Scheduling meetings

Zoom offers multiple methods to schedule a meeting. A host has control over the options for their scheduled meetings, except for settings that an administrator has locked for all users in the account or for all members of a specific group.

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For instructions on scheduling using our plugins and extensions, see:

After creating/scheduling a meeting, you can invite Zoom contacts to an ongoing session or an upcoming scheduled meeting, using various methods to bring more participants into your meetings. These invitation methods include sharing the Zoom link for a meeting, inviting by phone (requires the audio conferencing plan), or inviting a room system (requires Cloud Room Connector add-on). 

Learn more about inviting others to join a meeting or sharing your personal Zoom link for meetings with others.

Notes:

  1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
  2. On the Meetings  tab, click Schedule .
    This will open the scheduler window.
  3. Select your meeting settings. Note that some of these options might not be available if they were disabled and locked to the off position at the account or group level.
    • Topic: Enter a topic or name for your meeting.
    • (Optional) Click the Time Off toggle to enable or disable it. When enabled, you will appear as "Off" to everyone who can see your calendar, and external users will not be able to book time with you.
      Note: This option will only appear when your calendar is connected with the Zoom Calendar client.
    • Attendees: Enter the email or name of participants that you want to invite to your event. Click the X next to each name to remove them from the list.
      Note: This requires configuring the calendar and contacts integration with Zoom. 
    • Date & Time: 
      • Start: Select a date and time for your meeting, but remember you can start your meeting at any time before the scheduled time. You can also manually enter any time. For example, you can enter 15 in the minutes field. 
      • Time Zone: By default, Zoom will use your computer's time zone. Click the drop-down menu to select a different time zone.
      • (Optional) Repeat: Choose if you would like a recurring meeting (the meeting ID will remain the same for each session).
      • (Optional) Select if you want your meeting to last All Day. If a meeting is all day, the meeting will be scheduled for 12:00 AM-11:59 PM.
      • Find a Time: Find available times on guests' calendars when scheduling meetings.
    • Calendar: Select a calendar service to add the meeting and send out invites to participants.
      • Outlook: Open the Outlook desktop app and create an event for the meeting.
        Note: You will see Outlook when using the Windows client.
      • iCalendar: Open iCal and create an event for the meeting.
        Note: You will see iCal when using a macOS.
      • Google Calendar: Open Google Calendar in your default browser and create an event for the meeting.
      • Other Calendars: Open a new window, where the meeting text can be copied and pasted into the user's preferred communication method. You can also down an ICS file which can be opened in most email applications.
    • Event Type: Select whether this event is Offline, Zoom Meeting, or Zoom Phone Call. Choose to schedule this meeting with added virtual meeting or call details. The following options are provided:
      • Offline: No additional meeting details are added. This is best for in-person meetings and events.
      • Zoom Meeting: The calendar event will be scheduled with a corresponding Zoom Meeting. Your default meeting settings are used.
      • Zoom Phone Call
    • Location: Enter a location for this meeting.
    • Room: Enter a room for this meeting.
    • Description: Add some additional context and description for this event.
    • Attachments: Add any relevant attachments invitees need to have before the meeting starts.
    • Visibility: Choose how you want this calendar event to be visible to others viewing your calendar, either Default visibility, Public, or Private.
    • Show Yourself as: Choose how you want your status to be displayed to others during this calendar event, either as Busy or Free.
    • Allow Attendees to: Adjust these calendar event permissions regarding how other invitees can view and adjust the calendar event.
      • Modify the event
      • Invite others
      • See list of attendees
    • Export: Select the checkbox to use an external calendar.
    • Meeting Security
      • Passcode: Enter a meeting passcode. Joining participants will be required to input this before joining your scheduled meeting.
