device and restart Zoom in the session |
| Plugin installed, still not optimized | Plugin is newer than the VDI app, or from a different release line | Install the plugin version listed for your VDI app version |
| Optimized at the office, not at home | User connects from a non-Windows device or the web client at home | Expected: only Windows devices get the AVD plugin. Size the host for unoptimized calls |
| Robotic or choppy audio in an optimized call | The device's own network path to Zoom | Check VPN, proxy and Wi-Fi on the user's side, not the session host |
| Choppy audio in an unoptimized call | Host CPU or a TCP-only RDP connection | Check host load at the time of the call and whether the session was on UDP |
| Camera not found | Device privacy settings, or another app holding the camera | Allow camera access on the device, close other apps using it |
Zoom's VDI app reports whether it connected to a plugin. Zoom's VDI troubleshooting guide shows where to look in the version you run, and that's the first thing to check on any "Zoom is bad on AVD" ticket.
On AVD, Zoom call quality depends on the user's device as much as on the session host. Optimized calls run on the device; unoptimized ones run on the host.
Where Atlas AVD helps
Atlas AVD doesn't install or configure Zoom. What it gives you is a repeatable way to get the VDI app onto every host and the data to tell a Zoom problem from a host or network problem.
- The VDI app goes on your image. Install it on your golden image, capture it from Imaging into an Azure Compute Gallery version, and every host Atlas builds from that version has it. Rolling Replace moves a pool onto the new image in batches, so a Zoom upgrade reaches every host without a maintenance window.
- Or install it per host pool. If Zoom's VDI app is available as a WinGet package in your catalog, the Application Catalog installs it on every new host in a pool, and Install Apps pushes it to running hosts. The WinGet integration post explains how that works.
- See whether it's the network. With AVD Insights connected, the Network Transport card on the Analytics Experience tab shows which sessions fell back to TCP, and the Users page shows each user's latency and connection history.
Atlas doesn't install the plugin on users' devices. That stays with your endpoint management, such as Intune.
FAQ
Does Zoom work on Azure Virtual Desktop?
Yes. Zoom runs in an AVD session like any other app. For good call quality on multi-session hosts, install the Zoom Workplace VDI app on the host and the Azure Virtual Desktop plugin on users' Windows devices, so calls are processed locally.
Which devices support Zoom optimization on AVD?
Windows devices connecting with Windows App or the Remote Desktop client. Microsoft's Zoom guidance says only Windows clients are supported for these optimizations, and connections through a web browser aren't.
Do the Zoom VDI app and plugin versions have to match?
Zoom recommends the same version for both, and doesn't support a plugin version higher than the VDI app. Upgrade the hosts first, then the plugins.
Can I use the normal Zoom client on AVD?
You can, but Zoom recommends the VDI app on virtual desktops. On pooled hosts, a per-user Zoom install also ends up in every user's profile, which makes profiles bigger and updates harder to control.
Is Zoom optimization the same as multimedia redirection?
No. Zoom's optimization is Zoom's own VDI app and plugin. Multimedia redirection is Microsoft's feature for video playback and WebRTC calls inside Edge or Chrome, and Zoom isn't on its list of supported calling sites.
What about Webex and Teams?
Each has its own optimization. See Webex on AVD and Teams on AVD.
Last updated 9 November 2026. Zoom optimization details are drawn from Microsoft's Optimize Zoom on a Windows 365 Cloud PC, which covers the same Azure Virtual Desktop plugin, and Zoom's VDI documentation, as of November 2026. Zoom releases VDI versions often, so check Zoom's VDI release notes for the current versions before you upgrade.