How to Host a Zoom Meeting: Set Up, Invite, Claim Host, & More
By Matt RedererUpdated on June 30, 2020
Now that you’ve created an account and have started using Zoom, you can create and host a meeting. You can choose to start your meetings immediately, or schedule them for an upcoming date as a meeting host. You can then invite other participants to your Zoom meeting.
We’ll break down instructions for the processes below so you can host meetings for yourself and others.
What is covered in this article
First, we’ll cover the basics of setting up a Zoom call, and then get into more details about how hosts can create and manage meetings.
How to host a Zoom meeting: set up the call
Starting a meeting as a host is extremely easy on any version of Zoom. We break down how to host a Zoom meeting below so that you can set up a meeting. Once we cover these basics, we’ll guide you through how to invite attendees.
Important
To host a meeting, you will need to have the Zoom app (desktop or mobile) installed and will need to have created a Zoom account. If you have been invited to join a meeting and have never installed the app before, you will be prompted when attempting to join the meeting.
With the app installed, you can follow the instructions below to host a meeting:
1. Open the Zoom app and click Sign In.
2. Log in using your email and password or an existing account, such as Google, Facebook, or SSO through your organization login.
3. Click the drop-down arrow to make meeting selections, such as whether the video will Start with video and whether you will use your Personal Meeting ID.
4. After making the selections, click New Meeting to start the new meeting as a host.
You’re all set. The meeting will start and you can now invite participants to join your meeting.
How to invite people to attend your Zoom meeting
After the host has set up a meeting, they will need to invite attendees. You can invite attendees during the meeting and for an upcoming, scheduled meeting. We break down how to do each below depending on whether you’ll be starting the meeting immediately or scheduling it for the future.
Across all versions of Zoom (desktop client, mobile app, and web portal), there are three main ways of inviting participants to your meeting.
- Copy Invitation – This button will copy the automated meeting invitation message that includes the URL invitation link, the meeting ID and password, and other meeting details.
- Invitation link – The URL link that will connect users to the meeting. This link can be clicked or copied and pasted into their browser’s address bar.
- Meeting ID & password – Each meeting has an associated meeting ID and password. From any version of Zoom, users seeking to join can input the meeting ID and password to access your meeting.
These can all be accessed slightly differently depending on the client or app you are using. We break down instructions for each platform below, and give you images to show you where your different invitation methods are located in the process.
Invite participants to Zoom through desktop client
1. Open and sign into the Zoom desktop client.
2. Click the Meetings menu button.
3. Click the meeting that you wish to invite participants to.
4. From the meeting screen, you can invite participants in a few different ways:
- Click Copy Invitation to copy the meeting invitation message to your clipboard.
- Highlight and copy the Join Zoom Meeting invitation link.
- Copy the Meeting ID and password.
5. Paste the invitation (either the invitation message, the URL link, or the meeting ID and password) in a third-party messaging service, such as an instant messaging service, an email, or a text message. Send the message for them to be able to receive the meeting invite.
Invite Zoom attendees through the mobile app
1. Open (and — if necessary — sign into) the Zoom app.
2. Access the meeting you wish to invite attendees to by clicking the Meetings menu button and then clicking the meeting.
3. Click Add Invitees.
4. From the Add Invitees screen, you can invite participants in a couple different ways:
- Click one of the available messaging apps to send an invitation message via a third-party application on your device.
- Click Copy to Clipboard to copy the invitation message to your device’s clipboard.
5. Either send the invitation via the third-party app you selected or open the messaging app you wish to send the invite in, paste the invitation message, and send the message to the invitee.
Use the web portal to invite people to Zoom
1. Go to Zoom.us and click Sign In.
2. Enter your email and password, and click Sign In; or click to select the other sign in methods, choosing between SSO (single-sign on through an organization), Google, or Facebook.
Important
If you choose one of the alternative sign in methods, you will need to sign in to those services before proceeding.
3. From the list of Upcoming Meetings, click the meeting that you wish to invite participants to.
4. From the meeting screen, you can invite participants in a few different ways:
- Click Copy Invitation to copy the meeting invitation message to your clipboard.
- Highlight and copy the Invite Link.
- Copy the Meeting ID and password.
5. Paste the invitation (either the invitation message, the URL link, or the meeting ID and password) in a third-party messaging service, such as an instant messaging service, an email, or a text message. Send the message for them to be able to receive the meeting invite.
How to invite participants during a Zoom meeting
Requirements: Zoom desktop client, Zoom mobile app, OR Zoom web portal; a third-party-messaging service (email, calendar app, instant messaging, text messaging).
With a meeting running, you can still invite participants. Simply start a Zoom meeting and follow the steps below to invite participants to your meeting depending on the method you prefer. Participants can be invited by:
1. While hosting a meeting, tap the Participants button to open the “Participants” window.
2. With the “Participants” sidebar open along the right side of the app, you can view meeting participants. Click Invite to invite more attendees.
Pro Tip
You can also simply click the small arrow next to the Participants button, and then Invite.
3. Click the Email tab.
4. Click the email service you want to use. You will need to sign in to the respective account you choose (such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail).
5. Zoom will use an automatically generated email invitation, that includes the meeting ID and password, the email link, and any other information about the meeting. Simply enter the email addresses of the people you wish to invite, and then send the email invitations off!
Contacts
Zoom lets you add and manage contacts within the app. You can interact with these contacts, inviting them to your meetings and using the chat function for direct messaging and file sharing. You can add contacts to Zoom and use this list to interact with users when you host a Zoom meeting.
