Cheat Sheet:
Basics For Using Zoom Video
WHAT’S IN THIS GUIDE:
The basics of how Zoom works. What you need to know, so you’re not flying blind.
How to set up Zoom ahead of time, so you’re completely comfortable clicking that invite link someone sends you.
How to use Zoom once you’re on a call.
How to create a Zoom Meeting—even if the person you want to video chat with doesn’t have Zoom!
THE BASICS OF HOW ZOOM WORKS. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, SO YOU’RE NOT FLYING BLIND:
Zoom is a video chat app that lets you do one on one video calls, video conference calls with lots of people, or audio calls with two or more people.
In order to work, Zoom has to download a little program to your computer. It’s completely secure, don’t worry. But what this means is it’s running from your machine and sending info across the internet. This makes calls faster and more reliable. But it also means it takes a moment to set up.
When someone wants to do a Zoom call, they create a “Meeting.” Zoom asks the meeting creator for some details, like what date and time, whether there will be a password required to get in, etc., and Zoom then generates a special Meeting Link and a Meeting ID. Once this happens, there are two ways people can join the meeting:
If someone sends you a Zoom Meeting Link, click it, and it will download the Zoom program and automatically put you in the meeting.
If you have downloaded the Zoom App to your desktop or laptop, you can open the app up and click Join Meeting and enter the Meeting ID. This puts you in the meeting, too.
Once you’re in a meeting, you can:
join with “Computer Audio” (your microphone or headphones/headset on your computer), or sometimes you can dial in with a phone (computer audio is usually better);
turn on and off your webcam, so other participants on the call can see you;
mute and unmute your audio;
type messages in a “Chat” section;
share your screen (when you click “Share Screen” it lets you pick which window on your computer you want to share; you can share your whole desktop, or just a single app and not show the rest of what’s on your computer);
and there are more things you can do. We’ll explain how to do everything in the “How to do all the things you want to do in Zoom” section below.
A few things that are good to know:
The more people on video, the harder your computer and internet connection have to work. So unless you have a solid connection, the fewer people on video the better.
If the sound or video starts lagging while someone’s talking, try turning off your video. The sound usually improves.
HOW TO SET UP ZOOM AHEAD OF TIME, SO YOU’RE COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE CLICKING THAT INVITE LINK SOMEONE SENDS YOU:
STEP 1: Sign up for Zoom and download the app.
If you don’t do this ahead of time, Zoom will automatically install the first time you click a Zoom link. But this will mean you have to figure out your settings right when your meeting starts, which is not ideal.
STEP 2: Install and allow permissions.
Zoom may ask you if it can record your screen, record audio, and use your webcam. Say “yes” to all of these, and enable any settings on your computer as needed. Zoom will walk you through how to do this.
STEP 3: Set up a non-embarrassing name and default photo.
The first thing you want to do is make sure that your name and default photo are not some strange screen name from your AOL days. Since this will be the first thing people see when you sign into a meeting, check this first.
How To Add A Profile Picture
To do so, open the Zoom app, sign in, and then click on
Preferences > Profile > Edit My Profile.
STEP 4: Set up your default settings:
You can set your defaults to anything you like, but to set yourself up for minimal snafus, we recommend the following:
Under GENERAL: Make sure “Ask me to confirm when I leave a meeting” is checked. This will prevent you from accidentally hitting a wrong button and exiting a meeting:
Under VIDEO:
Make sure that you select “Always show video dialog when joining a video meeting” so that you get a preview of your video before you join—again, for no surprises.
And if you plan on holding up anything to show on your screen (like a notebook, book, phone, anything written), you’ll want to select “Mirror my video” by default.
STEP 5: Test your mic and speakers:
Plug in whatever you’ll be using for microphone and speakers (preferably headphone or a headset) and then click Audio and then click Test Speaker and Test Mic.
Make sure that the microphone you’re using does not pick up huge amounts of background noise. For this reason, it’s preferable that you use a plugged in microphone or a set of bluetooth headphones with built-in mic, such as Airpods.
STEP 6: Set up a spot with a good background for you
Make it as symmetrical as possible—diagonal lines, poles that look like they’re coming out of your head, etc., are distracting.
Get rid of distracting objects in the background—check to see what’s visible.
