Enabling or disabling webinar chat

Account owners and admins can enable or disable webinar chat for all users, for specific groups, or for a specific user in the account. Disabling webinar chat prevents the host, co-hosts, panelists, and participants from chatting in any webinar. The Chat option will no longer appear in the webinar controls.

Requirements for enabling or disabling webinar chat

• Account owner or admin with privileges
• Zoom Workplace with Zoom Webinars or Zoom Webinar Plus add-on

How to enable or disable webinar chat

Enable or disable webinar chat for your account

Account owner or admin can enable or disable webinar chat for all users in their account, allowing attendees to send chat messages during webinars.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin with the privilege to edit account settings.
2. In the navigation menu, click Account Management, then Account Settings.
3. Click the Webinar tab.
4. Under In Webinar, click the Chat toggle to enable or disable it.
5. If a verification dialog appears, click Enable or Disable to verify the change.
6. Under the Panelists can chat with drop-down, choose if they can chat with Hosts and all panelists or Everyone (including attendees).
7. Under the Attendees can chat with drop-down, choose if they can chat with No one, Hosts and panelists, or Everyone (including other attendees).
8. Select the Allow panelists to send direct message to other panelists check box to enable the ability for panelists to privately chat with each other.
9. Select the Allow users to save chats from the webinar check box to enable the ability to save the chat transcript, then select which users can save the chats:
   • Host and co-hosts: Only the host and co-hosts can save the chat transcript.
   • Hosts and all panelists: The host, co-hosts, and panelists can save the chat transcript.
   • Everyone: All attendees in the webinar can save the chat transcript.
   • Only users in your account: Only internal users in your account can save webinar chats.
10. Select the Only users in your account can chat check box to allow only internal users in the account to use webinar chat. This applies regardless of whether the webinar is hosted by a regulated user’s organization or an external organization.
11. Click Save.
12. (Optional) To prevent all users in your account from changing this setting, click the lock icon , and then click Lock to confirm the setting.

Enable or disable webinar chat for a group

Account owner or admin can enable or disable webinar chat for a group of users in their account, allowing attendees to send chat messages during webinars.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin with the privilege to edit groups.
2. In the navigation menu, click User Management, then Groups.
3. Click the applicable group name from the list.
4. Click the Webinar tab.
5. Under In Webinar, click the Chat toggle to enable or disable it.
6. If a verification dialog appears, click Enable or Disable to verify the change.
   Note: If the option is grayed out, it has been locked at the account level and needs to be changed at that level.
7. Under the Panelists can chat with drop-down, choose if they can chat with Hosts and all panelists or Everyone (including attendees).
8. Under the Attendees can chat with drop-down, choose if they can chat with No one, Hosts and panelists, or Everyone (including other attendees).
9. Select the Allow panelists to send direct message to other panelists check box to enable the ability for panelists to privately chat with each other.
10. Select the Allow users to save chats from the webinar check box to enable the ability to save the chat transcript, then select which users can save the chats:
    • Host and co-hosts: Only the host and co-hosts can save the chat transcript.
    • Hosts and all panelists: The host, co-hosts, and panelists can save the chat transcript.
    • Everyone: All attendees in the webinar can save the chat transcript.
    • Only users in your account: Only internal users in your account can save webinar chats.
11. Select the Only users in your account can chat check box to allow only internal users in the account to use webinar chat. This applies regardless of whether the webinar is hosted by a regulated user’s organization or an external organization.
12. Click Save.
13. (Optional) To prevent users in the group from changing this setting, click the lock icon , and then click Lock to confirm the setting.

Enable or disable webinar chat for a user

Account owners or admins can enable or disable webinar chat for a specific user in their account, allowing attendees to send chat messages during webinars they host.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click User Management, then Users.
3. Click the Email/Name ID of the user, then click the Settings tab.
4. Click the Webinar.
5. Under In Webinar, click the Chat toggle to enable or disable it. If a verification dialog appears, click Enable or Disable to verify the change.
   Notes:
   • If you disable Webinar chat or Allow users to save chats from the webinar is OFF, the Webinar chat - Auto-save feature will also be disabled.
   • If the option is grayed out, it has been locked at either the group or account level and needs to be changed at that level.
6. Select one of the following for Panelists can chat with:
   • Everyone, to allow the panelists to chat with everyone.
   • Hosts and all panelists, to allow the panelists to chat with just the host and other panelists.
7. Select one of the following for Attendees can chat with:
   • Everyone, to allow attendees to chat with everyone.
   • Hosts and all panelists, to allow attendees to chat with just the host and other panelists.
   • No one, to prevent attendees from chatting with anyone.
8. Select Allow panelists to send direct messages to other panelists, to allow panelists to privately chat with each other.
9. Select one of the following under Allow users to copy and save chats from the webinar:
   • Host and co-hosts: Allow participants to save hosts and co-hosts chat communication on their computers.
   • Host and all panelists: Allow participants to save hosts and panelists chat communication on their computers.
   • Everyone: Allow participants to save everyone chat communication on their computers.
   • Only users in your account: Allow participants who belong to your account to save their chat communication on their computers.
10. Select Only users in your account can chat: Allow only participants from your account to chat during the webinar.
11. Click Save.