1. While hosting a meeting, click the Participants button to open the “Participants” window.
2. With the “Participants” sidebar open along the right side of the app, you can view meeting participants. Click Invite to invite more attendees.
Pro Tip
You can also simply click the small arrow next to the Participants button, and then Invite.
3. Make sure the Contacts tab is clicked (it should be selected by default).
4. Click to select the contact(s) that you want to invite to the meeting.
5. Once you’ve chosen all of the people you want to invite from your contacts list, click Invite.
URL or invitation text
1. While hosting a meeting, click the Participants button to open the “Participants” window.
2. With the “Participants” sidebar open along the right side of the app, you can view meeting participants. Click Invite to invite more attendees.
Pro Tip
You can also simply click the small arrow next to the Participants button, and then Invite.
3. Click Copy Invite Link to copy the meeting URL to your clipboard. Anyone that receives this link can either click it or enter it into a browser address bar, connecting them to the meeting via the desktop client, mobile app, or browser version.
4. Use a third-party messaging service (text message, email, instant messaging service, etc.) to send the invitation link to people you want to join the meeting.
How to invite participants during a meeting on mobile devices (Android and iOS)
Mobile versions of the app are designed to be almost identical. There will be small differences between iOS and Android. Our example uses Android images and buttons, so some buttons may be named slightly different, but the general process will be the same on both versions.
Follow the instructions below to invite participants during a meeting on mobile:
1. While hosting a Zoom meeting on your mobile device, tap Participants using the bottom menu.
2. From the Participants screen, tap Invite in the bottom left corner.
3. From the Invite screen, there are two ways to invite attendees:
- Click to select the third-party method you want to use to invite participants. From here, you will need to follow the instructions specific to that app to complete the process. In most cases, this involves signing in to the third party app, adding contacts, and sending the automated invitation.
- Click Copy Invite Link to copy the invitation link to your device clipboard. You can then paste this message into any third-party application and send the message to invite participants.
How to use a host key for your Zoom Meeting
A Zoom meeting host key is a 6-digit number that can be used by a meeting participant to claim host controls. The Zoom host key can be viewed and edited from the “Profile” page of your account. A host key is applied to any meeting you schedule so that someone can claim host controls and manage the meeting administration.
Pro Tip
Admins can change advanced security settings and restrict other users’ ability to change their host key.
A Zoom meeting host has full permissions to manage the meeting. The host is the user that scheduled the meeting, although another person can claim host privileges in some scenarios. There can only be one meeting host at a time.
A Zoom meeting co-host has access to most of the host meeting controls, allowing them to manage the meeting. A co-host must be assigned by the host during a meeting. Co-hosts cannot start a meeting. To start a meeting in the hosts absence, hosts can assign an alternative host.
Claim host using the host key
If you join a meeting and there is no host, you can claim host controls using the host key. This can be great for meetings where participants can join before the host, to ensure a secure and safe meeting environment.
The Zoom host key can be used to claim host privileges in the following situations:
- After beginning a PSTN-only personal audio conference (PAC) meeting
- After joining a meeting using a phone or an H.323 device
- After joining a meeting using the Zoom client with the join before host feature enabled
- After joining a scheduled meeting in a Zoom Room, by entering the Meeting ID or personal meeting link in the Zoom Room controller
- After joining a meeting using the meeting list from a Zoom Room. When multiple Zoom Rooms join a meeting, the first one to join is set as the meeting host. Host can be claimed by using the host key
Follow the steps below to claim the role of host when you join a meeting with the “Join before Host” setting enabled:
1. Join the meeting.
2. Click Participants.
3. Click the three dots in the bottom right corner of the “Participants” window to access more options.
4. Click Claim Host.
5. Enter the meeting host’s Host Key.
Important
The Zoom host key associated with a meeting is the host key that is required to claim host controls for that meeting. So you need to enter the host key of the person who is the creator (and original host) of that meeting; entering your own host key will not grant you host privileges.
6. Click the Claim Host button when it appears.
You’re all set. After your host key has been verified, you will be assigned as the meeting host and will gain access to host controls.
How to customize your host key
A host key is essentially a safety feature for controlling meetings and managing participant actions. If someone has gained access to your host key, or you suspect your host key has been used without your permission, you may want to change your key.
You may also simply want to change your host key to a sequence you can remember easily. However, be careful not to make the host key too simple for other people to guess (e.g. 123456 is not a very secure host key).
Since someone would require your host key to claim a host position, you may want to change your host key after someone has used it if you don’t want that person to be able to claim host at any time. For example, if you have someone who regularly hosts meetings that you have scheduled, you could leave the host key as is so they can easily do this when you need. However, if you are asking someone to take over as host just once, and you don’t want them to be able to do this repeatedly, you may want to change your host key.
Follow the instructions below to customize your host key:
1. Sign into Zoom using the web portal.
2. From the navigation panel on the left sidebar, click Profile.
3. Scroll down to the “Host Key” section.
Pro Tip
By default, your host key will be hidden. Click Show to display your host key.
4. Click Edit to make changes to your host key.
5. Input a unique host key, and click Save to confirm it.
Now you’re prepared to host a Zoom meeting and will be able to claim host in the absence of a host. To make sure you are prepared to run your Zoom meeting, learn how to use Zoom and the main meeting controls that will be available to you as a host.
As a meeting host, you can set up meetings, schedule meetings for the future, and invite participants. You also have additional security and administrative controls to manage the meeting and keep it safe for all participants.