Make it a place where the lighting shows your whole face, and doesn’t make you look like you’re in a cave. (Ideally, you’re facing a window, rather than a window behind you. If your best spot has a window to one side, turn on a light or put a lamp on the other side to even out the lighting.)
STEP 7: Familiarize yourself with all the basic buttons and features (see next section), so you can be ready and present when your next meeting starts.
HOW TO USE ZOOM WHEN YOU’RE IN A MEETING:
The Basics:
Once you’re in a meeting, most of the basic functions are at the bottom of your screen: Mute and unmute yourself, turn on and off your video, send invites to other people to join, manage participants already on the call, share your screen, send chat messages, record the call, send reactions (clap or thumbs up), and leave the meeting.
And at the top right of your screen you can change your view between Gallery View (see everyone at once) or Speaker View (see only who’s talking).
Keyboard shortcuts for common actions:
I is for invite. Press
Cmd+I(macOS) orAlt+I(Windows) to jump to the Invite window, where you can grab the link to the meeting or send invitations to others via email.M is for mute. Press
Cmd+Ctrl+M(macOS) orAlt+M(Windows) when you are the meeting host and want to mute everyone else on the line.S is for share. Press
Cmd+Shift+S(macOS) orAlt+Shift+S(Windows) to share your screen.
For more pro tips on Zoom features:
At their recent conference, Zoom gave an in-depth video demo of its latest features. If you have time on your hands, watching this video will turn you into a real pro!
HOW TO CREATE A ZOOM MEETING—EVEN IF THE PERSON YOU WANT TO VIDEO CHAT WITH DOESN’T HAVE ZOOM!
FOR A MEETING RIGHT THIS SECOND, FOLLOW THESE STEPS
STEP 1: Make sure you have already downloaded Zoom and created an account.
STEP 2: Open the app and sign in.
STEP 3: Click the orange “New Meeting” button.
STEP 4:
It should pop up a box asking you how you want to do audio. We recommend using Join With Computer Audio whenever possible. Everything’s easier and more streamlined that way.
STEP 5:
Now click “Invite” at the bottom of the screen.
STEP 6:
In the bottom left corner of the box that pops up, you an copy a link to the meeting, which you can send to anyone over email, over chat, SMS—whatever.
As soon as they click that link, a mini Zoom Meeting app will automatically download on their computer, and they’ll instantly be inside your meeting! (It may take them a minute to set up their audio and video, so if you need to communicate while they’re muted, we suggest using the Chat feature at the bottom of the Zoom window.)
STEP 7:
Have your meeting!
When you’re done, click “End meeting” at the bottom right corner.
TO SCHEDULE AN UPCOMING MEETING, FOLLOW THESE STEPS:
STEP 1: Make sure you have already downloaded Zoom and created an account.
STEP 2: Open the app and sign in.
STEP 3: Click the blue “Schedule” button at the bottom left.
STEP 4:
Name your meeting, set the date and time you’d like to have it, and select the options you want everyone to default to when they join.
We recommend defaulting to the Host (you) and Participants to all have video on as a standard practice. And it’s easier on people if there’s no password, unless it’s a delicate meeting.
You can also choose whether to allow people to dial in using their phone or not. We recommend using Computer Audio Only, so that Participants must join on a computer and therefore have a webcam and can view your screen if you decide to share it. If people dial in with phone, they may not be able to see what you want them to.
STEP 5:
Copy the invitation to the meeting, and send it to whoever you want to eventually join the meeting.
To do so, click the three dots to the right of the name of your scheduled meeting, which is on the right side of the main Zoom app screen, and then click “Copy Invite Information.” This will copy all the details of the meeting to your clipboard, including the Meeting ID, the link to automatically join the meeting, and any phone numbers to dial in to, if you chose that option.
Most people paste these into a calendar invitation or an email and then send it to their guests.
STEP 6:
To the right of the four buttons on the main Zoom app screen, you’ll see your scheduled meetings. When it’s time to start, click “Start.” You can start any meeting of yours early, by the way. So if you want to get there early, you can!
STEP 7:
Have your meeting! Zoom will show you when people have joined. When in doubt, click the “Manage Participants” button at the bottom of the screen to see who’s there.
STEP 8:
When you’re done, click “End Meeting” at the bottom right corner. You’re all done!