Tips for Zoom Video Conferences

Hide Nonvideo Participants

When you are on a call with a lot of participants, it can get cluttered and distracting, especially if some don’t have their cameras on. Hide participants who aren’t using video. Go to Settings > Video > Meetings, then check Hide nonvideo participants.

Share your Screen

Share your screen with other meeting participants. Click on the Share Screen icon on the bottom toolbar. You can share your entire desktop or just one of your open windows. Click the red Stop Share button at the top when you are done sharing.

Turn on Beauty Filter

Use Zoom’s beauty filter to smooth your appearance and help you look well-rested. To turn this feature on, click the up arrow next to Start Video. Click Video Settings and under My Video, check the box for Touch Up My Appearance.

Record Meetings to Computer or Cloud

To enable recording, go to Settings > Recording, and toggle it on. When you are hosting a meeting, click the Record icon on the bottom toolbar. Recorded files can be uploaded to a file storage service (Google Drive, Dropbox) or a video streaming service (YouTube, Vimeo).

If you have one of Zoom’s paid plans, you can take a recording that will save directly to the cloud of your computer. Tap the Record button and you’ll have the option to make it local or in the cloud.

Host Group meetings Longer than 20 Minutes

One-on-one meetings are unlimited in time, but on Zoom’s free basic tier, group meetings can only last up to 40 minutes. Upgrade to a paid account to have unlimited group time.

Host more than 100 People

Upgrade to a paid professional account if you want to host a group of 100+ people. You can also host up to 1,000 people with the Enterprise Plus account.

Change Your Background

Use a virtual background during your next Zoom meeting! Go to Settings > Virtual Background and select or upload the image you want as your background. If you are a PRMG employee, check out the PRMG themed backgrounds on the PRMG Marketing Portal.

Mute Audio and Turn off Video

Enter a meeting without worrying about your coworkers seeing or hearing you or your home surroundings. Go to Settings > Audio > Mute Microphone and Settings > Video > Turn Off My Video when joining a meeting.

Spacebar Mute/Unmute

When you are called on to speak, don’t scramble to find and click the microphone button. Simply press and hold the spacebar to quickly mute and unmute yourself!

On-Screen Emoji React

If you’re muted, you can still communicate using emojis. Send a thumbs up or clapping emoji without interrupting the meeting. Click on the Reactions tab at the bottom of the screen and choose the reaction you want. The emoji will disappear after 5 seconds.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Zoom has a ton of keyboard shortcuts to help you navigate without clicking around on the screen or using your mouse. Visit Zoom’s support site for a full list of shortcuts.

Turn on Gallery View

Gallery View lets you see everyone in the meeting at once instead of just the person speaking. Click on the Gallery View tab in the right corner to turn this feature on.