21 Zoom suggestions and methods for higher video conferences

I share my display in Zoom conferences on a regular basis. And but, each time I am going to share my display, I spend a couple of awkward seconds hovering over the toolbar as if I’ve by no means seen the Share button earlier than. Then I discovered the keyboard shortcut to share immediately. Technically, it saves me just one click on—however it additionally saves me from wanting like somebody who simply opened Zoom for the primary time.

There are many different helpful Zoom options that can assist you appear to be a professional Zoomer, too. Listed below are 21 of my favourite Zoom suggestions, organized by if you’ll want them: earlier than, throughout, or after a gathering.

Earlier than a Zoom assembly 

Throughout a Zoom assembly 

After a Zoom assembly 

Zoom internet portal vs. Zoom desktop shopper 

Let me make clear one factor: The Zoom internet portal and Zoom desktop shopper are not the identical factor. Here is the distinction:

For causes unbeknownst to me, the Zoom desktop shopper and cellular app have completely different options than the Zoom internet portal. Moreover, it’s good to choose Save for any edits made within the internet portal, whereas Zoom mechanically saves most adjustments made within the Zoom desktop shopper or the cellular app. 

I’ve crossed my fingers for years now that Zoom would permit you to replace all of your settings instantly from the online portal or Zoom desktop shopper. However because it seems, that is not a surefire methodology for reaching want achievement. Anyway, let’s dive in.

Zoom suggestions: Earlier than a gathering

Earlier than most Zoom conferences, I do some pre-call scramble: regulate my lighting, test my background, and hope my mic is not randomly selecting up lawnmowers. However a number of that stress is avoidable with the proper settings in place forward of time. Use these Zoom suggestions enable you present up ready to your subsequent assembly.

1. Add a profile image

There are many events if you’d relatively not present your face reside on Zoom—however you additionally do not wish to be simply a black field with a reputation. Get the very best of each worlds: Here is the way to add a profile image in Zoom, which can seem as a substitute every time your video’s off.

1. Log in to your Zoom internet portal. 

2. Click on Profile. 

3. In the primary part together with your title, click on the pencil icon within the image body.

   

4. Click on Select Recordsdata to add your image. 

5. Click on Save.

2. Mute Zoom audio when becoming a member of a gathering 

Nobody needs to be that one that joins a gathering late, solely to have their canine bark and interrupt the speaker as a result of after all that is when your mute button disappears from view. Here is the way to mute your audio by default. 

1. Log in to your Zoom desktop shopper.

2. Click on your profile image, after which choose Settings. 

3. Within the Settings window, click on Conferences & webinars.

4. Beneath Be a part of expertise, click on the toggle subsequent to Hold my microphone muted.

3. Flip your Zoom video off by default 

Regardless of my finest efforts, I at all times keep in mind to test for meals in my tooth after I’ve joined a gathering. Should you, like me, often want an additional second earlier than you are camera-ready, here is the way to be part of Zoom conferences together with your digital camera mechanically turned off.

1. Log in to your Zoom desktop shopper.

2. Click on your profile image, after which choose Settings. 

3. Within the Settings window, click on Conferences & webinars.

4. Beneath Be a part of expertise, click on the toggle subsequent to Hold my digital camera off.

4. Give attendees a ready room

Should you’re internet hosting a gathering, it is a good suggestion to provide attendees a ready room the place they will hang around till you allow them to into the primary room. 

1. Log in to your Zoom internet portal. 

2. Within the aspect panel, click on Settings. 

3. Click on the Assembly tab. 

4. Beneath Safety, click on the toggle subsequent to Ready Room. 

Now, attendees will mechanically be positioned in a ready room for each assembly, and you will have to manually allow them to in. 

If you wish to allow ready rooms just for particular conferences, you may as well set this up. Once you schedule the assembly, click on the Ready Room checkbox (beneath Safety). 

5. Routinely schedule conferences—and let folks learn about them

Scheduling Zoom conferences eats up a shocking period of time—particularly in the event you run a number of them. With Zapier, you’ll be able to join Zoom together with your calendar or scheduling app—together with 1000’s of others—so you’ll be able to automate your meeting-related workflows. Create Zoom conferences for brand new calendar occasions, add Zoom hyperlinks to calendar invitations, and ship assembly reminders. Listed below are a couple of pre-made workflows to get you began.

