How to Use Zoom Meeting App on Your Computer

Virtual meetings have become increasingly necessary during the coronavirus pandemic. While a few months ago people preferred to meet clients offline, many professionals are now opting for online solutions to stay connected while lockdowns are in place around the world. Meanwhile, many schools and educational institutions have begun using video conferencing applications to connect with students virtually. Zoom has become one of the popular video conferencing solutions. One of the reasons for its popularity is cross-platform support. However, Zoom also offers features such as the ability to join meetings through a web browser and share your screen with up to 100 participants. All of this makes it a compelling choice compared to the likes of Google Hangouts Meet and Microsoft Teams.

Zoom is available for mobile and desktop users. Participants can also connect with their Zoom meeting host directly through a web browser. Additionally, the Zoom app allows you to add up to 100 participants to a single meeting, and with the Large Meeting add-on, this number can be further increased to up to 500 members. Of course, there have been some recent privacy issues that have impacted the Zoom app’s continued success around the world. However, the development team claims that they are already working hard to strengthen privacy protections. This could ultimately make Zoom a more powerful virtual meeting solution.

That being said, you might just be wondering how you should get started using Zoom. So, here we provide a step-by-step guide on how to use the Zoom app on your desktop. To make it easier for you, we’ve provided steps for both Windows and Mac devices. Before starting with our tutorial, you can also download the latest Zoom client for your desktop directly from the official website.

Zoom also allows users to join meetings through a web browser without downloading its app on their computer. So, in this case, all you need to do is open the given meeting link and your browser will show you a page where you can get Join from your browser association. You will then see a screen where you can simply enter your name to join the meeting. It’s important to note that the “Join from browser” link is provided by the host and may not be available for all meetings.

If you have a Zoom account, you can join a Zoom meeting by following the steps below. Signing in gives you more options.

1. Launch the Zoom application on your computer.
2. Now, click login button to log in using your existing account. You can also press Free registration A link is provided on the login screen. Alternatively, you can use your existing single sign-on (SSO) credentials or use an existing Google or Facebook account.
3. Once logged in, you can join an existing Zoom meeting by clicking join in button on the home screen.

A pop-up window will appear on the screen asking you to enter a meeting ID or personal link name. You can also add your name to this screen, which will be visible to the meeting host and other participants. Additionally, you can turn off the video or audio by clicking on the provided checkbox.
The app will now connect you to meetings.

How to host a Zoom meeting on Windows or Mac

Here are the steps to quickly host a Zoom meeting from your desktop.

1. Launch the Zoom application on your computer.
2. Now, click login button in case you are not logged in yet.
3. You will be taken to the home screen where you need to click new meeting button. You also have the option to disable video by clicking the down icon below the “New Meeting” button.
4. Once you click the button, Zoom will load a screen that provides you with details such as the meeting topic, host name, password, numeric passcodes for phone and room systems, invitation URL, and participant IDs. You can also invite others from the same screen. Likewise, the option to share your screen will also be available.
5. After the meeting, you can click end meeting button to end it. A dialog box will pop up on the screen where you can click End plenary meeting Terminate it for all participants. You can also leave the meeting and designate someone else as the host by pressing the key Leave meeting Button in popup dialog box. This will continue the conversation between the participants and you will be able to log out.

You can also record your conversation or chat with attendees at any time during the meeting. The app also provides controls to mute the audio or disable the video when hosting a meeting. Additionally, you can view the number of meeting participants directly from the hosting screen.

How to schedule a Zoom meeting on Windows, Mac

1. Launch the Zoom application on your computer.
2. Log in to the app using your existing credentials or create a new account.
3. Now you will get to the home screen and you need to click on schedule button to schedule a meeting.
4. The app will show you a pop-up screen that lets you enter the topic of your scheduled meeting, select an appropriate date and time, create a password and select the option to enable or disable the meeting for phone or computer users.
5. Once you’ve filled in all the details, you’ll have the option to set up iCal, Google Calendar, or other calendar invitations.
6. Now you need to press schedule button to schedule your meeting.
7. Meetings you schedule will appear on the Zoom app’s home screen. You can also view all upcoming meetings or access recordings of existing meetings by going to Meeting tab.

To simplify the experience, Zoom also offers browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. These extensions are useful for scheduling Zoom meetings without using the native application. However, you still need the app to join existing meetings or host new ones.

Zoom is free to download, but the free basic plan has a 40-minute limit on group meetings. However, you can host up to 100 participants in group meetings and can host unlimited one-on-one meetings. If you want more, you can opt for the Pro plan, which increases the meeting duration limit to 24 hours and includes administrative controls and features like custom personal meeting IDs and user management for $14.99 (approximately Rs. 1,100) per host per month. Zoom also has business and enterprise plans for enhanced use. The latter enables you to add up to 500 participants without the large meeting add-ons required for the Professional and Business plans.

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