        Note: The meeting passcode must meet complexity requirements set by your admin.
      • Waiting Room: Enable Waiting Room for the meeting.
      • Only authenticated users can join: Restrict access to the meeting so that only signed-in users can join.
        Note: If you select Sign in to Zoom with specified domain, you can't add any domains that are included on the domain block list.
    • Encryption: Choose between the standard Enhanced encryption (encryption keys stored in the cloud) and End-to-end encryption (encryption keys stored on your local device) for your meeting.
    • Meeting ID
      • Generate Automatically: Generate a random unique meeting ID.
      • Personal Meeting ID*: Use your Personal Meeting ID.
    • Video
      • Host: Choose if you would like the host's video on or off when joining the meeting. Even if you choose off, the host will have the option to start their video.
      • Participants: Choose if you would like the participants' videos on or off when joining the meeting. Even if you choose off, the participants will have the option to start their video.
    • Audio*: Allow users to call in using Telephone only, Computer Audio only, Both, or 3rd Party Audio (if enabled for your account).
      • Dial in From: If Telephone or Both is enabled for this meeting, click Edit to select the dial-in countries to include in the invitation. By default, this includes your Global Dial-In Countries listed in your meeting settings.
    • Interpretation (only supported in Windows and macOS clients): Enable language interpretation (audio) and sign language interpretation (video) for the meeting. You also have the option to enter the email for the interpreter and their language or sign language they are interpreting, or you can assign it during the meeting.
    • Advanced Options: Click the arrow to view additional meeting options.
      • Mute participants on entry: If join before host is not enabled, this will mute participants as they join the meeting. Participants can unmute themselves after joining the meeting. 
        Note: To mute all participants currently in a meeting, see the options to manage participants.
      • Add image watermark that identifies the viewing participant: When a participant shares their screen during a meeting or webinar, the user’s email who is viewing the content will be patterned across the shared content, as well as on the video of the other visible participants. 
      • Allow participants to join before start time: Allow participants to join the meeting without you or before you join. If enabled, you can also choose how far in advance of the scheduled start time you wish them to be able to join: 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or Anytime.
        Note: The meeting will end after 40-minutes for Basic (free) users.
      • Request permission to unmute participants: Participants will be prompted to provide the host with consent to be unmuted at will by the host. If declined, the host will still have the option to Ask to unmute. 
      • Automatically record meeting: Select if you want to record Locally (to your computer) or In the cloud.
      • Enable focus mode when meeting starts: Automatically start the meeting with focus mode enabled, in order to provide fewer distractions to all meeting participants. This feature requires client version 5.9.0 or higher.
      • Enable additional data center regions for this meeting*
      • Approve or deny entry to users from certain regions and countries: Host can either allow only participants from specific countries/regions to join, or block all participants from specific countries/regions.
      • Schedule for*: If you have scheduling privilege for another user, you will be able to choose who you want to schedule for from the drop-down menu.
        Note: When you assign scheduling privileges to other users in the Zoom web portal, you can choose if these users can manage your meetings that are marked as private in Outlook or Google Calendar. If the users cannot manage private events, they cannot see the invite link (Zoom link), meeting topic, or attendee list.
      • Show in Public Event List: Add the meeting to a public calendar associated with your vanity URL.
      • Alternative hosts: Enter the email address of another Licensed Zoom user on your account to allow them to start the meeting in your absence. If enabled, you can also select the check box to Allow alternative hosts to add or edit polls. This feature requires Zoom client version 5.8.0 or higher.
  4. Click Save to finish, and open the selected calendar service to add the meeting.
    Note:

