Zoom

ApplicationZoom Video Communications, Inc.

Also called zoom workplace, zoom meetings

Zoom Video Communications, Inc.Productivity

Zoom Workplace for Windows. The main process is Zoom.exe. Video helpers such as CptHost.exe are part of the same product.

What you need to know

Zoom is a meeting app. Teams and Meet are other products with other process names.

Zoom Workplace is the Windows client for Zoom meetings. The tray is optional. Windows Audio still belongs to Audiosrv and audiodg.exe.

What is it?: A meeting client
Do I need the tray?: Only if you join often
Same as Teams?: No

Feex says

If you only join a monthly call, I would not leave Zoom in Startup. The client can start from a link when you need it.

What is Zoom?

Zoom is the Zoom Workplace desktop app. Per-user installs under AppData\Roaming\Zoom are common. It is not Microsoft Teams.

If you have never used it

If a calendar invite says "Join Zoom meeting", you can often join in a browser. The Windows app is for people who join often or need gallery video and screen share. Download it from zoom.us/download. It is not Teams, not Meet, and not a Windows component.

What is it used for?

Meetings and webinars

The call window. This is why Zoom.exe and CptHost.exe appear during a meeting.

Chat and rooms

Workplace chat beside the meeting. Optional if you only click a link once a month.

Local or cloud recording

Host recording writes MP4 or sends it to Zoom's cloud. That is a Zoom feature, not a Windows screen recorder.

Who is it for?

People whose work or school standardizes on Zoom links
Users who already have a Zoom account
Anyone comparing it with Teams by the exe name, not the logo

Current status

Actively developed. Zoom rebranded the client as Workplace. This article is the Windows desktop meeting app.

How old is it?

Zoom launched meetings in 2013 and became the default work-from-home client in 2020. The current name is Zoom Workplace. The old "Zoom Cloud Meetings" Start tile is the same family. It is not Skype for Business and it is not the 2011 Lync client.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Workplace desktop

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
CPU	Zoom lists current dual-core class machines for gallery video
RAM	4 GB class, more with virtual backgrounds
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per Zoom

Resource profile

CPU demand: Gallery view and virtual backgrounds
RAM demand: Moderate plus helpers
GPU demand: Video and backgrounds
Network demand: The call

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
Zoom.exe	Main client
CptHost.exe	Video capture helper on many calls

Startup components

Zoom can start with Windows from its own setting. That keeps the tray, not a Windows service named Zoom.

File locations

Common Zoom locations
Typical user install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Zoom\

File formats

MP4 recordingschat exports

Common problems

Camera stays on after hang-up

Quit from the tray. A leftover preview keeps helpers alive.

People disable Windows Audio

Zoom needs the Windows audio stack. See the Windows Audio service article.

Getting unstuck

Quit from the tray after a call

A leftover preview keeps CptHost.exe and the camera awake. That is the client, not a virus.

Join from zoom.us/download if the app is missing

A "Zoom installer" from a search ad is a common junk path. The official page is zoom.us/download.

Test the camera in Zoom settings, not Device Manager first

Video > Camera names the device Zoom sees. Windows Audio still belongs to audiodg.exe.

Alternatives

Teams, Meet in a browser, and Discord cover overlapping calls. Choose them for the org, not for a process count.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	zoom.us/download Official Windows client
Support	support.zoom.com/ Meeting, audio, and account help
System requirements	support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060761 What Zoom lists for Windows
Status	status.zoom.us/ When Zoom itself is down
Account	zoom.us/signin License and host settings

Related hardware

A working camera and a current GPU driver matter more than a famous CPU name for gallery view.

Technical details

Per-version file hashes and volume-license paths are not verified in this preview.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Zoom: download · Official client
Zoom: system requirements · Windows requirements
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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