Any successful and efficient team relies on video conferencing software.
When meeting in person is not possible, video conferencing platforms such as Zoom enable users to meet and collaborate successfully “face-to-face.”
This makes remote meetings much more human, which is vital for helping people feel and stay connected.
This year, the number of Zoom users has increased dramatically due to fears about coronavirus (COVID-19).
The company is predicted to have added 2.22 million monthly active members so far in 2020, whereas it added 1.99 million users in 2019.
We’ll go through Zoom in depth, including how to subscribe, get started, and pro advice for getting the most out of your Zoom experience.
Table of Contents
What is Zoom?
Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service that allows you to virtually connect with people – either by video, audio-only, or both, all while conducting live discussions – and record those sessions to watch later. It was reportedly used by more than half of the Fortune 500 firms in 2019, and it is expected to reach even greater heights in 2020, with a 227 percent increase year on year.
When individuals discuss about Zoom, you’ll often hear the phrases Zoom Meeting and Zoom Room. A Zoom Meeting is a video conferencing session that is hosted by Zoom. You can participate in these sessions by using a webcam or a phone. A Zoom Room, on the other hand, is the real hardware arrangement that allows businesses to schedule and launch Zoom Meetings from their conference rooms.
Zoom Rooms, which require an additional membership on top of a Zoom subscription, are great for larger businesses.
Next, we’ll look at the two most prevalent Zoom use cases in the workplace: Zoom Meetings and Zoom Rooms.
What is a Zoom Meeting?
Zoom Meetings are the platform’s foundation, and the phrase refers to video conferencing meetings that allow distant and co-located conference attendees to communicate frictionlessly. You can even meet with clients or conduct interviews with faraway prospects remotely because you don’t need a Zoom account to attend a Zoom conference.
A “Zoom Meeting” is just a meeting that is held via Zoom, and guests can join in-person, by webcam or videoconferencing camera, or via phone.
For example, here’s a photo of my team during a Zoom Meeting. We were all attending the meeting online, but we occasionally attend the meeting in our company’s conference room, where we pair Zoom with the Meeting Owl Pro to offer an inclusive meeting experience for all attendees.
Zoom Room
A Zoom Room is the physical hardware setup that allows businesses to launch Zoom Meetings from their conference rooms. Zoom Rooms are a software-defined video conferencing hardware system for a conference room that allows users to schedule, launch, and run Zoom Meetings with the push of a button. Zoom Rooms require an additional subscription on top of a Zoom membership and are a perfect choice for larger firms with many employees that hold Zoom meetings on a regular basis.
You will need the following items to set up a Zoom Room:
- A computer to sync and execute Zoom Meetings
- A tablet for attendees to launch Zoom Meetings
- A microphone, camera, and speaker are required.
- 1 or 2 HDTV displays to display remote meeting participants and share screen or presentation
- An HDMI cable to share computer screens on the TV display, as well as an internet cable to hard-wire your connection
Now that we know what Zoom is and what the important phrases for utilizing it are, let’s go through how to get started with it.
Zoom’s main features
The following are Zoom’s key features:
- One-on-one meetings: Even with the free plan, you can host an unlimited number of one-on-one meetings.
- Group video conferences: Hold up to 500 participants in group video conferences (if you purchase the “large meeting” add-on).
The free plan, on the other hand, allows you to organize video conferences with up to 100 people for up to 40 minutes.
- Screen sharing: Meet with individuals or groups and share your screen with them so they can see what you see.
- Recording: You can also record meetings or activities.
Zoom app downloads
The desktop app is for Windows and macOS, while the mobile version is for Android and iOS.
Start a meeting, join a meeting, share your screen in a Zoom Room by entering the meeting ID, start Zoom Meetings, mute/unmute your mic, start/stop the video, invite others to the meeting, change your screen name, do in-meeting chat, and start a cloud recording from there.
You can also start a local recording, make polls, broadcast your Facebook live on Facebook, and do other things if you’re a desktop user.
In other words, the desktop app has more features, but if you’re a free user, you may still get a lot out of the mobile app.
Zoom Outlook Plugin
In addition to the numerous Zoom app downloads, Zoom can also be used in other ways.
