Installing Zoom | Create an account | Schedule a meeting | Assign roles | Breakout rooms

Installing Zoom

Visit the Zoom download page.
If your system is 64-bit, click the blue "Download" button.
- If your system is 32-bit, click the blue "Download 32-bit client" link directly below the 64-bit option.
Once "Zoominstaller.exe" has been downloaded, click and run the installer.
Zoom will automatically open once it has finished installing. "Join meeting" allows one to join a meeting without a Zoom account. "Sign in" allows for one to sign into an existing Zoom account.

Create an account

The University of Waterloo has its own Zoom license with features otherwise unavailable to free users.

Faculty, staff, and students can create an account by going to the University's Zoom page, clicking "Sign In", and logging in with their userid@uwaterloo.ca credentials.

Schedule a meeting

Via Zoom app on desktop

Sign in to Zoom.
Click "Schedule". It appears as a calendar symbol.
A new page will appear that allows one to change the settings of the meeting to what is desired. Some of the noteworthy options are:
- Topic: This is the name of the meeting that attendees will see.
- Date & Time: Enter the start and end times, as well as the Timezone and whether this meeting is a reccuring one or not.
- Security
  - Passcode: Choose whether attendees need a password to attend or not. If so, the password can be chosen here.
- Calendar: Allows one to choose where the Zoom meeting will be scheduled.
  - Outlook: Allows one to send Zoom invitations via Outlook. Availible for Windows computers.
  - iCal: Allows one to send Zoom invitations via iCal. Availible for Mac computers.
  - Other Calendars: Open a new window where the meeting information can be copied and pasted anywhere by the user.
Click "Save" to complete the scheduling of the meeting.

The Zoom meeting is accessible by a Zoom URL in the meeting information. Using "Calendar" allows one to send invitations containing this URL to attendees. It can be done through Outlook, iCal, and other calendar applications. Additionally, it can be copy and pasted if necessary.

Via Zoom online

Sign in to Zoom on the University's Zoom page.
Click "Meetings" and then "Schedule a meeting".
A new page will appear that allows one to change the settings of the meeting to what is desired. Some of the noteworthy options are:
- Topic: This is the name of the meeting that attendees will see.
- Date & Time: Enter the start and end times, as well as the Timezone and whether this meeting is a reccuring one or not.
- Security
  - Passcode: Choose whether attendees need a password to attend or not. If so, the password can be chosen here.
- Calendar: Allows one to choose where the Zoom meeting will be scheduled.
  - Outlook: Allows one to send Zoom invitations via Outlook. Availible for Windows computers.
  - iCal: Allows one to send Zoom invitations via iCal. Availible for Mac computers.
  - Other Calendars: Open a new window where the meeting information can be copied and pasted anywhere by the user.
Click "Save" to complete the scheduling of the meeting.

Via Outlook

Ensure that Microsoft 365 (which includes outlook) is installed on your computer.
Download "Zoom plugin for Microsoft Outlook" from the Zoom website.
Run the .msi installer and follow the instructions laid out within it.
Upon opening the Outlook desktop app, go to the calendar section. "Schedule a meeting" and "Start instant meeting" will be availible options in the toolbar at the top of the screen. Click them and fill in the desired information to set up a Zoom meeting.

Assign roles

Alternate hosts | Co-hosts

Alternate hosts

The alternative host can start the meeting on the host's behalf. This user will receive an email notifying them that they've been added as an alternative host, with a link to start the meeting. If this email notification is disabled in the Zoom web portal, the alternative host will not receive an email to start the meeting. In order to assign an attendee as an alternate host, do the following:

Assign alternate host on the desktop client

Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
Click the Schedule icon.
Click Advanced Options.
In the Alternative Host field, enter the alternative name to search through users. The alternate host's email adress can also be entered.
Click Schedule to finish, and open up the calendar you have selected.
The alternative host will now receive an email letting them know that they have been added as an alternative host, as long as they have not disabled this email notification in the Zoom web portal.

Assign alternate host in browser

Sign in to the University's Zoom portal.
Click Meetings, and select Schedule A Meeting.
In the Alternative Host field, enter the alternative host's email address.
(Optional) Select the check box to enable Allow alternative hosts to add or edit polls.
Click Save to finish.
The alternative host will now receive an email letting them know that they have been added as an alternative host, as long as they have not disabled this email notification in the Zoom web portal.

Co-hosts

The co-host can manage the administrative side of the meeting, such as managing participants or starting/stopping the recording. The host is the only user who can assign a co-host.

An attendee can only be made a co-host during a meeting. The role cannot be assigned beforehand.

Click "Participants" in the meeting controls panel at the bottom of the screen.
Hover over the name of the participant who is going to be a co-host, and click "More".
Click "Make Co-Host".

Breakout rooms

During a meeting

While inside of a Zoom meeting:

Click "Breakout Rooms".
Select the number of rooms you would like to create and how you would like to assign your attendees to those rooms:
- Automatically: Let Zoom split your participants up evenly into each of the rooms.
- Manually: Choose which participants you would like in each room.
- Let participants choose room: Participants can select and enter rooms on their own.
Click Create Breakout Rooms.
Your rooms will be created, but will not start automatically.
Click "Options" if using Windows, or the gear icon if using Mac. This pulls up the breakout room options.
Enable any desired options, such as automatically closing breakout rooms after a pre-determined time or allowing attendees to return to the main meeting room at any time that they desire.
If the manual option for room assignment was chosen: Click "Assign" next to the breakout room that you wish to assign attendees to and then select the attendees that you want sent to that room.
Click "Open All Rooms" to begin the breakout room session.

Before a meeting

In order to assign attendees to breakout rooms before the meeting begins, one must enable it in the settings.

Sign in to the University's Zoom portal.
Click "Settings" on the left side of the screen.
Click "In Meeting (Advanced)" and scroll down to "Breakout room".
Check the checkbox beside "Allow host to assign participants to breakout rooms when scheduling".
Click "Save".

Now that setting up breakout rooms before a meeting is enabled, the following is how to assign an attendee before the meeting starts:

Click "Meetings" and then click "Schedule a meeting".
Fill out the meeting information, attendees, and settings as one usually would.
Click "Show" at the bottom beside "Options" and then check the checkbox beside "Breakout Room pre-assign".
Click "Create rooms". The little plus sign beside "Rooms" on the next page allows one to add another room every time it is clicked.
In the "Add participants" bar, enter the email address of the attendee and click it to add them to the room.
When finished, click "Save" to go back to the "Schedule a meeting" creation page.