How To Host A Zoom Meeting

To host a Zoom meeting, you can either schedule it in advance or start an instant meeting right away. This guide covers both methods, the requirements you need, and the essential host controls you'll use to manage your first meeting.

How to host a Zoom meeting: two quick ways

You have two primary ways to start hosting. The first is to schedule a meeting ahead of time, which lets you set a date, time, and security options, and then send invitations to participants. The second is to start an instant meeting immediately, which is ideal for spontaneous conversations. Both methods give you full host controls once the meeting begins.

What you need before hosting

Before you host, make sure your setup meets the essential requirements. You need a stable internet connection (broadband wired or wireless 3G/4G/LTE), speakers, a microphone, and a webcam. For desktop computers, a dual-core 2Ghz or higher processor (Intel i3/i5/i7 or AMD equivalent) with 8GB or greater RAM is recommended. Mobile devices should run iOS 15 or later, iPadOS 15 or later, or Android 9.0 or later.

Your Zoom account type determines your meeting limits. A Basic (free) account allows up to 100 participants but has a 40-minute time limit for group meetings with three or more participants. For a detailed breakdown of what each plan offers, you can review a comparison of Zoom free vs paid account features to decide which fits your needs. The participant limit for any meeting is set by the host's account type, not the attendees' accounts. You can also check zoom meeting history to see exactly how long your past meetings lasted.

Scheduling a Zoom meeting in advance

Scheduling lets you plan everything before the meeting starts. Follow these steps from your preferred platform:

From the Zoom desktop app

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop app.
2. Click the "Schedule" button on the Home tab, or click the add icon in the "Meetings" tab.
3. Enter the meeting details: topic, date, time, and duration.
4. Configure security settings such as a meeting password or the waiting room feature.
5. Click "Schedule" to create the meeting.

From the Zoom web portal

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. Navigate to "Meetings" in the menu.
3. Click "Schedule a Meeting".
4. Enter the meeting topic, date, time, and duration.
5. Set your security preferences (password, waiting room).
6. Click "Schedule" to finalize.

From the Zoom mobile app

1. Sign in to the Zoom mobile app.
2. Tap the "Home" tab.
3. Tap "Schedule".
4. Fill in the meeting topic, date, time, and duration.
5. Adjust security settings as needed.
6. Tap "Schedule" to save.

Inviting participants to your scheduled meeting

Once your meeting is scheduled, you need to share the invitation so others can join. The invitation includes the Join URL and Meeting ID, along with any password you set. To share it, copy the invitation details from the meeting confirmation and paste them into an email, a calendar event (such as Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook), or a messaging platform. Sending the invitation well in advance gives participants time to prepare.

Starting an instant meeting

When you need to meet immediately, you can start an instant meeting from any device.

From the desktop app

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop app.
2. Click the "Home" tab.
3. Click "New Meeting".

From the mobile app

1. Sign in to the Zoom mobile app.
2. Tap the "Home" tab.
3. Tap "New Meeting".

From a web browser

1. Type zoom.new in your browser's address bar.
2. Zoom will launch the meeting directly in your browser (you may need to allow the app to open).

When you start an instant meeting, participants are not invited by default. To invite people once the meeting is live, use the "Invite" option in the meeting controls to copy the meeting link or Meeting ID and share it via email, chat, or any messaging platform.

Host controls during the meeting

As the host, you have a set of tools to manage the meeting smoothly. Here are the essential controls:

Managing participants

Open the Participants panel from the meeting toolbar. From here you can mute or unmute individual participants, ask them to start or stop their video, admit or remove people from the waiting room, and remove a participant entirely if needed.

Sharing your screen

Click the "Share Screen" button in the meeting toolbar. You can choose to share your entire desktop, a specific application window, or a whiteboard. Once sharing, you can pause or stop at any time.

Using the chat feature

Click the chat icon to open the chat panel. You can send messages to everyone or privately to a specific participant. This is useful for sharing links, files, or quick questions without interrupting the speaker.

Recording the meeting

Click the "Record" button in the meeting toolbar. You can choose to record to the cloud (requires a paid account) or locally to your computer. If you record locally, the file is saved to your device. Cloud recordings are processed and stored in your Zoom account, and you can share them by sending a download zoom recording from link to your attendees. Note that Zoom recording file size varies by duration and quality, so ensure you have enough storage space if recording locally.

Ending and saving your meeting

When the meeting is over, click the "End Meeting" button in the toolbar. As the host, you can choose to leave the meeting (allowing it to continue without you) or end the meeting for all participants. If you recorded to the cloud, the recording will be processed and available in your Zoom account's recording section. If you recorded locally, the file is saved to the designated folder on your computer and you can access it immediately.

For the wider topic, see download zoom.