If you’ve ever felt a little overwhelmed by virtual meetings, you’re not alone. Luckily, Zoom makes it easy to connect with colleagues, friends, and family from anywhere. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up a Zoom meeting step by step—covering everything from creating a Zoom account to scheduling and managing your first online gathering.

Why Use Zoom for Your Meetings

Before diving into the nuts and bolts, let’s quickly cover why Zoom stands out:

• User-Friendly Interface: Simple and intuitive, even for first-timers.
• Cross-Platform Availability: Use Zoom on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
• Feature-Rich: From screen sharing and polls to breakout rooms and virtual backgrounds.
• Scalable: Host anything from a quick 1-on-1 chat to a large webinar with multiple speakers.

Create Your Zoom Account

1. Sign Up on the Zoom Website

1. Go to Zoom’s official website.
2. Click the Sign Up or Sign Up Free button.
3. Enter a valid email address (you can also sign in with Google, Facebook, or SSO).

2. Confirm Your Email

1. Check your inbox for the confirmation email from Zoom.
2. Click the link provided to activate your account.

3. Finalize Your Profile

1. Create a strong password when prompted.
2. Fill out your name and any additional details Zoom requests.
3. Upload a profile picture (optional, but helpful for a personal touch).

Pro Tip: Zoom has both free and paid subscription plans. If you expect longer meetings (beyond the free 40-minute limit for group calls) or need extra features (like cloud recording), consider upgrading to a paid plan.

Schedule a Zoom Meeting

After creating your account, you can schedule a Zoom meeting in several ways—via Zoom’s web portal, desktop app, or even your mobile app.

1. Open Zoom and Find the “Schedule” Option

• Desktop/App: Launch the Zoom application. You’ll see a Home tab with options like New Meeting, Join, Schedule, and Share Screen. Click Schedule.
• Web: Go to zoom.us, log in, and click Schedule a Meeting in your dashboard.

2. Set Meeting Details

• Topic: Give your meeting a descriptive title.
• When: Select date and time.
• Duration: Estimate how long you think the meeting will last.
• Time Zone: Make sure this matches your current time zone (especially important for international teams).
• Recurring Meeting: If you want to meet daily, weekly, or monthly at the same time, check this box. Zoom will create a recurring link.

3. Enable Security Options

• Passcode: Add a passcode for an extra layer of security.
• Waiting Room: Host decides when participants can join the main room from the “waiting” area.

4. Video, Audio, and Calendar Preferences

• Video: Set whether the host and/or participants’ videos turn on by default.
• Audio: Let participants join by telephone, computer audio, or both.
• Calendar: Sync your Zoom meeting with Google Calendar, Outlook, or another calendar tool to easily send invitations.

Click Save or Schedule to finalize these settings. Zoom will then generate a unique Meeting ID and Meeting Link.

Invite Participants

1. Copy the Zoom Meeting Link

Once your meeting is scheduled:

• Look for the Copy Invitation or Copy Link button.
• This will copy the meeting link and dial-in information (if applicable) to your clipboard.

2. Send Invitations

• Email: Paste the link into a new email with a short description and meeting agenda.
• Calendar: If you synced with Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar, add participants’ emails directly in the event details.
• Instant Message/Chat: You can also share the link via Slack, Teams, or any other messaging platform.

3. Manage Invitations

• If you need to change the date/time, update it in Zoom. The link typically remains valid, but calendar invites might need refreshing.
• Communicate any changes to participants early, so they have the updated link and details.

Start and Manage Your Meeting

1. Launch the Meeting

• Desktop/App: Open Zoom, head to the Meetings tab, and click Start next to the scheduled meeting.
• Web: Log in to zoom.us, find your meeting in the dashboard, and click Start.

2. Check Your Audio and Video

• Test Speaker & Microphone: Zoom will walk you through a quick test.
• Video Preview: Check your camera angle and background.

3. Welcome Participants

• Waiting Room: If enabled, let people in as they arrive. You’ll see a pop-up or a participant list with “Admit” buttons.
• Mute on Entry: Optional, but useful for large meetings to avoid background noise.

4. Screen Sharing and Chat

• Share Screen: Great for presentations or demos. Select a specific window or your entire desktop.
• Chat: Participants can ask questions or share links without interrupting the speaker.

5. End the Meeting

• Leave Meeting vs. End Meeting for All: If you’re the host, always choose End Meeting for All to ensure the session fully closes.

Advanced Meeting Features

Breakout Rooms

• Purpose: Break up large groups into smaller “rooms” for private discussions.
• Setup: Enable in your Zoom settings. During a meeting, click Breakout Rooms, decide how many rooms you want, and assign participants automatically or manually.

Scheduling for Others

• If you’re an assistant or a team admin, Zoom has a Scheduling Privilege feature. You can schedule, edit, and start meetings on someone else’s behalf (with permission).

Integrations

• Google Calendar: Create or edit the event in your calendar, and the Zoom link will automatically be added.
• Outlook: Install the Zoom add-in for Outlook to schedule and start Zoom meetings right from your email client.

Recording Your Meetings

1. Enable Recording

• Go to your account settings to ensure Local or Cloud Recording is enabled. (Cloud recording is available on paid plans.)

2. Start Recording

• In a live meeting, click the Record button at the bottom of the screen.
• Choose Record on this Computer or Record to the Cloud.

3. Stopping and Accessing the Recording

• Click Stop or end the meeting—recording will automatically stop.
• Local Recording: Usually saved in a “Zoom” folder on your computer.
• Cloud Recording: Access recordings by logging into Zoom’s web portal and navigating to Recordings.

Important: Always inform participants before recording and get their consent, especially if you’re in a region with strict recording laws.

Enhance Your Meetings with Bubbles

Knowing how to set up a Zoom meeting is obviously very important, but recording and storing these meetings properly can be just as crucial. That’s where Bubbles, an AI-powered meeting assistant, can simplify the process.

Why Use Bubbles?

1. Automate Your Recording
Tired of scrambling to remember to press “record”? With Bubbles, simply connect your calendar, and your meetings will be automatically recorded—no extra clicks needed.

2. Get AI-Generated Summaries
After each meeting, Bubbles sends you a neat summary with key takeaways, action items, and a full transcript, so you can focus on the conversation rather than taking notes.

3. Organize All Your Meeting Recordings
Bubbles stores your meeting recordings in your private workspace. Easily access, search, and download them any time.

By integrating Bubbles with your Zoom calls, you’ll never miss a single detail—so you can spend less time juggling notes and more time being productive.