A method for controlling or regulating a vacuum valve that includes: a valve body (1) with a valve opening (2); a closing member (3) that can be moved between an open position and a closed position over a closing path (s) for closing the vacuum valve and that closes the valve opening (2) in the closed position, in which at least one elastic seal (4) is pressed onto a seal face (35); an actuator (5) for moving the closing member (3); and a control device (9) by which the actuator (5) can be triggered; the point (p) of the closing path (s) at which the elastic seal (4) contacts the seal face (35) and/or a velocity (v) of the closing member (3) at that point is used as a controlling parameter for the control device (9).