6. Schedule recurring conferences with the identical URL

To attenuate last-minute messages of “The place’s the assembly hyperlink?”, Zoom allows you to schedule recurring conferences with the identical URL. Here is how. 

1. Log in to your Zoom internet portal.

2. Within the aspect panel, click on Conferences. 

3. Click on Schedule a Assembly. 

4. Edit the assembly choices as wanted.

5. Within the Time Zone subject, test the Recurring assembly field. 

6. Edit the recurrence, together with the variety of instances the assembly happens and the way typically it happens. 

7. Click on Save. 

Should you export the assembly to your Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, or Yahoo Calendar, the recurrence sample and assembly URL are mechanically included within the calendar occasion. Plus, the assembly settings stay locked, so you do not have to replace it for each assembly. 

Moreover, in the event you meet with the identical group however on an irregular schedule, you may as well set your recurrence to No Fastened Time. This allows you to use the identical settings and assembly URL regardless of if you get collectively. Once I educate, I take advantage of this selection to host open workplace hours for pupil conferences. 

Be aware: You possibly can’t schedule recurring conferences together with your Private Assembly ID (PMI) since this ID is reserved for you and the hyperlink by no means adjustments. Additionally, assembly IDs expire after one 12 months, so you will must generate a brand new one then. 

7. Give another person scheduling privileges

If another person manages your calendar and bookings, here is the way to give them Zoom privileges to allow them to schedule conferences in your behalf. 

1. Log in to your Zoom internet portal.

2. Within the aspect panel, click on Settings.

3. Click on the Assembly tab.

4. Beneath Schedule Privilege, click on Add. 

5. Add your scheduling assistants by inputting their electronic mail addresses. Click on Save.

As soon as finished, your assigned scheduling assistant should sign off of their Zoom desktop shopper and log again in for the function to take impact. 

This function can also be useful in case your assistant has scheduled a gathering, however the assembly host must be modified from you to another person. Here is the way to switch a gathering between Zoom customers. 

Necessities: The first Zoom account holder and everybody who receives scheduling privileges should share the identical account or have linked accounts. Everybody should even be Licensed or On-Prem. And for webinars, everybody should have the webinar add-on. 

8. Acquire info from attendees

For any variety of causes, it’s possible you’ll wish to ask attendees to share a couple of particulars about themselves previous to becoming a member of the decision. For instance, you may wish to require that attendees present their title, firm affiliation, or trade. 

Here is the way to accumulate this info.

1. Log in to the Zoom internet portal. 

2. Within the aspect panel, click on Conferences.

3. Click on Schedule a Assembly. 

4. Subsequent to Registration, click on the Required checkbox. 

5. Click on Save. 

6. After you have created the assembly, click on the Registration tab, after which choose Edit.

   

7. Within the Registration window, click on the Questions tab. Right here, you’ll be able to add commonplace fields, akin to title and group, by choosing the checkbox subsequent to the sector title. To make particular fields obligatory, choose the Required checkbox to the proper of the sector title. It’s also possible to create your personal questions by clicking Add Query.

   

8. Click on Save All.

Should you’re utilizing Zoom to run a digital occasion like a webinar, you may wish to let attendees register utilizing a type in your web site or an occasion administration app as a substitute. Listed below are some helpful pre-made Zaps that mechanically register all attendees, no matter the place they enroll.

You can also make this automation much more highly effective by ensuring that any registrant info collected can also be added to your CRM or electronic mail advertising and marketing instrument, so you’ll be able to simply comply with up with potential leads or prospects.

Necessities: This function is restricted to hosts with a paid Zoom account. The assembly should even be generated mechanically (you’ll be able to’t use your PMI) and can’t be a No Fastened Time recurring assembly.

9. Be taught a couple of of essentially the most helpful Zoom keyboard shortcuts 

Zoom has fairly a listing of keyboard shortcuts, however listed here are my go-tos that I feel are price studying. 

I is for invite. Press command+I (macOS) or Alt+I (Home windows) to leap to the Invite window, the place you’ll be able to seize the hyperlink to the assembly or ship invites to others by way of electronic mail. 

