The host starts and ends a session and has access to all functionalities required to make a session run as smoothly as possible. Read more about the roles in Zoom in the following manual: Which roles exist in Zoom?
Set up a virtual background
You can opt to add a Virtual Background during your meeting - this means you can chooe your own background, for example a classroom or a rainforest.
- Click the arrow behind Stop/Start Video.
- Click Choose Virtual Background.
- You can then choose one of Zoom's default backgrounds, or upload one of your own. The option Blur makes your own background blurry.
The next time you access Zoom, the image you have selected last time will be visible.
Zoom functionalities
Start and stop video and audio
- Use Mute to turn off your own audio. You can use Mute if someone else is talking;
- Use Stop Video to turn off your own camera. Instead of yourself you will now see your name on a black screen;
- In this example the Gallery View is turned on. By clicking Speaker View the speaker will be enlarged, as shown below:
- By clicking Gallery View all cameras will reappear.
The Zoom menu bar
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Security:
- Lock Meeting: If you choose Lock Meeting no one else can participate.
- Enable Waiting Room: Put new participants in the waiting room. Read the manual Put participants in the waiting room for more information.
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Allow Participants to:
- Share Screen: Participants can share their screen.
- Chat: Participants can send messages in the chat.
- Rename Themselves: Participants can change their screen name.
- Unmute Themselves: Participants can turn their own audio on and off. If this feature is turned off then the host is the only one who can unmute participants.
- Remove Participant...: remove participants.
- Suspend Participant Activities : This button allows you to stop all activities from all participants at once. Microphones and webcams will be disabled, screen sharing stops, the breakout rooms are ended, and the recording will be paused.
- Report...: Use report when you want to report a participants, for example if they are not invited, or if they share unsuitable videos or screens.
- Participants: On the right side of the screen an overview of the participants will appear. Read more about managing your participants in the manual How do I manage the participants in my meeting?
- Chat: The chat will appear on the right side of the screen. Here you can send messages to everyone or to specific participants.
- Share Screen: Choose the screen you want to share with the other participants. Read more about sharing your screen in the manual How do I share my screen?
- Breakout Rooms: With Breakout Rooms you can divide the participants into groups. Each group then gets their own 'room'. Read more about using Breakout Rooms in the manual How do I use and manage Breakout rooms?
- Reaction: Give a reaction without saying anything, for example by giving a thumbs up. Read more about using reactions in the manual How do I use the chat and reactions?