Web

  1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
  2. Click Meetings, and click Schedule a Meeting.
  3. Select the meeting options.  Note that some of these options might not be available if they were disabled and locked to the off position at the account or group level.
    • Topic: Enter a topic or name for your meeting.
    • Description: Enter an optional meeting description.
    • When: Select a date and time for your meeting. You can manually enter any time and press enter to select it. For example, you can enter 15 in the minutes field. 
    • Duration: Choose the approximate duration of the meeting. This is only for scheduling purposes. The meeting will not end after this length of time.
    • Time Zone: By default, Zoom will use the time zone set in your profile. Click the drop-down menu to select a different time zone.
    • Invitees: Enter the name(s) or email address(es) of users on your account that you want to invite to this meeting. 
      Note: This option only appears if you have Continuous Meeting Chat enabled in your settings. Continuous Meeting Chat can be disabled when scheduling individual meetings and the Invitees field still be used to invite other users on your account, but no dedicated meeting chat will be created. 
    • Recurring meeting: Select this checkbox if you want a recurring meeting (the meeting ID will remain the same for each session). This will open up additional recurrence options.
      • Recurrence: Select how often you need the meeting to recur: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or No Fixed Time. Meetings can recur up to 50 times, so if you need more than 50 recurrences, use the No Fixed Time option.
      • The other recurrence options will depend on how often the meeting recurs. You can configure the meeting to end after a set amount of occurrences or have the recurring meeting end on a specific date.
    • List this meeting in the Public Events List: Add the meeting to a public calendar associated with your vanity URL.
    • Registration: Check this option if your meeting will require registration. Instead of a join link for your participants, you will be provided a registration link. If registration is required and the meeting is reoccurring, choose one of these options:
      • Attendees register once and can attend any of the occurrences: Registrants can attend all of the occurrences. All dates and times of the meeting will be listed and the registrant will be registered for all occurrences.
      • Attendees need to register for each occurrence to attend: Registrants need to register separately for each occurrence to attend. They can only choose one date and time on the registrant page.
      • Attendees register once and can choose one or more occurrences to attend: Registrants register once and can choose one or more occurrences to attend. They will need to select which dates and times they would like to attend and they will only be registered for those occurrences. They can choose multiple options.
    • Template: Apply a meeting template.
    • Security
      • Passcode: Enter a meeting passcode. Joining participants will be required to input this before joining your scheduled meeting.
        Note: The meeting passcode must meet complexity requirements set by your admin.
      • Waiting Room: Enable Waiting Room for the meeting.
      • Require authentication to join: Restrict access to the meeting so that only signed-in users can join.
        Note: If you select Sign in to Zoom with specified domain, you can't add any domains that are included on the domain block list.
        • When scheduling a meeting with authentication required, hosts can add authentication exceptions and import a CSV file to bulk upload authentication exceptions using the participants’ names and email addresses. The added participants will receive unique meeting invite links and bypass authentication.
          • To add authentication exceptions:
            1. By Authentication Exception, click Add.
              The Authentication Exception pop-up window will appear.
            2. In the pop-up window, enter the participant's full name and email address.
            3. Click + Add Participant to add another participant.
            4. Click Save.
        • To bulk upload authentication exceptions:
          1. Click Import from CSV.
            A pop-up window will appear.
          2. In the pop-up window, click download to download the CSV template.
            Note: The CSV file format requires the participants' email and full name.
          3. In the pop-up window, click Import and select the CSV file that you want to upload.
          4. Click Save.
            The participants will appear in the Authentication Exception list.
          5. Click Save.
        • To edit authentication exceptions:
          1. By Authentication Exception, click Edit.
            The Authentication Exception pop-up window will appear.
          2. (Optional) In the pop-up window, to the right of a participant you want to remove, click the X button.
          3. (Optional) In the pop-up window, to the right of a participant you want to send a meeting invite, click the email button email-button.png.
          4. Click Save.
    • Encryption: Choose between the standard Enhanced encryption (encryption keys stored in the cloud) and End-to-end encryption (encryption keys stored on your local device) for your meeting.
      Note: Use of end-to-end encryption disables some features from being used. 
    • Schedule For*: If you have scheduling privilege for another user, you will be able to choose who you want to schedule for from the dropdown menu.
      Note: When you assign scheduling privileges to other users in the Zoom web portal, you can choose if these users can manage your meetings that are marked as private in Outlook or Google Calendar. If the users cannot manage private events, they cannot see the invite link, meeting topic, or attendee list.
    • Video
      • Host: Choose if you would like the host's video on or off when joining the meeting. Even if you choose off, the host will have the option to start their video.
      • Participants: Choose if you would like the participants' videos on or off when joining the meeting. Even if you choose off, the participants will have the option to start their video.
    • Audio*: Allow users to call in using Telephone only, Computer Audio only, Both, or 3rd Party Audio (if enabled for your account).
      • Dial in From: If Telephone or Both is enabled for this meeting, click Edit to select the dial-in countries to include in the invitation. By default, this includes your Global Dial-In Countries listed in your meeting settings.
    • Options (click Show to display the options)
      • Mute participants on entry: If join before host is not enabled, mute participants as they join the meeting. Participants can unmute themselves after joining the meeting. 
        Note: To mute all participants currently in a meeting, see the options to manage participants.
      • Add watermark that identifies the viewing participant: Superimpose an image, consisting of a portion of a meeting participant’s own email address, onto the shared content they are viewing and the video of the person who is sharing their screen. Your admin can enable this by default and prevent you from changing it.
      • Allow participants to join before start time: Allow participants to join the meeting without you or before you join. If enabled, you can also choose how far in advance of the scheduled start time you wish them to be able to join: 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or Anytime.
        Note: The meeting will end after 40-minutes for Basic (free) users.
      • Breakout Room pre-assign*: Pre-assign participants to breakout rooms.
      • Allow host to save video order: The host may save the arrangement as a custom seating chart.
      • Automatically record meeting: Select if you want to record On the local computer or In the cloud.
      • Enable focus mode when meeting starts: Automatically start the meeting with focus mode enabled, in order to provide fewer distractions to all meeting participants. This feature requires Zoom client version 5.9.0 or higher.
      • Enable additional data center regions for this meeting*
      • Approve or block entry to users from specific regions/countries: Allow users from specific regions to join your meetings; or block users from specific regions from joining your meetings. Users' region/country is determined by their IP address.
        Note: You change the default regions/countries in your web portal settings.
      • Alternative hosts: Enter the email address of another Licensed Zoom user on your account to allow them to start the meeting in your absence. If enabled, you can also select the check box to Allow alternative hosts to add or edit polls. This feature requires Zoom client version 5.8.0 or higher.
    • Interpretation (only supported in Windows and macOS clients)*: Enable language interpretation (audio) and sign language interpretation (video) for the meeting. You also have the option to enter the email for the interpreter and their language or sign language they are interpreting, or you can assign it during the meeting.
  4. Save to finish.

