Chatting in a Zoom webinar


The chat feature allows webinar attendees, the host, co-hosts, and panelists to communicate for the duration of the webinar. As the host, you can choose who panelists and attendees can chat with. Account owners and admins can disable webinar chat entirely. Each user can choose in settings to view each participant's profile photo in chat, or their initials if they have no profile photo.

Note: If you see a prompt that your message has triggered a Chat Etiquette policy, you are either warned or blocked from sending the message based on what your account admin has configured. The Chat Etiquette Tool does not send additional message information, like data, metadata, and event information, to the account admin, to Zoom, or to any 3rd party services, whether the message triggers Chat Etiquette policies or not.

This article covers:

Prerequisites for in-webinar chat

How to chat in Zoom Webinars on desktop

How to manage chat settings

If you're the webinar host, you can change the in-webinar chat settings. 

  1. In the webinar controls toolbar, click Chat. 
  2. Towards the bottom of the in-meeting Chat window, click more-button (More).
  3. You can access the following options:
    • Save chat: Save all chat messages in a TXT file. Saved to the same location as local recording files. 
    • Panelists Can Chat With:
      • Hosts and panelists: Panelists can only chat with hosts and other panelists. They can't chat with attendees.
      • Everyone: Panelists can chat with everyone in the webinar, including attendees.
    • Attendees Can Chat With:
      • No one: Attendees can't chat with anyone. 
      • Hosts and panelists: Attendees can only chat with hosts and panelists.
      • Everyone: Attendees can chat with everyone in the webinar, including other attendees.

Zoom Webinars chat for the host and panelists

  1. In the webinar controls toolbar, click Chat.  
    The chat window will open on the right side of your screen if you are not in full screen mode. If you are full screen mode, it will open in a window that you can move around your screen.
  2. Click on the drop-down next to To: to change who you are sending this message to. As the host or a panelist, you can send a message to the host and other panelists, all attendees and panelists, or an individual panelist.
    Note: If you receive a message when you do not have the chat window open, you will receive a notification at the bottom of your screen.
  3. Type your message into the chat window. 
  4. (Optional) Click Emoji to open the emoji panel. Search for a specific emoji or scroll through the list.
    Note: You can also easily add emojis to the message by typing : and at least two characters to find matching emojis to be included. For example, :jo will provide the :joy:, :joy_cat:, and :joystick: emojis. This requires version 5.8.0 for macOS and Windows. 
  5. (Optional) Click File to send a file in chat, if enabled by the host. 
  6. Press Enter to send your message.

Zoom Webinars chat for attendees

As an attendee in the webinar, you can chat with other attendees or panelists (including the host), depending on what chat permissions the webinar host has allowed. However, you can't privately chat with other attendees. Learn more about attendee controls in a webinar.

  1. In the webinar controls toolbar, click Chat.  
    When you click on chat, the chat window will appear. It will be on the right if you are not in full screen. If you are in full screen, it will appear in a window that you can move around your screen.
  2. Tap on the drop down next to To: to change who you are sending this message to. As an attendee, you can send a message to the host and other panelists, or all attendees and panelists. 
    Note: If you receive a message when you do not have the chat window open, you will receive a notification at the bottom of your screen.
  3. Type your message into the chat window.
  4. (Optional) Click Emoji to open the emoji panel. Search for a specific emoji or scroll through the list. 
    Note: You can also easily add emojis to the message by typing : and at least two characters to find matching emojis to be included. For example, :jo will provide the :joy:, :joy_cat:, and :joystick: emojis. This requires version 5.8.0 for macOS and Windows. 
  5. Press Enter to send your message.

If the host has disabled Attendee chat, you will still be able to view messages sent by the host and other panelists.

How to chat in Zoom Webinars on mobile

Android | iOS

Zoom Webinars chat for the host and panelists

  1. While in a webinar, tap More.
  2. Tap Chat.
  3. Tap the drop-down next to Send to: to change who you are sending this message to. As a panelist, you can send a message to all panelists, all attendees and panelists, or an individual.
  4. Type your message into the chat window. 
  5. (Optional) Tap to open the emoji panel. Search for a specific emoji or scroll through the list.
  6. Tap Send to send your message.

Zoom Webinars chat for attendees

As an attendee in the webinar, you can chat with other attendees or panelists (including the host), depending on what chat permissions the webinar host has allowed. Learn more about attendee controls in a webinar.

  1. While in a webinar, tap Chat.
  2. Tap the drop-down next to Send to: to change who you are sending this message to. As an attendee, you can send a message to the host and all panelists, or all attendees and panelists.
  3. Type your message into the chat window.
  4. (Optional) Tap Emoji to open the emoji panel. Search for a specific emoji or scroll through the list. 
  5. Tap Send to send your message.

If the host has disabled chat for attendees, you will still be able to view messages sent by the host and other panelists.

How to chat in Zoom Webinars on the web client

Web client

How to manage chat settings

If you're the webinar host, you can change the in-webinar chat settings.

  1. In the webinar controls toolbar, click Chat.
  2. Click the ellipses icon to display in-webinar chat settings.
  3. You can access the following options:
    • Panelists Can Chat With:
      • Hosts and panelists: Panelists can only chat with hosts and other panelists. They can't chat with attendees.
      • Everyone: Panelists can chat with everyone in the webinar, including attendees.
    • Attendees Can Chat With:
      • No one: Attendees can't chat with anyone. 
      • Hosts and panelists: Attendees can only chat with hosts and panelists.
      • Everyone: Attendees can chat with everyone in the webinar, including other attendees.

Zoom Webinars chat for the host and panelists

  1. In the webinar controls toolbar, click Chat.
    The chat window will open on the right side of your screen.
  2. Click the drop-down next to To: to change who you are sending this message to. As the host or a panelist, you can send a message to the host and all panelists or all attendees and panelists.
    Note: If you receive a message when you do not have the chat window open, you will receive a notification at the bottom of your screen.
  3. Type your message into the chat window. 
  4. Press Enter to send your message.

Zoom Webinars chat for attendees

As an attendee in the webinar, you can chat with other attendees or panelists (including the host), depending on what chat permissions the webinar host has allowed. Learn more about attendee controls in a webinar.

  1. In the webinar controls toolbar, click Chat.  
    The chat window will open on the right side of your screen.
  2. Tap the drop-down next to To: to change who you are sending this message to. As an attendee, you can send a message to the host and other panelists, or all attendees and panelists. 
    Note: If you receive a message when you do not have the chat window open, you will receive a notification at the bottom of your screen.
  3. Type your message into the chat window.
  4. Press Enter to send your message.

If the host has disabled chat for attendees, you will still be able to view messages sent by the host and other panelists.