Due to security policies or other requirements, account admins may want to limit access to certain Zoom Apps or disable access entirely. Understanding these concerns, Zoom has provided multiple methods of controlling access to Zoom Apps, including account- and group-level disablement, admin pre-approval of specific Zoom Apps, as well as MSI, plist, and GPO options to limit access on the desktop client directly.

This article provides details on the default access to Zoom Apps, how to enable Zoom Apps for use within the Zoom desktop client, and how to approve Zoom Apps for use. After initial deployment is done, learn more about admin management of the Zoom App Marketplace.

Learn more about the security review process that all apps must undergo and pass before being released to the Marketplace.

This article covers:

• Default Zoom Apps access
• How to control Zoom Apps visibility on the Zoom desktop client and mobile app
• How to require admin approval of apps
• How to add apps as an admin on behalf of users

Prerequisites for admin management of Zoom Apps

• Account owner or admin privileges

Default Zoom Apps access

There are no account requirements to access and use Zoom Apps, but there are a few settings that can be configured to suit your account’s security and privacy needs. If account admins allow the Zoom Apps button to be visible and pre-approval of Marketplace apps has been disabled, users can see the Zoom Apps button in the desktop client and are able to install apps immediately from within the desktop client or Marketplace.

For single-user accounts (free or paid), Zoom Apps are enabled and visible in the desktop client, and pre-approval of Marketplace apps is not required since there are no other users to pre-approve for. When additional users are added to the account, the owner will be reminded that their users can install Zoom Apps and that pre-approval is disabled; they – as with owners of new multi-user accounts – are guided to manage that setting for their account. Existing multi-user accounts have Zoom Apps enabled and visible in the desktop client by default, while pre-approval of Marketplace apps is required in Marketplace settings.

Note: Some larger accounts deviate from these defaults for security and/or compliance reasons. Zoom has already communicated these defaults to owners and admins of those accounts.

How to control Zoom Apps visibility on the Zoom desktop client and mobile app

Access to the Zoom Apps button on the desktop client and mobile app can be controlled at the account, group, and user levels. Learn more about controlling visibility of the Zoom Apps button.

As this will only affect users when they are signed-in to your account, if you require Zoom Apps to be disabled on the desktop client and mobile app directly, regardless of which account they are signed-in to, please refer to the DisableZoomApps option available for MSI, plist, GPO, Zoom for Intune (iOS), and Zoom for Android (Intune) deployment.

How to require admin approval of apps

By default for most accounts, admin approval of any Marketplace apps is required before an app can be added by a user. If you do not want to require that apps be admin approved, or want to adjust which apps require admin approval, you can change your permissions.

1. Sign in to Zoom App Marketplace as an account owner or admin.
2. In the top-right corner of the Marketplace, click Manage.
3. In the Admin App Management section, click Permissions.
   Here you will find 2 categories of apps that admins can require their approval before user install:
   • Publicly listed apps: These are apps that have been submitted to the App Marketplace, undergone and passed the security review, and are now available for any and all accounts to use.
   • Unlisted apps. These apps include specific apps developed by and intended for your organization, as well as third-party developed apps that require special access to use during Beta.

     Additionally, for both of these categories, admins can choose to exclude apps developed by Zoom or apps developed by one of their users from requiring admin approval before users can add them.

Notes:

• If admin approval of Zoom Apps is disabled, users on your account will be notified of the updated permissions to use Zoom Apps.
• If admin approval of Zoom Apps is enabled, an email notification will be sent out to all users in your account.

Learn more about how admins approve apps and other admin management of the App Marketplace.

How to add apps as an admin on behalf of users

In addition to approving apps for their users to individually add as needed, admins can also add apps for users, essentially installing and authenticating these apps on their behalf. This allows admins to provide their users with pre-chosen and pre-installed apps, making their users’ workflows more connected and efficient.

Admins can add any user-level app on behalf of the entire account, user groups, and individual users. 

1. Sign in to the Zoom App Marketplace as an admin or owner.
2. Search for the app you want to add for users on your account.
3. To the right of the app name, click Add for Others.
   The app authorization page is displayed, providing details on required app permissions.
4. At the top of the page under the As an admin, add __ for section, choose one of the following options:
   • All users: Add this app for all users on your account.
   • Users & Groups: Search for and select one or more users or user groups on your account to add this app for.
5. (Optional) Deselect the Send email notifications to users I’ve added checkbox to prevent Zoom from sending an email notification to the users you are adding the app for. By default, this option is selected.
6. Click Allow to authorize the app for the selected user(s) and/or user group(s).
   Once added, users will see a notification in the desktop client and potentially receive an email notification from Zoom.

Learn more about adding apps as an admin.