How to join a Zoom meeting

Once you’ve installed and signed in to Zoom, you should see the Welcome screen pictured below.

There are three ways you can join a Zoom meeting:

• Use the meeting link (recommended)
• Use the meeting ID number
• Call in from your phone

The most common way to join a Zoom meeting is by clicking on the meeting link from the email or calendar invitation you received. We recommend that you use this method, as it is the easiest and fastest way to join a Zoom meeting.

If you have not installed the Zoom app on your device, you may join from your web browser (Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, or Mozilla Firefox). You’ll still need to use either the meeting link or the meeting ID number to join from your browser; the difference is your meeting will open in a browser window rather than in the Zoom app. Please note there may be limitations if you join this way, such as being unable to share your screen.

If you do not have a Zoom account, you may call in from your phone. However, this method of joining is not recommended unless absolutely necessary, as you will not be able to view the meeting host’s screen when they are presenting, and the audio quality tends to be worse when calling in via phone.

Join via meeting link

1. Open your email invitation or calendar appointment and locate the meeting link under “Join Zoom Meeting.”

2. Click the meeting link to open it, or right-click to copy the hyperlink and then paste it into your web browser.
3. If you receive a prompt that asks if you want to open the Zoom Meetings application, select Open Zoom Meetings. (Optionally, you may also select the checkbox to “Always allow zoom.us to open links of this type in the associated app.” If you check the box, you will not receive this prompt the next time you try to join a Zoom meeting.)

4. Wait for the Zoom meeting window to load.

5. A pop-up window will appear with audio options. Select Join with Computer Audio. (Optionally, you may also select the checkbox to “Automatically join audio by computer when joining.” If you check the box, you will not receive this prompt the next time you try to join a Zoom meeting.)

• If you are joining on a smartphone rather than a computer, you will be prompted to select either Wifi or Dial in audio. We recommend that you select Wifi if you have a stable internet connection (can be wireless internet or cellular data).

6. Once you’ve selected an audio option, your Zoom meeting screen will appear.

7. Locate the camera and microphone buttons in the lower-left corner of your screen. If you see a red diagonal line across both icons, this means your video and audio are turned off.

8. To turn on your camera, click Start Video. Please keep your microphone muted whenever you are not speaking to the group. When you need to speak, click Unmute before you begin talking.
9. That’s it! You’ve joined the Zoom meeting. For further instructions, go to Zoom tips and troubleshooting help.

Join via meeting ID number

1. Open your email invitation or calendar appointment and locate the 9-digit Meeting ID number. Write it down on paper, or use your mouse cursor to highlight the number and right-click to copy it.

2. Go back to the Zoom window where you signed in. Click Join (plus sign).

3. In the first input field, enter your 9-digit meeting ID number, or right-click to paste it. In the field below, enter your name. This is how your name will appear to others when you join the meeting.

4. Once you’ve entered your meeting ID number and name, click Join.

5. Wait for the Zoom meeting window to load.

6. A pop-up window will appear with audio options. Select Join with Computer Audio. (Optionally, you may also select the checkbox to “Automatically join audio by computer when joining.” If you check the box, you will not receive this prompt the next time you try to join a Zoom meeting.)

• If you are joining on a smartphone rather than a computer, you will be prompted to select either Wifi or Dial in audio. We recommend that you select Wifi if you have a stable internet connection (can be wireless internet or cellular data).

7. Once you’ve selected an audio option, your Zoom meeting screen will appear.

8. Locate the camera and microphone buttons in the lower-left corner of your screen. If you see a red diagonal line across both icons, this means your video and audio are turned off.

9. To turn on your camera, click Start Video. Please keep your microphone muted whenever you are not speaking to the group. When you need to speak, click Unmute before you begin talking.
10. That’s it! You’ve joined the Zoom meeting. For further instructions, go to Zoom tips and troubleshooting help.

Call in from your phone

1. Open your email invitation or calendar appointment and locate the list of phone numbers under “Dial by your location.” You can use any number to call in, but you may want to choose one in your region (such as a Houston area code if you live in Oklahoma). Write down the phone number.

2. Write down the 9-digit meeting ID below the list of phone numbers.
   • If there is a passcode below the meeting ID, write down this number as well.
3. Call the Zoom phone number you wrote down in Step 1. Enter the 9-digit meeting ID number on your phone’s keypad, followed by the pound sign (#).
   • You will have about 30 seconds to enter the meeting ID before the Zoom assistant hangs up automatically. If this occurs, don’t worry! Just call the same phone number again.
4. After entering the meeting ID, you may be prompted to enter a participant ID. You can skip this by tapping the pound sign (#).
5. If the meeting is protected by a passcode, you will be prompted to enter it now, followed by the pound sign (#).
6. That’s it! You’ve joined the Zoom meeting. Please mute yourself whenever you are not speaking. To mute or unmute yourself, enter *6 on your keypad