Get Started with Zoom on your Mac!

In the world hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the video conferencing platform Zoom has become an essential part of our lives. It started as a platform for hosting business meetings with clients and associates and has now expanded its functionality for even family and friends to stay in touch via this freemium tool.

Zoom is a video conferencing platform, easy to use and high-quality solution for meetings. It is available in free and paid versions. Here is a guide on how to start using Zoom on a MacBook device and setup to get you started.

PS: Have a look at some brand-new features on Zoom to make your experience more exciting!

A few things to keep in mind about Zoom accounts:

• To attend a meeting, you need not register or sign in to Zoom.
• To host a meeting, you will need to create an account on Zoom. 
• For Free and Premium versions, there are different features offered. 
• A free account limits the number of users and time duration of a meeting. 
• A premium account, on the other hand, allows up to 1,000 participants, event recording and no limit on the duration of a meet.
  

The Zoom platform is available on all major desktop and mobile devices, including the MacBook, which you will learn more about below.

Sign-up on Zoom

If you wish to host a meeting and you don’t have a Zoom account, you’ll need to create an account on the Zoom website.

1. Click on Sign up for Free in the top right corner of the website. 
2. Enter the required information (Birthday etc.) then click on continue. 
3. Now enter your Email ID, which will be the username for your Zoom account.

Download the Software

After creating your account, now you need to download Zoom for MacBook application. 

1. Go on the website to the Resources menu in the upper right corner of the webpage.
2. Click “Download Zoom Client” from the pull-down menu. 
3. After The above step, find the Mac client on the page and click download/install.

And you're all set with these 6 simple steps!

Hosting a Meet on Zoom

After downloading the application, now you are ready to use it. 

• Open the application from the Downloads folder on your system. Choose ‘sign in’, then log in using the Zoom account that you created earlier. 
• After successfully logging in, if you wish to instantly start a meeting, choose the ‘New Meeting’ option on the application. 
• You can also schedule a meeting at a time of your choosing, to do so select the ‘Schedule’ option.

After starting a new meeting, connect your Mic and Speakers to the application. 

• Choose ‘Join with Computer Audio’. 
• If you wish to test your microphone and speakers beforehand for smooth conduct of the meeting, choose ‘Test Speaker and Microphone’.
  

To invite participants to your meeting, at the bottom of the application window, select ‘Recipients/Participants,’ then select ‘Invite.’

You can choose to ‘Mute,’ ‘Stop Video’ and ‘Chat’ options to interact with the participants at the meeting. When you are done with the meeting, choose the ‘End’ option to close the session.

Scheduling a Meeting on Zoom

If you wish to schedule a Zoom meeting, instead of starting an instant one, here is how you can do that. 

• Click on ‘Schedule’ on the main window of the application screen. 
• After selecting the ‘Schedule’ option, on the next page, add information about the meeting, such as Date, Time, Topic and save it to the calendar to send out and manage the invitations. 
• On MacBook, you can use calendars like iCal, Google or any other calendar. 
• Now, after saving the meeting, you can send out invitations to the meeting using the calendar you selected. 
• You can also send meeting invitations manually, select ‘Copy Invitation’ and send the invitation link to your contacts.
  

To review, update or delete a scheduled meeting, choose the ‘Meeting’ option from the top menu in the Zoom application.

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Join a Meeting on Zoom

Say, for instance you are not the one hosting a meeting, rather you are someone who is invited to join the meeting, how do you do that? Pretty easy, there are different ways to join a Zoom meeting. 

• One, you can click on the link you received via email/text/calendar as an invite to the meeting, that will take you to the meeting directly. 
• If you don’t join using the link, you can go on the application and click on the ‘Join’ option on the main screen, then enter the meeting ID or personal link name, given in the invitation. 
  

You can choose settings for your video and audio as you see fit and leave the meeting anytime.

Screen Sharing, Recording and More on Zoom

In a Zoom meeting, you can share your screen as the host and record the meeting using the options given on the application window at the bottom of the screen of an active meeting. 

• As a host, you can also implement security settings such as adding a waiting room, where you get the option to allow or deny entry of the participants who want to join.
• You can also use the chat feature to text everyone in the meeting, this feature can be used for sharing some information and links.
• When you are a Host you also get the option to Record the meeting, it can be done using the option listed at the bottom of the application window of an active meeting.

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Conclusion

Zoom is a very powerful tool if you can use it to its full potential. Now that you know your way through the application, go ahead and start connecting to the world. Organize your meetings and interact with your workplace and team, from the comfort of your home.

To improve communication and prevent Zoom fatigue, cut down on Zoom meetings and try asynchronous daily stand-ups and task management on Slack with Ricotta.