The desktop app provides the finest user experience.
All of the applications allow you to join a meeting without signing in, but you can also sign in using your Zoom account, Google, Facebook, or SSO.
There’s a Zoom Outlook plugin, for example, that works directly in your Microsoft Outlook client or as an Add-in for Outlook on the web.
This Outlook add-in inserts a Zoom button onto the conventional Outlook toolbar, allowing you to start or arrange a Zoom meeting with a single click.
Zoom Browser Extensions
Another solution for fast initiating or arranging a Zoom conference is an addon for your preferred browser.
You can schedule a Zoom meeting with Google Calendar using the Zoom Chrome extension or the Zoom Firefox add-on.
With a single click of the Zoom button, you can begin a meeting or arrange one for later, with all meeting information supplied via Google Calendar to make it easy for attendees to participate.
Using Zoom in your Browser
If you don’t have access to or haven’t installed any apps, you can use Zoom in a browser.
Even if you have Zoom apps installed, you can use Zoom in a browser instead.
When you click on a Zoom link on a desktop, a short browser tab opens, which subsequently launches the Zoom app on your mobile.
If you want, you can skip the app and run it directly in the browser.
If your app isn’t working, is out of date, or you’re having login issues, you could try this.
Simply dismiss the app and return to your browser, which will display this window, and you will see the link to join.
Zoom in on your television
It is feasible to get Zoom to function on your TV and have a video call on the big screen.
We’ve published a comprehensive tutorial on how to get Zoom on your TV that you should read.
Getting Started with Zoom
1. Select the best plan for your team.
Zoom’s corporate subscription pricing is divided into four main tiers (not including a Zoom Room subscription).
- Zoom Free: This is the best option if you’re just getting started with Zoom, or if you work alone or with only one or two other people in the same place who do the most of the meeting scheduling and coordination.
Users of Zoom’s free version can hold an infinite number of meetings, however group sessions with numerous participants are limited to 40 minutes in length.
- Zoom Pro: This is the best option if you’re using Zoom with a small team, with at least one member working remotely full-time or part-time, so you can participate successfully regardless of where the meeting is held.
Zoom Pro costs $14.99/month/meeting host and allows hosts to set personal meeting IDs for recurrent Zoom meetings, as well as record meetings in the cloud or on users’ devices. Group meeting durations are limited to 24 hours.
- Zoom Business: Zoom Business is best suited to small to medium-sized enterprises with many teams that schedule Zoom meetings on a regular basis.
This subscription costs $19.99/month/meeting host and includes great features like vanity URLs and company branding for businesses, specialized customer support, and transcripts of Zoom meetings recorded in the cloud.
- Zoom Enterprise: This Zoom tier is for enterprises with 1,000 or more employees and includes unlimited cloud storage for recordings, a dedicated customer success manager, and discounts on webinars and Zoom Rooms.
This Zoom tier costs $19.99 per month per meeting host.
Furthermore, if you wish to set up Zoom Rooms, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial, after which Zoom Rooms demand an additional $49/month/room subscription, and Zoom video webinars cost $40/month/host.
2. Install Zoom.
After you’ve decided on a Zoom plan, you can join up and download Zoom onto your computer to begin using it.
Users can sign up for an individual free account using their work email, or if your system administrator is signing up for a Pro, Business, or Enterprise account, you’ll be encouraged to join up for Zoom as one of your company’s hosts.
If you’re configuring a Zoom Room, you’ll also need to install “Zoom Rooms for Conference Room” on the in-room computer and “Zoom Room Controller” on the meeting room tablet.
3. Integrate Zoom with your calendar.
Next, sync Zoom to your calendar so that you may arrange Zoom meetings that display on your calendar, or so that you can easily add a Zoom Meeting link to events on your calendar so that distant participants can attend.
When you’re signed into Zoom, go to “Settings,” then “Meetings,” and finally “Synced Calendars.”
Then, turn on “Sync Zoom Meetings from Calendars” and tap the calendars you want to sync with Zoom.
This allows you to sync calendars with Zoom in both directions, so your calendar client will provide the option to add a Zoom link, and your calendar will display Zoom Meetings that you arrange in the Zoom app.