M is for mute. Press command+management+M (macOS) or Alt+M (Home windows) if you’re the assembly host and wish to mute everybody else on the road. If utilizing home windows, press Alt+M once more to unmute. For mac, press command+management+U (macOS).

S is for share. Press command+shift+S (macOS) or Alt+Shift+S (Home windows) to share your display.

Zoom suggestions: Throughout a gathering

As soon as your Zoom assembly kicks off, you are juggling quite a bit: display sharing, staying on mute (till you are not), and attempting to not unintentionally share your inbox as a substitute of your slides. These Zoom suggestions enable you keep centered, collaborate easily, and truly look like somebody who has Zoom found out.

10. Report a Zoom assembly as a video 

Zoom allows you to file your internet conferencing calls as movies, a helpful function for sharing the assembly with individuals who might have missed it or for reviewing what was mentioned.

Be aware: Should you file assembly attendees’ video or audio, it’s normal courtesy—and in some locations a requirement—to tell them earlier than you do. As soon as you start recording, Zoom will even notify all members that the assembly is being recorded. 

Once you file, you will need to select whether or not to make use of the native or cloud possibility. Here is the distinction: 

• Native means you retailer the video file your self, whether or not regionally in your pc or in one other space for storing that you just present. 

• Cloud means Zoom shops the video for you in its cloud storage. One main comfort of the cloud possibility is that individuals can stream the video in an internet browser as soon as it is prepared. This feature is on the market for paying customers solely. The quantity of obtainable cloud storage will fluctuate relying on the account kind. 

When making a video from a convention name, it makes a giant distinction within the ultimate high quality in the event you optimize a couple of settings upfront. For instance, some calls may be broadcast-style, the place solely the host seems on display. In that case, set Zoom to solely file the audio and video of the host. Different calls may be within the type of a collaborative assembly, wherein case you wish to file everybody. You’ll want to take a look at Zoom’s native recording settings and cloud recording settings a minimum of a couple of minutes earlier than beginning a name. 

Necessities: To file movies, you want Zoom on macOS, Home windows, or Linux. If you do not have the choice to file, edit your recording settings in your Zoom internet portal or have your account administrator allow it. 

If it’s good to share the recording later, strive one in every of these Zaps to mechanically share as soon as the recording has completed.

11. Activate closed captions

One of many perks of working remotely is that I can take conferences wherever, together with a loud espresso store. The one draw back is that it makes it difficult to listen to what persons are saying in conferences (even with headphones on). That is the place it is useful to activate closed captions. 

To do that, click on Present captions within the Zoom management bar. Should you do not see this, you’ll have to first click on Extra, after which choose Captions. Click on the up arrow (∧) subsequent to Present captions to disclose much more options: 

• Select your language. Zoom presently helps 35 completely different languages for automated captioning. 

• View full transcript. This offers you a view of every thing that is been mentioned within the assembly thus far—not simply what’s presently being mentioned. 

• Caption settings. This allows you to change the font type, dimension, shade, and place. 

• Arrange handbook captions. Should you’re the assembly host, you’ll be able to assign an attendee to manually kind the captions. 

• Modify different host caption controls. This allows you to allow or disable closed captions, in addition to set the caption language (attendees will not be capable of change it). 

Be aware: Whether or not you are internet hosting a gathering for 2 or 200, do not wait for somebody to request closed captioning—at all times allow Zoom’s closed captions. The function is not 100% correct, however it’s a constructive step in direction of making conferences extra accessible.

12. Add a co-host

Double the hosts, double the enjoyable! That is a saying, proper? Here is the way to add a co-host to your Zoom assembly.

1. As soon as your co-host has joined the assembly, click on Members within the Zoom management bar.

2. Hover over the title of your co-host, and click on Extra. 

3. Click on Make Co-Host.

Necessities: To make use of co-hosting, you want a Professional, Enterprise, Schooling, or API Associate account with Zoom, and it’s good to run on macOS, Home windows, Android, or iOS. 

13. Pin members’ movies

Should you be part of a gathering together with your digital camera on and your canine within the background, I will privately message you to ask your canine’s title, nicknames, and quirks. Which is to say, I am very simply distracted. However once I must reign in my focus, I pin the speaker’s window so everybody else is hidden. Here is how. 

