Hosting a Meeting
Once you have created a Zoom account, you can host a meeting by clicking or tapping New Meeting on Zoom's home or Meet & Chat screen. For more information on Zoom's home screen, visit General Functions (for Windows/Mac) for computer versions or General Functions (for iOS/Android) for smartphones and tablets.
Creating a Meeting
On Windows/Mac versions of Zoom, there is a small down arrow underneath the New Meeting icon. This sub menu displays check boxes for starting the meeting with video already on and the option of using your 10 digit Personal Meeting ID. This menu also shows up every time you tap the New Meeting icon on the iOS/Android device, and the blue confirmation button to Start a Meeting.
Once you click the New Meeting button (on your computer) or Start a Meeting (on your smartphone/tablet), you will be brought into a meeting. You may be asked to Join with Computer Audio (for computers) or Connect with Internet Audio (for smartphones/tablets), simply confirm that you do want to connect through that method (and not the Dial In method if shown).
Meeting Information
Your meeting information will display the 9-11 digit Meeting ID or 10 digit Personal Meeting ID, the meeting Password, and the Meeting URL that you can use invite participants, such as students. How to access this information depends on the device used.
For Windows/Mac versions, click the information icon on the top left corner of your meeting window.
For iOS/Android versions, tap your screen to bring up the hidden menus along the top and bottom of the screen (if not visible), then tap the Zoom word in the middle of the top menu banner.
Inviting Participants
Inviting participants is possible with three methods:
Providing your Meeting ID and Password mentioned in the previous section (through email, text message, or phone call)
Emailing the Meeting URL (or link)
Inviting from your Contacts (covered HERE)
Once you are inside your active meeting, you may invite participants by selecting the Participants icon along the bottom of the screen (on both Windows/Mac and iOS/Android devices). A Participants screen will appear along the right side of your meeting window (for Windows/Mac) or as a new screen (on your smartphone/tablet), and along the bottom you will have an Invite button to click/tap.
On a Windows/Mac computer, another window will open. You can select already established Zoom contacts, and this is discussed further in The Benefits of Using Zoom Contacts. If you have a Gmail or an email client setup on your computer (such as Microsoft Outlook), you can select the email option along to top to send an invite complete with the Meeting URL, Meeting ID, and Password. You can also copy the Meeting URL or Invitation by selecting the options along the bottom left, and manually paste that into an email or instant message.
The same options are shown on the iOS/Android versions, but show up as a sub menu. As long as your email is setup on your smartphone or tablet, selecting the Send Email option will open your email app with a ready-to-send invitation.
You can also send an invite link through text message by selecting Send Message, or by selecting Copy URL to manually paste into an email or message. Note that some of the options may not be shown depending on how your device is setup.
The Waiting Room
If you have the Waiting Room feature enabled (by default for Version 5.0 users using their PMI), participants will be need to be let in. This is a great security feature that gives you the final say in which participants are able to join.
The Waiting Room can be enabled in you Meeting Settings inside an active meeting, or by logging on to your web portal at zoom.us. Once a participant joins your meeting, you will need to accept them by clicking Admit when the prompt appears.
If you do not see the prompt, you can also find the waiting room by clicking/tapping your Participants icon and admitting them in. If the invitee is not anyone you are expecting, you may remove them from the waiting room and meeting altogether.