If your organization installs Zoom Rooms, you may sync those rooms to your company’s shared calendar, allowing employees to know which meeting rooms are available when they try to book.
Zoom Rooms can also be configured to display forthcoming meetings so that employees are aware of when they should begin winding up or when they can sit in on a drop-in meeting.
4. Arrange a Zoom meeting.
You are now ready to begin using Zoom.
You may schedule a meeting with Zoom using your calendar client (as discussed and demonstrated above), or you can use the Zoom app.
To do so, click “New Meeting” to start a new meeting right away, or click “Schedule Meeting” to book a Zoom meeting for the future:
Then you may update the meeting’s details, such as scheduling a recurring meeting, setting a meeting password, and selecting which calendar to sync.
When you’re in a Zoom meeting, you can toggle your video and microphone settings, invite other meeting attendees, communicate with other meeting members, record the meeting, and share your screen.
Now that you’ve mastered the fundamentals of Zoom, follow these expert suggestions to get the most out of your experience.
How to Make a Zoom Meeting Private
Zoom has described its security and privacy features in order to solve Zoom security concerns.
Some of these privacy features are discussed further below.
What Is Zoom Bombing?
Zoom bombing, also known as Zoombombing, occurs when an unwelcome person gains access to your Zoom meeting.
They attend the Zoom conference with the intention of disrupting it.
Zoom bombing may, thankfully, be avoided by enabling Zoom’s privacy settings.
How to Avoid Zoom Bombing
Make a unique password for your Zoom meeting.
When you arrange a new meeting, check the box next to Require meeting password in the Password section.
This enables you to enter a secure password that you may share with meeting attendees. To attend the meeting, participants must input the password. Those who do not have the password will be unable to participate in your meeting.
Make use of the waiting room function.
The meeting host can control when attendees can enter the conference by using the waiting room feature. The meeting host has the option of admitting attendees one at a time or all at once. To start a new meeting, sign in to Zoom and click the Schedule option. Check the box next to Enable Waiting Room under Advanced Options.
Restriction on who can share their screen.
After your meeting has begun, click the up arrow next to Share Screen, then Advanced sharing options.
Who is allowed to share?
Choose Only Host to ensure that the meeting host is the only one who can share their screen.
Secure the meeting.
When you’re in your meeting, go to the Zoom toolbar and select Manage Participants.
Your meeting attendees should be listed on the right side of the screen.
Click the More icon in the bottom right-hand corner and then select Lock Meeting.
This stops any new participants, even if they have the meeting password, from attending the meeting.
Tips for Using Zoom
Personalize your preferences.
You can specify preferences in your Zoom app that will apply to every Zoom Meeting you attend.
Adjusting my video preferences is one of my favorites:
Check “Touch up my appearance” to add a filter to your webcam so you don’t have to put on makeup (or shower) before joining a Zoom Meeting from home (we don’t judge), and check “Turn off my video when joining a meeting” to prevent your face from inadvertently appearing on a large projector screen if you’re joining an all-hands meeting (this has, unfortunately, happened to me).
Take notes during essential Zoom meetings.
If you’re hosting a Zoom meeting with numerous cross-functional team members, starting a long-term project, or even if one or two of your team members are out of the office, it’s a good idea to record those discussions for future reference.
Meetings can be recorded on your device or the Zoom cloud for later review to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
How to Record a Zoom Meeting
- Launch Zoom.
- Click Meetings to begin your meeting as the host. Then, under Upcoming, choose the meeting you wish to begin and press the blue Start button.
- On the right-hand side of the Zoom toolbar, click the Record button.
- To begin recording, choose either Record on this Computer or Record to the Cloud.
- To stop recording, press the Pause/Stop Recording or End Meeting buttons.
Connect Zoom to Slack.
If your team communicates in real time via Slack, your system administrator can link Zoom and Slack for on-the-fly video conferencing.
It may be difficult to discuss a complex idea via text alone if you or a team member is working remotely.
Rather of scheduling a Zoom meeting on your calendar, you can simply type “/zoom” into Slack, and a meeting link will display instantly in your Slack discussion for you and your coworker to join.
Turn off your microphone while you’re not speaking.