1. Throughout a Zoom assembly, hover over the video of the participant you wish to pin.

2. Click on the menu (…) > Pin. You possibly can pin as much as 9 complete movies. 

14. Activate Zoom gallery view

For instance you are instructing a category or taking a category—it may be useful to see everybody within the assembly. Here is the way to activate the gallery view in Zoom.

1. Throughout a Zoom assembly, click on View within the top-right nook. 

2. Choose Gallery. If the assembly has 49 or fewer attendees, it’s possible you’ll want to regulate the dimensions of your window to see all home windows displayed on one web page. In case your assembly has greater than 49 attendees, you will have the choice to navigate by a number of pages. 

15. Mute and unmute with the house bar 

I’ve no drawback taking part in favorites, and this Zoom tip is inexplicably my favourite.  

Should you’re on mute and want to talk, press and maintain your spacebar whereas within the Zoom app to rapidly unmute. You’ll want to maintain the spacebar down when you’re speaking.

Be aware: This push-to-talk function will not work in the event you’re actively utilizing one other software (which is nice in the event you’re multitasking).

16. Elevate your hand (and provides different non-verbal suggestions)

So you have requested a query within the chat, however it appears to be like just like the speaker might have missed it. You do not wish to interrupt, so what do you do? Elevate your hand!

Within the management bar, choose React > Elevate Hand. This can pin a ✋ to the highest of your video and transfer your thumbnail to the highest of the gallery, which can hopefully be a magnet for the speaker. To decrease your hand, choose React > Decrease Hand. Should you do not see these choices, it’s possible you’ll must ask the host to allow non-verbal suggestions.

When you’re there, you’ll be able to select different assembly reactions—for instance, thumbs up, coronary heart, and clapping fingers—or non-verbal suggestions—for instance, sure, no, decelerate, and pace up. 

Should you’re consistently elevating your hand or giving a thumbs up, save your self a click on. 

1. Within the Zoom management bar, click on the up arrow (∧) subsequent to React.

2. Click on Acknowledge hand gestures.

17. Have a collaborative annotation session

When display sharing, it may be immensely useful to level members to particular areas of your display or to let everybody draw on visible supplies, akin to mockups or graphic designs. Zoom has built-in annotation instruments for this.

1. Share your display (or have another person share their display). 

2. Click on Annotate within the Zoom management bar. 

3. Choose any of the instruments that seem within the floating toolbar.

Listed below are a couple of of my favourite annotation instruments: 

• Highlight: Flip the host’s cursor right into a crimson dot or arrow (out there solely to the participant who began a display share or whiteboard).

• Stamp: Select a form—for instance, a checkmark, X, or coronary heart—and click on wherever on the display to stamp it. 

• Vanishing pen: Mark up a shared display or whiteboard. The markings will fade away inside a couple of seconds, so you do not have to erase or undo your earlier drawings (out there solely to the participant who began a display share or whiteboard).

To disable attendee annotation altogether, choose Extra (...) within the Zoom management bar, after which choose Disable annotation for others.

18. Brainstorm concepts on a Zoom Whiteboard 

Zoom’s annotation instruments are helpful for a easy collaborative expertise. However in the event you want extra superior capabilities—like sticky notes, flowchart builders, and the power to add photographs on to your shared display—strive utilizing Zoom Whiteboard. 

1. Click on Whiteboards within the Zoom management bar. 

2. Choose New whiteboard to begin from scratch, or click on Current whiteboards to select from an current template. Should you go along with the template possibility, click on the template you wish to use, after which click on Use template. 

   

3. Zoom will mechanically share your display, exhibiting solely the whiteboard and enhancing instruments.

From there, you’ll be able to mark up your whiteboard in lots of the similar methods you’ll be able to on different on-line whiteboards. You possibly can even add a timer to the display, which is useful if you wish to give members a time restrict to contribute concepts. 

By default, all members will be capable of edit the board. To alter this, click on the dropdown subsequent to the listing of members within the top-right nook, and click on the toggle subsequent to Assembly members can edit. 

So as to add extra pages to your whiteboard, click on the Web page icon within the top-left nook, after which click on Add web page. Be aware: You possibly can solely add clean whiteboard pages—not templated ones.

If you wish to share your ultimate whiteboard, you’ll be able to share a direct hyperlink to it, or you’ll be able to export it as a PDF, PNG, or PowerPoint. 

