How to use Zoom on your computer and mobile device fast guide for video meeting basics (2021)

• You can use Zoom to participate in or host video meetings on your computer or mobile device.
• Zoom is a video conferencing service used by companies and universities for remote communication.
• The service is similar to competitors such as Google Hangout, BlueJeans, and Skype.
• Its basic functions include the ability to chat and call individual contacts, as well as schedule meetings for future events.
• This story is part of Business Insider's Guide to Zoom.

Whether it's for a team on Monday or a graduate seminar on Wednesday, Zoom allows you to keep in touch with your co-workers and colleagues to work remotely. 

At the platform, it is fairly easy to use, its main features have been organized slightly differently depending on whether you are using the desktop or mobile version. 

Most of the most important things, however, are clearly visible, and despite minor changes to the schedule of the compounds, or they are doing it, to keep track of contacts and meetings, and how to change the settings of your account. 

A lot of companies are already able to take a video service, but Zoom turns out to be especially useful for high school and college-level courses, as you will be able to accept, up to 100 students with a free subscription to your account. Here is a brief overview of the main features of the app.

How to use Zoom for your computer

1. Open the browser of your choice on your Mac or PC and head to the Zoom website to create and manage an account. Click on "My Account" after logging in to bring you to your account details.

2. You can schedule, join, or host a meeting at the top of the screen. Click on any of these three options and follow the prompts to set up or join a video call online. To join a call, you'll need the Meeting ID or name.

3. On the left-hand side, you'll find a variety of options, including the first and perhaps most important: Profile. This is where you can change your profile picture, edit your email or password, and make other changes in this settings section. 

You'll also find the option to sign out of Zoom on all of your devices at the bottom of this page.

4. Below your profile tab, you'll find a summary of your meetings. You can start or delete upcoming meetings or review previous meetings at the top.

Meetings.Personal /Business Insider

5. Other tabs on the left-hand side include webinars, recordings, and your settings. The webinar feature can only be enabled if you pay for an account, and recordings will direct you to enable the feature for you and your meeting participants.

6. You'll also find more advanced settings towards the bottom of the left panel, including managing users and rooms. You can also upgrade your account under "Billing," or manage your payment information if you've already upgraded to Pro, Business, or Enterprise.

If you downloaded the desktop app, you'll find a more streamlined version of these options upon opening. The app is organized into four main tabs at the top of the screen: Home, Chat, Meetings, and Contacts.

1. The "Home" tab gives you the option to start a new meeting, join a current call, schedule a future event, or share your screen. If you have any upcoming meetings for the day, you'll also find them in a checklist on the right-hand side. 

You can also click your profile in the top-right-hand corner at any time. This will open a dropdown menu to make quick changes, such as switching your availability or profile photo.

The Zoom desktop app. Personal /Business Insider

2. You can also access settings from that menu from any page, or by clicking the gear icon in the right-hand corner of the "Home" tab. 

This will open the complete Settings menu. Browse through the tabs on the left-hand side to make changes. 

In "General" you can also find "View More Settings" at the bottom, which will open your profile online for complete access to your Zoom account.

Settings. Personal/Business Insider

3. The "Chat" tab keeps track of any conversations you have between contacts. You can star or favorite conversations for easy access or browse through your recent ones. 

You'll also find "Contact Requests" if anyone has requested to join your directory. Additionally, any shared files between contacts will appear in the "Files" section.

Desktop chat. Personal/Business Insider

4. The "Meetings" tab shows a summary of any upcoming meetings, organized by date. You can also toggle between upcoming and recorded meetings at the top, or click the plus sign to schedule a new one. 

Click on any pre-existing meeting to view options to start it early, copy the invitation, edit, or delete it. You can also click to show the meeting invitation sent to any invitees.

Desktop meetings. Personal/Business Insider

5. Lastly, the "Contacts" tab keeps track of the colleagues and classmates you add to the platform. 

View contact information by browsing through the left-hand categories: starred, external, and cloud contacts. You can also click to view any channels, which are groups of contacts to help organize your activities. Click the plus sign to add a new contact or channel.

Desktop contacts. Personal/Business Insider

5. Finally, on the people tab, track, colleagues, and peers that you can also add to the platform. Your contact information will be displayed by the view to the left of the categories: 

star, external, and contacts in the cloud. You can also click the button to view all the channels in groups of contacts that will help you organize all of your activities. Tap on the plus sign to create a new contact, or add the channel.

How to use Zoom on your mobile device 

The latest version of the app on the iPhone, iPad, and Android, offers a simplified version of the Zoom platform, and it is the most important bookmark to the bottom end: Meet & Chat, Meetings, Contacts, and Settings. (The configuration is slightly different, due to the limited amount of space.) 

1. Meet & Chat, " which combines the "Desktop" and the "Chat" tab. The main menu options are located on the top of the New Event, to Connect, Plan, and split-Screen. 

Below, you can view the history of your recent calls and calls, as well as all of the other information in the request. 

Tap to see the chat with the contact or the acceptance of the request. Alternatively, you can click on the star icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen to display your favorites or click the pencil icon in the upper right-hand corner to compose a new message.

2. "Plan" shows a line of upcoming events. You can also start a call, send an invitation, or change the current event at the top of the page. 

Tap on it to start with each one of these functions, and then follow the instructions below. Your Personal Meeting ID is a unique code for the start of an extraordinary meeting. 

Click on the next meeting to show, share, or remove it entirely. Tap and hold a meeting, and there is also the option to add attendees and send invitations, to contact you via e-mail, or text message.

3. "Contact" is very similar to the desktop version and a list of your favorite stars, as well as all of the others, in the company's catalog. 

Contacts look up to the top of the page. Tap on the plus sign in the upper right-hand corner in order to open the pop-up menu to add a contact, you can create a new channel, or join a public one. 

You can also toggle between the contacts and the channel at the top of the screen. Contacts are individuals, not groups of people, from those contacts. 

4. Finally, go to Settings, to make changes to your account. In your Zoom settings, the organization of Meetings, Contacts, Interviews, and General Settings. 

Alternatively, you can add shortcuts for quick access to Siri. To change your profile, tap on your name at the top of the screen, where you can also change your profile picture, display your name, or update your password. Here, you can connect to the Zoom app.