This is a basic rule of video conferencing etiquette, but it needs repeating regardless of program.
Mute yourself while not speaking to reduce annoying background noise.
You can set yourself to be muted automatically when you enter a meeting in your options.
When you’re ready to unmute yourself, you can save a click by pressing and holding the space bar if you only need to speak for a second.
Combine Zoom with the appropriate video conferencing camera.
Zoom is likely so popular as a video conferencing software solution because it is so simple to use: once set up, you only need a few clicks to start talking to your colleagues. Choose a video conferencing camera for your Zoom Room that will make meeting attendees feel involved and a part of a conversation to provide a wonderful experience for co-located and remote Zoom meeting participants. Our video conferencing comparison chart can assist you in determining which camera is the best fit for your team.
Mobile Recording of Zoom meetings
Zoom meetings and calls can now be recorded on mobile devices.
However, because this is done using cloud recordings, you must have a paid Zoom subscription to access this feature.
It’s also worth mentioning that cloud storage is limited, so limit the number of meetings you record using the mobile app.
To record a Zoom call on your mobile device, follow these steps:
- Launch the Zoom app on your mobile device.
- Click to join or initiate a meeting.
- Select the three-dot menu in the lower right corner of the screen.
- Select “Record to the cloud” or “record.”
- You’ll notice a recording symbol and the option to pause or stop recording.
- After the call, the recording will be available in the Zoom site’s “My Recordings” area. What’s the difference between paid and free Zoom?
There are a few distinctions to be made between the paid and free Zoom plans.
Free users
You can join any meeting by downloading the Zoom app on your computer or phone and entering the meeting ID. Before you join, you can turn off audio and video. You can sign up for a free Zoom account and then start a new meeting, schedule one, join one, share a screen, add contacts, and so on.
Paid Users
If your system administrator has a Pro, Business, or Enterprise account, you can sign up and download Zoom onto your computer using your work email.
Then, sync Zoom to your calendar so that you can organize Zoom meetings and invite remote colleagues to join.
You’ll need a PC to sync and run Zoom Meetings and a tablet for attendees to start Zoom Meetings if you’re setting up a Zoom Room. A microphone, camera, and speaker are also required, as are at least one HDTV monitor to display remote conference participants, an HDMI connector to share computer screens on a display, and an internet cable for your connection.
You’ll also need to install “Zoom Rooms for Conference Room” on the in-room computer and “Zoom Room Controller” on the meeting room tablet. You may then sync those meeting rooms to your company’s shared calendar, allowing employees to know which meeting spaces are accessible.
Zoom Upgrades and Security Issues
Concerns were raised regarding Zoom in early 2020, both in terms of security and issues with unwelcome guests known as Zoombombers.
The company took steps to address these concerns and reassure users about the significance of security and privacy.
This includes simple procedures like deleting the meeting ID from the call’s title bar so that if people share screenshots online, the meeting isn’t vulnerable to further misuse.
To improve the app’s security credentials, the business has made a number of improvements.
Security Updates by Default
To reassure users, Zoom has been updated with security enhancements.
One of them has been the default requirement for a password for Zoom meetings.
This, paired with virtual waiting rooms, guarantees that only individuals who have been invited to the call are permitted to participate.
Another step toward making calls secure and safe for everyone.
Zoom Security Tools
Zoom has made it simple to organize and protect meetings as they occur.
You may now access a variety of security measures with a few clicks, including the ability to lock the meeting after it has begun so that no new persons can join, remove current call participants, mute attendees, and disable private chat.
To access the Zoom security features, simply click the security button that appears in the window while the call is in progress, or hover over a participant to engage with them explicitly – for example, to remove them from the call.
Reporting other Participants
It is now possible to report call participants who are not welcome or are causing problems.
You can now report misuse of the system to the Zoom Trust and Safety team in addition to removing them from the call.
This will help to prevent them from using the service in the future and interfering with other calls.
To do so, go to the meeting’s security settings and then click report.
What is OnZoom?
Zoom will launch the public beta of OnZoom in October 2020.
It’s defined as an online events platform and marketplace that lets paying Zoom users organize, host, and monetize events like fitness classes, concerts, stand-up or improv shows, or music tuition.
