How to Use Zoom on Your PC and Mobile Phone

Video conferencing software company, Zoom seems to be having its moment amid the pandemic. The number of organizations utilizing Zoom as its online meetings platform is on the rise. 

The covid 19 pandemic has forced people to stay indoors and work from their homes. Amid social distancing norms companies are taking the help of online video conferencing platforms to conduct important meetings within their organisation to get work done. Schools and other educational institutions have also employed similar solutions to conduct classes for their students. 

One among the popular video conferencing platforms gaining immense popularity is Zoom. This is a favorite platform for many business organizations to conduct their daily briefs and meetings. Zoom helps to stay in touch with colleagues and classmates to complete work remotely.

It looks like the video conferencing software company is having its big break during the pandemic. The popularity that it has amassed can be attributed to two main features of its platform; 40 minute conference calls with up to 100 participants and an intuitive interface. 

Zoom can be used by both mobile and desktop users. Attendees can also connect to the Zoom meeting hosts directly from a Web browser. While the platform is user-friendly, the interface and basic functions differ between the desktop and the mobile version. 

If you are using Zoom on either your desktop or on your mobile and are confused on how to use the features of the app, here are steps to follow that will guide you through the interface. 

How to Use Zoom On Your PC From Your Web Browser?

Follow these instructions if you want to join or host a meeting on Zoom from your PC. 

Step 1 –  Click open the browser on your Mac or PC. Go to the Zoom website and create an account. After creating an account click on “My Account” to view your account details.

Step 2 – Once you create an account you can schedule, join, or host a meeting. These options are present at the top of the screen. 

Step 3 – When you click on one of these three options you will be prompted to either set up or join a video call online. To join a call, you will need the Meeting ID or name which is usually sent to the participants by the host of the meeting. In case you are the host don’t forget to send the Meeting ID to your colleagues. 

Other Functions:

If you want to add more details to your profile head to the left panel of the webpage. Here you will find several options including profile where you can change your profile picture, edit your email or password. 

Below the profile tab, there will be a summary of your meetings. Here you have options to start or delete meetings that you scheduled and review previous meetings. Other tabs on the left panel of the webpage include webinars, recordings, and your settings. The webinar feature will only be enabled if you pay for an account.

You can upgrade your account under “Billing, to Pro, Business, or Enterprise. This option is found towards the bottom of the left panel. Also found at the bottom of the left panel are advanced settings where you can manage users and rooms. 

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How to Use Zoom Desktop App?

If you downloaded the desktop app, you will find that these options are more organized in a simple and easy to read layout. Follow these instructions to work your way around the desktop app. 

Step 1 – Once you download the app from Playstore, click open the app. The app is organized into four main tabs at the top of the screen namely; Home, Chat, Meetings, and Contacts.

Step 2 –  The Home tab gives you the option to start a new meeting, join a current meeting, schedule a future call, or share your screen. Your scheduled meetings for the future will appear as a checklist on the right hand side. 

In case you want to make some quick changes to your profile, click on your profile picture located on the top right corner. This will open a dropdown menu where you can make quick changes to your availability and profile.

Other Functions:

Next to the Home button lies the Chat tab that tracks any conversations you have with your contacts. You can mark your favorite conversations for easy access or for a quick browse through important ones. 

The “Meetings” tab shows a summary of any upcoming meetings mentioning the date. You can click on the plus sign located at the top to schedule a new meeting. Click on the Upcoming tab to view, start, edit, and delete scheduled meetings. You get your Meeting ID when you view a meeting. Below the Meeting ID is an option to show the meeting invitation sent to any invitees.

The last tab is the “Contacts” tab that monitors your contact list. This tab contains the information of the colleagues and classmates you add to the platform. You can view contact information by browsing through categories on the left hand side: starred, external, and cloud contacts. Click the plus sign to add a new contact.

How To Use Zoom On Your Mobile?

The mobile version of the Zoom app offers a simplified version of the online Zoom platform. Like the desktop app, there are four main tabs found at the bottom: Meet & Chat, Meetings, Contacts, and Settings. 

Meet & Chat is where you will find all the main options. The main options are found at the top: New Meeting, Join, Schedule, and Share Screen. At the bottom of the page you will see recent call and chat history. Contact tab allows you to chat with any contact or notifies you of any new request. Tap the star icon in the top left corner to view your favorites and the pencil icon on the top right corner to create a new message.

Similar to the desktop app the Meetings tab shows a list of upcoming meetings. You can also start a call, send an invitation, or edit a current event at the top of the page, same functions as the desktop version. 

Contacts also look extremely similar to the desktop version and lists favorites and other contacts in your company directory. Tap the plus symbol in the top-right corner to open a pop-up menu to add a contact, create a new channel, or join a public one.  If you are looking to replace your old phone with a new cellphone featuring good audio and video quality, browse through the smartphone section of Chinavasion.

Zoom also has in-meeting controls to control various aspects of a Zoom meeting, such as managing the participants. Once you have started or joined a meeting, you can access the meeting controls located at the bottom of the meeting window. In case you are new to using Zoom you can join a test meeting to familiarize yourself with meeting controls before joining a scheduled meeting.

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