Why do my Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones keep cutting out during Zoom calls and how can I fix it?

What you are seeing is classic apartment RF soup plus a Windows quirk. The moment Zoom turns your headset mic on, Windows switches from the high quality music profile to the hands free profile, which uses a narrowband codec. That mode is far more sensitive to interference and to power saving. AAC vs SBC will not matter during a call because the mic forces that profile change, so the dropouts persist even after codec tweaks.

The fixes that move the needle are boring but effective. Use a dedicated USB Bluetooth 5.1 or 5.3 dongle and disable the laptop's built‑in Bluetooth so Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth are no longer sharing the same tiny combo radio. Put the dongle on a short USB extension so it sits a foot away from the laptop and any USB 3 ports, which cuts 2.4 GHz noise dramatically. In Windows Device Manager open the Bluetooth adapter properties and uncheck allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. In Power Options disable USB selective suspend and keep the plan on Balanced or High performance. For Zoom stability, pick your laptop mic for input and your headphones Stereo for output so the headphones stay in the music profile the whole time. If you prefer to use the headset mic, keep Zoom noise suppression on low and turn off automatic volume, which reduces renegotiations mid‑call.

If you decide a backup headset is worth it, the Soundcore Anker Life Q20 has been solid on Windows for calls and music, and its very long battery life helps avoid the power saving dropouts that trigger renegotiations during meetings.

I ran into the same thing after moving into a mid rise with a dozen networks in range and the fix was mostly about radio placement and keeping Zoom from constantly switching modes. The built in combo card in my laptop was sitting right next to a very noisy usb 3 port and every time I touched the trackpad or copied files it sprayed garbage into 2.4. I added a tiny usb Bluetooth adapter on a short cable, tucked it a foot away from the chassis, and disabled the laptop Bluetooth. Stutter went from every few minutes to almost never.

On the software side I told Zoom to use the laptop mic and the stereo output on the headphones so the headset never flips into the hands free profile. Then I set Zoom noise suppression to low and turned off the auto adjust volume toggle. That stopped the mid call renegotiations I was seeing when Zoom tried to get clever with levels. I tried that and it fixed everything but then I bumped the usb stick and it came back, so the placement really does matter.

Two last tweaks that helped were turning off multipoint on the headset so my phone could not steal the link and unchecking allow the computer to turn off this device on the Bluetooth adapter in Device Manager. After that it has been stable even at 2 to 3 feet. Works great.

The dropouts line up with the hands free switch that happens the moment the mic is used. Windows moves the headset from the music profile to the call profile and that lower bandwidth mode is touchier about interference and power saving. AAC versus SBC will not change that because the call profile ignores your music codec choice.

Two paths help. If you are fine using the laptop mic then keep the headphones in the stereo profile for output only. In Windows set the default output to the Headphones device and avoid the Headset or Hands Free device. You can even open the Bluetooth device properties and turn off the Handsfree Telephony service for the headset which removes the mic and stops Windows from switching profiles entirely. In Zoom pick the laptop mic and the Headphones stereo output then set noise suppression to low so Zoom does not keep renegotiating.

If you want to use the headset mic then lower the amount of interference and stop Windows from power cycling the radio. A cheap Bluetooth 5 usb adapter dedicated to audio plus a short usb extension helps a lot. Put the adapter a foot or two away from the laptop and away from any usb 3 ports and hubs. In Device Manager open the Bluetooth adapter properties then Power Management and uncheck allow the computer to turn off this device. In Power Options turn off usb selective suspend and keep the plan on Balanced or High performance. Disable multipoint on the headset so it cannot bounce between phone and PC mid call. Keep the headset well charged and update its firmware in the vendor app. Total game changer.

Keep stereo audio by using the laptop mic for calls, set output to the headphones device not hands free, or disable the hands free profile to prevent switching. If you need the headset mic, cut interference and power saving with a separate USB Bluetooth dongle on an extension, disable the internal Bluetooth, turn off USB and radio power saving and battery saver, disable multipoint and other connections, and clear stale pairings to stop stutter.