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Zoom 101: Basic Steps for Using Zoom
Interested in learning to use Zoom, a popular video conferencing application?
In recent times, there has been a huge increase in the use of video conferencing software. So many educators and other professionals have been required to take crash courses of sorts to learn how to use Zoom with their students or clients. This post will help to provide you with the basic steps for getting started with Zoom. The videos below will walk you through the steps to installing Zoom on your devices, starting Zoom meetings, joining Zoom meetings, scheduling Zoom meetings, screen sharing, and accessing features of the waiting room. The Zoom app is assessable using VoiceOver on iOS.
Installing, Starting a meeting, and Joining a meeting video tutorial.
Schedule, Screen Sharing, Waiting Room tutorial video:
How to start a Zoom meeting (Accessible) tutorial video:
How to Install
Zoom download Center (For all Zoom downloading options including Desktop and Mobile)
On a Desktop or Laptop
Choose “Zoom Client for Meetings”.
“The web browser client will download automatically when you start or join your first Zoom meeting, and is also available for manual download” from the Zoom Download center.
On Mobile Devices
“Zoom Mobile Apps: Start, join and schedule meetings; send group text, images and push-to-talk messages on mobile devices.”- Zoom.us
- Android: Download the Zoom app from the Google Play store here or iOS: Download the Zoom app from the Apple Store here
- Tap Install.
- Read the permissions. Tap “Accept”.
- Allow the installation to complete.
How to Start a Zoom meeting (on a laptop or mobile device)
- Sign into your Zoom account using your email and password (If you have not created an account you can do so on the Zoom login page by clicking “Sign Up Free”).-Zoom.us
- Laptop: from the home screen on the desktop version, select “New Meeting”. Phone: from the home screen on a mobile device tap on the “Meet and Chat” icon across the bottom, then “New Meeting”.
- Next select “Start a Meeting”
- The Zoom meeting will launch. It will ask you if you want to “Call using Internet Audio” or “Dial in”.
- The Internet option allows you to dial in using the internet’s audio.
- The Dial in option allows you to dial in to speak and listen to the meeting using telephone audio. It will show you a list of phone numbers to dial to access the meeting by audio via phone. You will then be instructed to go back to the Zoom video meeting in progress.
How to join a Zoom Meeting
You can join a Zoom meeting via “email invite, an instant messaging invite, from the browser, from the Zoom desktop and mobile application, or from a landline or mobile phone”- Zoom.us
Computer and Mobile:
- After logging in, from the Zoom Desktop/Mobile Home page, select “Join”.
- In the space that says “Join a Meeting”, enter the Meeting ID or Personal Link Name of the meeting that you are trying to join. Enter the password for the meeting if/when prompted.
- If you have a direct link for a Zoom meeting invite, click on the link and it will log you into the Zoom meeting. If there is a prompt for a password, enter it to be allowed into the meeting.
How to Schedule a Zoom Meeting
Computer using the Zoom app on Desktop
- Click on Schedule.
- Enter meeting details. At the bottom click on “Copy Invitation”.
- Email or message the copied Zoom Meeting information to the participants.
When you are ready to host the meeting:
- Go back to the Zoom home screen and look for the “Meetings” Tab across the top.
- Click on the meeting title (on the left side of the screen) to highlight it then press “Start” to begin the meeting.
Mobile Using the Zoom app
- From the home page, look for the “Schedule” icon across the top.
- Click on “Schedule” and enter meeting details, then tap “Done”.
When you are ready to host the meeting, look for the “Meetings” icon at the bottom of the home screen. Tap on “Meetings”. You will see all of your scheduled meetings. Tap on the meeting of your choice to highlight it.
- Then when a new window pops up, tap on “Start”
How to Share your Screen on Zoom
Computer: During a live Zoom meeting on a desktop/laptop
- Look at the bottom portion of the Zoom window and look for the “Share Screen” icon.
- When you click on the icon, a window will pop up with options to share your Desktop, open browser windows, a White board (for sharing live drawings, etc.), a mobile device via Screen Mirroring (ex: iOS to iOS), or share your screen from a mobile device via a USB cord.
- Select the share method and your desktop screen will be shared live for all participants on Zoom.
- Back on the main Zoom stream window, there is a small arrow pointing up on the right side of the Share Screen Icon. When you click on that arrow, there will be options to set screen sharing rights for only one person (the host) or multiple people.
Mobile: Sharing your screen on a mobile device:
- During a live Zoom meeting, you will see icons at the bottom of the screen.
- The middle icon should say “Share Content” (on iOS). Once you tap on Share Content, a pop up panel will show several sharing options including “Screen”. Tap on “Screen”.
