How to Download and Use Zoom on PC

Video conferencing solutions have become a necessity in the ongoing pandemic with lockdowns being imposed across the globe. Zoom is one of the most popular video communications apps. It has emerged as a leader in the market with its cross-platform support and wide range of features.

From classrooms to workplaces, Zoom is facilitating a smooth transition to a socially distanced world. In this article, you will learn to download and use Zoom on your PC.

Downloading and installing Zoom

You can install Zoom on your PC by following these simple steps:

1. First, open zoom.us on your internet browser.
2. Click on the RESOURCES tab on the top right of the web page.
   
3. Select Download Zoom Client from the dropdown list, and a new web page will open.
   
4. Click on the Download button under the Zoom Client for Meetings.
5. Your download will start. Once complete, click on the .exe file to start the installation.
   
6. The installation will complete in a minute. Now you can launch the Zoom application.
   

How to join a meeting using Zoom

You can join a Zoom meeting without signing in to your Zoom account.

1. Launch the Zoom application.
   
2. Click on the Join a Meeting button.
   
3. Enter the Meeting ID provided to you and your name to join the meeting.
4. If you want to join the meeting without sharing your audio and video, check the Do not connect to audio and Turn off my video checkbox.
5. Click the Join button at the bottom.
   

These steps are for joining a meeting without signing into a Zoom account. However, if you are signed in, the steps for joining a meeting stay the same.

How to sign up for a free Zoom account

Although you can join a meeting without signing up for a Zoom account, you need to sign up for a free account to host meetings and use other Zoom features.

Signing up for a Zoom account is straightforward. You can follow these steps:

1. Launch the Zoom application.
2. Click on the Sign-in button.
   
3. On the next screen, click the Sign-Up link at the bottom right.
   
4. A new page will open in your browser. On this page, enter your date of birth and click on the Continue button.
   
5. On this page, you can enter your Email Address or choose to sign in with SSO, Google, or Facebook.
   
6. If you have received the activation email, click on the link to activate your account.
7. If you have not received an activation email, click on the Resend another email link on the next page.
   

How to host a meeting using Zoom on PC?

These are the steps for hosting a Zoom meeting on your PC:

1. Launch the Zoom application.
2. Click on the Sign In button. On the next screen, enter your Email Address and Password to sign in to your account.
   
3. Now on the home screen, tap the New Meeting button.
   
4. A new meeting will start. It will prompt you to Join with Computer Audio; click on this button. You can Test Speaker and Microphone to avoid any audio issues during the meeting.
   
5. Click on the small arrow next to the Participants tab and click on the Invite button. Next, choose to invite Contacts through Email or using the Copy Invite Link/Copy Invitations button.
   
6. You can control the participant privileges by clicking on the Security tab at the bottom left.
   
7. In the Participants tab, you can view the participants of the meeting. You can view people in the Waiting Room. From the waiting room, you can choose to Admit or Remove. For each participant, you can choose from a list of options.
   
8. You can open the Chat window to communicate with all the participants or message participants directly.
   
9. You can select whether the participants can chat with Everyone, Host-Only, Everyone publicly, or Everyone Publicly and Directly.
   
   
10. The Share Screen tab allows you to share your screen with participants of the meeting. Once you click on this tab, you get multiple options for sharing your screen.
11. In Basic screen sharing, you can share your entire screen, a whiteboard, iPhone/iPad Screen. (You need to install a plugin), Individual tabs open on your PC.
    
12. Advanced screen sharing allows you to share PowerPoint as a virtual background, a specific part of your screen, computer audio, video, and content from a second camera.
    
13. Files sharing tab lets you share files from Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, and Microsoft SharePoint.
14. The Record tab at the bottom right of your screen lets you record your Zoom meeting. During the meeting, you can choose to pause or stop the recording.
    
15. The Reactions tab at the bottom right allows you to share your sentiments without disturbing the presenter or other participants. If anyone has a question, they can choose to Raise Hand. As the meeting host, you can choose to Lower All Hands from the Participants tab.
    
16. You can end the meeting and choose to End Meeting for All or Leave Meeting if you want other participants to continue the meeting.
    

How to schedule a meeting using Zoom on PC?

Another feature Zoom offers you is scheduling a Zoom meeting. Scheduling a Zoom meeting is a simple task. Given below are the steps to schedule your meeting:

1. Launch the Zoom application.
2. Click on the Schedule button on your home screen.
   
3. Enter a Topic for your meeting to help participants better understand the purpose of your meeting.
   
4. Select a Start Date and Time for the meeting.
5. Enter the number of Hours and Minutes to specify the Duration.
6. The Recurring Meeting checkbox allows you to arrange this meeting regularly on this specific day of the week and time. This feature can be useful for scheduling a class or a weekly office meeting.
7. Choose to Generate Automatically the meeting id or use a Personal Meeting ID.
8. Use the automatically generated Passcode or enter your own.
9. The Waiting Room checkbox is checked by default to keep unwanted participants at bay. However, you can choose to uncheck it if you do not need a Waiting Room for your meeting.
10. Choose to keep the Video for the Host and Participants On or Off.
11. Select a Calendar to store information about this scheduled meeting.
12. Click on the Save button on the bottom right.
    
13. Once your meeting is successfully scheduled, it will appear on the calendar in your Zoom calendar.
    
14. If you wish to host the meeting sooner than the scheduled time, you can click the Start button next to it on the calendar.

How to share screen in a meeting using Zoom?

Zoom allows you to share screen in a meeting without having to join the meeting. For sharing your screen in a meeting, follow the steps given here:

1. Launch Zoom application.
2. Click on the Share Screen button on your home screen.
   
3. Enter the Meeting ID in which you want to Share Screen.
   
4. Now enter the Meeting Passcode to Join Meeting.
   
5. You will see options window for Screen Sharing.
6. In Basic screen sharing, you can choose to share your screen, whiteboard, your iPhone/iPad’s screen, or an individual tab open on your PC.
7. In Advanced screen sharing, you can share a part of your screen or contents from a second camera.
8. The Files sharing tab allows you to share files from your cloud storage accounts.
9. Choose one of these screen-sharing options and start sharing your screen.
   
10. Joining a meeting through the screen sharing option allows you to access other meeting features such as joining audio, sharing video, chat, etc.

Tips for using Zoom

You can use these tips to make your Zoom experience more pleasant.

• It is best to keep your mic on mute unless you are talking. This prevents any noise from your end from disturbing other participants of the meeting. You can mute and unmute yourself by pressing and holding the spacebar.
• As a meeting host, you should mute the participants. Use the “Alt+M” keyboard shortcut to do this easily.
• If you need to leave a meeting temporarily, you can stop sharing your video.
• If your background is not fit for a meeting, you can choose a virtual background for your video. Click the small arrow next to the Stop Video tab to set a virtual background.
• Use the Waiting Room feature to avoid unwanted guests.
• For hosting a group meeting longer than 40 minutes or to host more than 100 people, upgrade to a paid Zoom account.