Q: Is it appropriate to mute others on a video call?

A: In general, it’s best that you give people the opportunity to mute themselves first.

In large video conferences, it’s a good idea to ask everyone to mute themselves except when it’s their turn to speak.

It’s poor manners and rather unprofessional to mute someone without good reason (such as distracting feedback or background noises). But if you can’t avoid it, and the meeting is being disrupted, you can mute others as a last resort.