“We were amazed and impressed by the incredible ways the world responded to a complete shutdown of in-person events during COVID-19.
When business owners, entrepreneurs, and organizations of all kinds needed to keep the course and continue providing services to their clients, many turned to Zoom “Zoom elaborated.
“OnZoom makes that experience easier.”
Visit understand more about how OnZoom works, go to onzoom.com.
What are Zapps?
Zoom launched Zapps, or ap
Zoom announced Zapps, or apps that both free and paid Zoom users will have access to within the Zoom platform, in October 2020.
“Think of Zapps as an app store exactly where you need it – in a Zoom meeting, room, chat, webinar, phone call, and even your contacts directory,” Zoom said, adding that Zapps may “increase productivity and help create more engaging experiences.”
Atlassian, Asana, Box, Dropbox, Slack, Wrike, Coursera, Kahoot!, Kaltura, HubSpot, Chorus, Gong, Cameo, Exer, Slido, Lucidspark, Miro, Mural, ServiceNow, and PagerDuty are among the launch partners.
For example, you can use the Dropbox Zapp to share a document you’ve been working on, or you can use the Slido Zapp to create a poll, or you can use the Asana Zapp to keep track of team projects.
The first of these Zapps is expected to arrive by the end of 2020. Zoom intends to give more developers the chance to offer a Zapp in the future. Users will be able to search for and add approved Zapps, which will then be integrated straight into their Zoom accounts.
To view demo videos, go to zoom.us/zapps.
Where does Zoom Save Recordings?
Zoom call recordings are saved in the Zoom folder on your PC or Mac when you record locally. These can be found in the following locations:
- PC: C:\UsersUser NameDocuments Zoom
- Mac: /Users/User Name/Documents/Zoom
Zoom recordings are easily accessible simply opening the Zoom app and navigating to meetings. Once there, you’ll find a “recorded” page where you can select the meeting and either play or open the tape.
Log in to your account and go to the My Recordings tab to store your Zoom meeting recordings in the cloud.
Getting Rid of Background noise in Zoom calls
Zoom has included options for adjusting the audio on your call and removing superfluous and undesirable background noise.
To enable this, go to the settings and then to the audio choices. There’s a drop-down menu there that says “disable backgroundnoise.”
The highest level will remove as much as possible, reducing fan noises and dog barking, while the lower settings will let you to play background music on a chilled-out informal conversation with pals.
Other solutions are available if the built-in noise reduction is insufficient.
How to Use AI to Improve Microphone Quality
If you don’t work from a completely quiet office, you may discover that your calls are a little noisy and less than professional.
Zoom’s app includes background noise suppression, or you can utilize an external solution like Krisp.
This will provide you with 120 minutes of truly effective noise reduction on Zoom – or any audio application that uses a microphone.
As with the Nvidia solution, you just install the Krisp app and then select Krisp as your microphone in the app settings.
You’ll then have crystal-clear audio.
Zoom Virtual Backgrounds.
If you want to spice things up a bit or don’t want other people on the Zoom call to view the state of your home, Zoom offers virtual backgrounds.
These are the backdrops for your calls, and they include things like space, cityscapes, and ocean views.
You may also upload an image of anything you want to customize your backdrop using Zoom virtual backgrounds. It is available for both iPhone and desktop computers.
How to Use Virtual Backgrounds on Desktop
It’s not difficult to get started with Zoom virtual backgrounds. Simply launch your Zoom client on a Mac or PC, click the “Setup” button in the corner, then select “Virtual Background” from the side menu.
Zoom offers several virtual backgrounds. Select the one you want to use by clicking on it. If you want to use your own background, click on the plus sign above and to the left of the example backgrounds, then select and add an image from your computer.
During a meeting, you can also add a virtual background.
Click the arrow next to the video sign on the left in your Zoom client, then pick “Choose a virtual background…” to return to the Virtual Background page.
To achieve the greatest results, the company recommends utilizing a green screen and a good webcam, but a virtual background can still be used without a green screen.
How to Make Use of Virtual Backgrounds in a Mobile App
On the app, you can also use Zoom virtual backgrounds.
Logging into your account and joining a meeting via phone. Then, at the bottom of the screen, click the three dots to access the “more” menu. Then, under “virtual background,” select the backdrop you want to use.
Filters Can be Added to your Zoom Calls.
Filters can be used to liven up your Zoom calls in addition to virtual backgrounds.
These are available in two varieties and are found in the same backdrop settings as virtual backgrounds.
You can add simple color shades to your camera (sepia, black and white, and so on) or choose from many Snapchat-style filters to add cartoon stylings to your camera.
These aren’t suitable for business calls, but they should be more fun with friends and family.
Touch up my Appearance
Zoom, in addition to virtual surroundings, allows you to improve your appearance while on a call. If you haven’t received your daily caffeine fix or are suffering with life at the home office, there’s an option called “Touch Up My Appearance” that can help.
Touch Up My Appearance employs a filter to softly smooth fine wrinkles, with the goal of seeming completely natural. To utilize Touch Up My Appearance, click to Settings and check the box next to Touch up under the Video tab.
Recording transcripts
You can automatically transcribe the audio of a conference that you record to the cloud in addition to recording Zoom sessions.
You can also amend your transcript, scan the transcript text for keywords to view the video at that time, and share the tape as the meeting host.
Sign into the Zoom web portal and navigate to My Meeting Settings, then to the Cloud recording option on the Recording page, and confirm that the setting is enabled.
If necessary, select Turn On.
If the option is greyed off, it has been locked at the Group or Account levels, and you must contact your Zoom administrator.
View of the 49-person gallery
Depending on your device, gallery view allows you to see up to 49 meeting participants at once, rather than the typical 25.
You can start or attend a meeting using the Zoom mobile app for Android and iOS.
The Zoom mobile app displays the active speaker view by default.
If one or more people join the meeting, a video thumbnail will appear in the bottom-right corner.
You can see the videos of up to four participants at the same time.
You will need the Zoom desktop program for macOS or Windows to watch 49 individuals.
Once you’ve installed the desktop app on your computer, go to Settings and select Video to access the video settings page.
Then select “Display up to 49 people per screen in Gallery View.”
Zoom Screen Sharing and Pause Sharing
Did you know that you may not only share your screen (both smartphone and desktop), but also pause it?
When you don’t want your meeting attendees to see you fiddling with your presentation slides, simply press the Pause Share button.
Share and Annotate on Mobile
While in the meeting, you can transfer files directly from your phone and use the whiteboarding tool on your phone by making comments with your finger.
To annotate when seeing someone else’s shared screen, go to the Zoom window’s top and select View Options, then Annotate.
A toolbar will emerge with all of your annotating options, such as text, draw, arrow, and so on.
How to Rearrange Tiles in Gallery View
In Gallery view, you may see all of the call participants at the same time.
You may also rearrange these, so if there are certain people you always want to see, you can just drag and drop to change the order in which they are displayed.
Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts
During Zoom meetings, you may quickly access features or alter settings by using multiple shortcut keys.
These contain a wide range of items, but our favorites are:
- Alt + A or Command(⌘)+Shift+A: Mute/unmute audio
- Alt+M or Command(⌘)+Control+M: Mute/unmute audio for everyone except the host
- Alt+S or Command(⌘)+Control+S: Start screen sharing
- Alt+R or Command(⌘)+Shift+R: Start/stop local recording
- Alt+C or Command(⌘)+Shift+C: Start/stop cloud recording
- Alt+P or Command(⌘)+Shift+P: Pause or resume recording
- Alt+F1 or Command(⌘)+Shift+W: Switch to active speaker view in video meeting
How to Upload YouTube Videos to Zoom
Yes, Zoom will allow you to share a variety of content on your presentation, including YouTube videos.
This is a somewhat deceptive choice because all you need to do is have the video you wish to share open in your browser.
Then, when you want to share it, simply utilize the share screen option and select the browser from the list of alternatives.
To ensure that everyone on the call can hear as well as watch the YouTube video, check the “share computer sound” box in that box.
Conclusion
Zoom is easy to use but tough to master. Even with these recommendations, spend some time exploring the app on your own and discovering everything it has to offer.
Using Zoom to meet up with coworkers will become as natural as meeting someone in person over time.