- Another pop up will show options for broadcasting. It will say “Screen Broadcast” and will give you several app choices to broadcast. Choose the “Zoom” app, then tap on “Start Broadcast”.
- At this time you can visit the home screen or other apps on your device and share with the Zoom Participants live.
- To stop sharing your screen, tap on the red bar at the top of the device and a pop up box will give you the option to Stop the broadcast.
Waiting Room Settings
- “Sign in to your account in the Zoom Web Portal and access the Settings tab.
- Click on the In Meeting (Advanced) option.
- Search or scroll to find the Waiting Room option.
- Toggle the button next to the Waiting Room to enable this feature.
- After enabling the Waiting Room feature, you can choose to send all participants to the Waiting Room when they join or to send only guest participants (external accounts) to the Waiting Room. You can also allow other internal participants to admit guests from the Waiting Room if the host is not yet in the meeting.”-Zoom.us
Computer: Using the Zoom desktop app during a Zoom meeting
- In a live Zoom Meeting, look at the icons at the bottom of the Zoom window. Click on the “Participants” icon.
- Across the bottom of the pop up window, click on More.
- Select Enable Waiting Room.
Mobile: Using a mobile device (Prior to a live Zoom Meeting)
- From the home screen, look across the bottom and tap on the “Meetings” icon.
- At the top of the screen under your Personal Meeting ID, you will see an edit button.
- Tap on “Edit”
- Scroll down to “Enable Waiting Room” and toggle on.
During live Zoom sessions on both desktop and mobile, guest names will pop up for you to click “Accept” and allow them to enter the room.
Zoom Accessibility
There are accessibility settings that can be activated for Zoom users with hearing impairments and low vision.
The image below shows settings for Closed Captioning and the font enlargement tool for the captions.
Users can also toggle on Meeting Controls.
The font size for Zoom’s live chat feature can also be increased. The shortcut keys for increasing the font in the chat is Command and +/-.
Zoom.us
Windows Zoom Shortcut Keys:
“Editing Shortcuts
You can edit a shortcut by clicking on the shortcut and then pressing the shortcut key that you would like to use.
Some of the shortcuts can be used as global shortcuts, meaning they will work even when Zoom is not in focus. To enable a shortcut globally, check the option next to the shortcut.
Available Keyboard Shortcuts
- F6: Navigate among Zoom popup windows.
- Ctrl+Alt+Shift: Move focus to Zoom’s meeting controls
- PageUp: View previous 25 video stream in gallery view
- PageDown: View next 25 video stream in gallery view
- Alt: Turn on/off the option Always show meeting control toolbar in Accessibility Settings
- Alt+F1: Switch to active speaker view in video meeting
- Alt+F2: Switch to gallery video view in video meeting
- Alt+F4: Close the current window
- Alt+V: Start/Stop Video
- Alt+A: Mute/unmute audio
- Alt+M: Mute/unmute audio for everyone except host Note: For the meeting host only
- Alt+S: Launch share screen window and stop screen share Note: Will only work when meeting control toolbar has focus
- Alt+Shift+S: Start/stop new screen share Note: Will only work when meeting control toolbar has focus
- Alt+T: Pause or resume screen share Note: Will only work when meeting control toolbar has focus
- Alt+R: Start/stop local recording
- Alt+C: Start/stop cloud recording
- Alt+P: Pause or resume recording
- Alt+N: Switch camera
- Alt+F: Enter or exit full screen
- Alt+H: Display/hide In-Meeting Chat panel
- Alt+U:Display/hide Participants panel
- Alt+I: Open Invite window
- Alt+Y: Raise/lower hand
- Alt+Shift+R: Gain Remote Control
- Alt+Shift+G: Stop Remote Control
- Ctrl+2: Read active speaker name
- Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H: Show/Hide floating meeting controls
- Alt+Shift+T: Screenshot
- Switch to Portrait/Landscape View: Alt+L
- Ctrl+W: Close current chat session
- Ctrl+Up: Go to previous chat
- Ctrl+Down: Go to next chat
- Ctrl+T: Jump to chat with someone
- Ctrl+F: Search
- Ctrl+Tab: Move to the next tab (right)
- Ctrl+Shift+Tab: Move to the previous tab (left)”-Zoom.us
Resources
Additional Accessibility Support for Devices
- Chromebook Accessibility
- Magnifier Settings
- Google Accessibility
- Android Accessibility Menu
- Chrome settings
- All Google Products
- iOS
- Zoom Shortcut keys to enlarge the screen on a Mac
By Ericka