19. Take and share notes 

Elevate your hand in the event you’ve ever tried to live-type assembly notes in a separate Google Doc, solely to overlook half the dialog whereas trying to find the proper tab to change again to. Identical. 

Zoom’s resolution: Zoom Notes—a built-in note-taking app that pops open proper inside your assembly window. To entry it, click on Notes within the Zoom toolbar. Should you do not see it, click on Extra (...), and choose Notes.

Now you’ll be able to jot down concepts in a distraction-free canvas that everybody on the decision can see and edit, in the event you allow them to. 

Should you want one thing richer—like a undertaking transient or multi-page agenda—spin up a Zoom Doc as a substitute. 

1. Click on Docs within the Zoom toolbar (or click on Extra > Docs). 

2. Create a brand new doc any method you need: 

   • From scratch. Click on Create to co-edit a brand new doc. 

   • Out of your current docs. Click on any of your latest docs, after which choose Share in assembly. It’s also possible to click on Open privately to maintain the doc to your self—it’s going to seem within the aspect panel. 

   • From a template. Click on the Templates tab, choose the template you wish to use, after which click on Share in assembly.

     

3. Stay edit the doc as you usually would. 

Each Notes and Docs sync together with your Zoom account, so you’ll be able to preserve including context lengthy after you finish the assembly. To entry them, log in to your Zoom internet portal, and click on Notes or Docs within the aspect panel. 

Zoom suggestions: After a gathering

The assembly’s over—however your work is not. Whether or not you are attempting to recollect who mentioned what or simply work out who really confirmed up, these Zoom suggestions enable you wrap issues up with out digging by recordings or chasing down attendees.

20. Get AI-powered assembly summaries 

My post-meeting routine primarily concerned replaying the recording at 1.5x pace to remind myself of what subsequent steps I might absent-mindedly agreed to. However now, I can use Zoom’s AI companion to mechanically generate assembly summaries, full with key moments and motion objects. The AI may reference something you captured in Zoom Notes or Zoom Docs, so the summaries will replicate the collaborative edits you made. 

This function is disabled by default, so you will must allow it first. 

1. Log in to the Zoom internet portal. 

2. Click on Settings within the aspect panel. 

3. Within the AI Companion tab, scroll all the way down to Assembly, and click on the Assembly abstract with AI companion toggle. 

4. Modify the assembly abstract and share settings as wanted. 

5. Click on Save. 

As soon as your assembly has completed, here is the way to entry your assembly abstract: 

• Electronic mail. Should you allow electronic mail summaries, you will mechanically obtain an electronic mail abstract as soon as it is out there. 

• Zoom internet portal. Click on Summaries within the aspect panel, after which choose the assembly you need the abstract for. 

• Zoom desktop app. Click on Crew Chat, and choose the title of the assembly you need the abstract for. You may then see your total assembly chat, alongside together with your assembly abstract.

Zoom will even mechanically add motion objects to your advisable listing of Zoom Duties. So as to add them to your activity listing, click on Settle for subsequent to the duty.

21. Examine who attended a Zoom assembly

Say you are utilizing Zoom to carry a compulsory occasion, like a college lecture or a coaching session. You in all probability wish to know who attends. You will get that info from a report as soon as the assembly is completed. Here is how.

1. Log in to your Zoom internet portal.

2. Within the aspect panel, click on Studies. 

3. Within the Utilization experiences tab, choose Assembly and webinar registrations. Edit the assembly report fields, together with the date of the assembly and sort of report you wish to create (registration). You possibly can seek for a gathering utilizing your assembly ID. 

4. From the listing of obtainable experiences, click on Generate for the report you need.

Necessities: To generate an attendee listing, it’s good to be 1) the host of the assembly, 2) in a task with Utilization Studies enabled, or 3) an account administrator or proprietor. You additionally want a Professional, API Associate, Enterprise, or Schooling plan.

Extra Zoom suggestions

Not sufficient for you? For extra inspiration on the way to use Zoom successfully, here is each different tip we have now:

Working with sound 

Updating your background or show

Facilitating conferences 

Oh, and one final reward for you: Here is the way to mechanically shut these annoying “Launch Assembly” tabs from Zoom.

This text was initially revealed in November 2018. The newest replace was in June 2025.