Android | iOS

  1. Sign in to the Zoom mobile app.
  2. On the Meetings  tab, tap Schedule .
  3. Select the meeting options. Some of these options might not be available if they were disabled and locked to the off position at the account or group level.
    • Topic: Enter a topic or name for your meeting.
    • Starts (date and time): Select a date and time for your meeting.
    • Duration: Choose the approximate duration of the meeting. This is only for scheduling purposes. The meeting will not end after this length of time.
    • Time Zone: By default, Zoom will use your device's time zone setting. To change the time zone, tap this field.
    • Repeat: Choose if you would like a recurring meeting (the same meeting ID for all occurrences), and select your recurrence pattern: Every Day, Every Week, Every 2 Weeks, Every Month, Every Year. 
    • Calendar: Select a calendar service to add the meeting and send out invites to participants.
    • Use Personal Meeting ID (PMI): Click the toggle to enable or disable it. Enable this setting if you want to use your Personal Meeting ID. When disabled, a random unique meeting ID will be generated.
    • Security
    • Meeting Options
      • Host Video On: Turn the host's video on or off when joining the meeting. Even if you choose off, the host will have the option to start their video.
      • Participant Video On: Turn the participants' videos on or off when joining the meeting. Even if you choose off, the participants will have the option to start their video.
      • Audio option
        • Pick your audio connection: Allow users to call in using Device audio only, Telephone only, Telephone and Device Audio, or 3rd Party Audio (if enabled for your account).
        • Select dial-in country*: Select dial-in numbers to display in the meeting invite. Tap and drag each country to re-arrange the order.
      • Allow Join Before Host: Allow participants to join your meeting before you. 
        Note: The meeting will end after 40-minutes for Basic (free) users.
      • Join Before the Meeting Start Time: If Join Before Host is enabled, you can set how far in advance of the scheduled start time you wish them to be able to join: 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or Anytime.
      • Request permission to unmute participants: Allows meeting attendees to choose if they wish the host to have pre-approved consent to unmute them. 
      • Automatically Record Meeting: Automatically record the meeting. 
      • Record location: Select if you want to record to Local Computer (to your computer) or to the Cloud.
      • Enable Focus Mode: Automatically start the meeting with focus mode enabled, in order to provide fewer distractions to all meeting participants. This feature requires mobile app version 5.9.0 or higher.
      • Add Watermark: Superimpose an image, consisting of a meeting participant’s email address, onto the shared content they are viewing and over their video in most video layouts (Speaker, Gallery, Side-by-side).
      • Additional Data Center Regions*
      • Approve or Block Entry for Users from Specific Countries/Regions: Host can either allow only participants from specific countries/regions to join or block all participants from specific countries/regions.
      • List in the Public Event List: Designate the meeting to be added to your account's calendar of public meetings and webinars
      • Schedule For*: If you have scheduling privilege for another user, you will be able to choose who you want to schedule for from the dropdown menu.
      • Alternative hosts: Select users in the same organization to allow them to start the meeting in your absence. If enabled, you can also select the check box to Allow alternative hosts to add or edit polls. This feature requires Zoom client version 5.8.0 or higher, and Android client version 5.8.3 or higher.
      • Language Interpretation: Enable language interpretation (audio) for the meeting.
      • Sign Language Interpretation: Enable sign language interpretation (video) for the meeting.
  4. Tap Done to finish scheduling.

Notes: