How does Zoom work? I know you ask yourself that, and we’ll answer that in this article.

But first, let’s see how we got here.

The coronavirus and governmental restrictions have had a major impact on the way people across the world work. Some businesses had to close their doors but want to continue their activity to avoid future economic problems. Because the ten-story buildings can’t host hundreds of employees at these times, managers have to come up with new ideas.

One of the optimal solutions the world opted for is Zoom.

But what is Zoom and how does Zoom work?

Zoom is a video conferencing software that connects people all around the globe using the online meeting concept. What previously happened in the conference room of your office building can now take place from a distance in everyone’s house.

Zoom suits the needs of all business types and sizes. That’s why it grew so much since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Learn below more about this topic in this article created by our team at Amelia, the best WordPress appointment booking plugin with Zoom integration.

What is Zoom?

If you need a program to help you organize meetings and conferences online, the Zoom platform is what you’re looking for. Through the Zoom link you generate, your team can join a Zoom meeting using either their devices’ audio or an audio-video system. Moreover, public and private chat rooms are available and, if necessary, everyone can record the Zoom meeting.

Being a cloud-based system, Zoom offers a lot of features that even beginners find easy. There are two important things you are going to need to know about – The Zoom Meeting and the Zoom Room. The first one is the conference call itself and the second represents the virtual “place” that hosts your Zoom meeting. You can access this from your account to schedule your Zoom meetings and edit the video meeting information.

The basic features of Zoom are similar to the ones other video chatting apps provide. These include audio and video conferencing, the ability to host a large number of members during the Zoom meeting, a chatbox, and screen sharing. However, this platform shows its true value through some other advanced and unique features.

You will be surprised by the ability to create Breakout rooms in Zoom. This is the perfect way to create and successfully manage sessions with different members during one single Zoom session. One can host up to 50 rooms during a call.

How to Register For Zoom

The registration process is quick and simple and you can use either your computer or your mobile device.

If you’re on the Zoom page for the first time, look for the “sign up” button in the upper right corner of the page. The first step is to enter your working email address. There were frequent rumors about Zoom disclosing various users’ names and emails to third parties. That’s why we do recommend using only your work address. However, the service will work perfectly with any type of domain, so you can use your personal email, too.

You don’t need an account to join a Zoom meeting. All you need is the link invitation and pass from your host. Without a Zoom account, though, you can’t schedule a Zoom meeting, organize and host Zoom meetings, or change any meetings’ settings.

Making an account will help you do these and much more.

How does Zoom work? The quick guide

Zoom implements the freemium marketing model which has a proven efficiency. The basic principle of the strategy is to offer a free version of the services, as well as multiple paid versions with different features. With 4 different subscriptions, Zoom is suitable for various budgets and needs.

If you want to be among the millions of Zoom users, you should know the plan options you have. Besides the Zoom Room subscription, there are four other pricing tiers:

• Zoom Free: Create and join Zoom meetings for free. After 40 minutes, the meeting will automatically end if you don’t upgrade to a paid plan.
• Zoom Pro: For only $14.99/month you will be able to schedule repetitive meetings easier due to personal IDs creation. Moreover, this offers you the possibility to record and save the Zoom meeting on your cloud storage.
• Zoom Business: This plan has a lot of advanced features, including personal branding for your URLs and company. The $19.99/month subscription includes everything previously mentioned, plus speech transcription and special customer support. This one is suitable for small companies, with a minimum of 10 meetings a month.
• Zoom Enterprise: This is a plan for big companies that hold a minimum of 100 meetings and have more than 1,000 employees.

• Zoom Rooms: This plan is optional and you can see its possibilities through 30 days of a free If you decide to continue the subscription, it will cost you $49/month/room additionally to your basic Zoom plan.

Get Zoom on Your PC And Mobile Devices

The next step, after signing up on Zoom and choosing your plan, is to download the app on your browser or mobile device. If you have a company account, your employees will use their word emails to sign in after the administrator host sends them an invitation.

For the Zoom Room section, a separate soft is needed. It’s called “Zoom Rooms for Conference Room” if you’re using a computer, and “Zoom Room Controller” on your tablet or phone.

Next up, start video conferencing. Start a meeting from scratch. Finally, we get to the main part of the platform – the Zoom meeting.

If you’re still wondering how a Zoom meeting works, you’ve come to the right place.

Zoom meetings consist of gathering certain team members and connecting them through audio and video systems. The meeting hosts add new members by sending them an invite link.

A successful Zoom meeting is only a click away for both meeting participants and hosts. This type of meeting can also be used for job interviews or discussions with clients.

There are two different ways in which you can host a meeting. You can schedule a Zoom meeting and inform the members about the day and time when they should be available or you can start it right away. Both “Schedule a Meeting” and “Host a Meeting” buttons are accessible on the upper right corner of the screen.

You can also change some settings of the meeting such as the password, recording permissions, and chat windows. For this, access the Settings section from the left-side menu.

Special Section – The Zoom Room

In addition to a basic Zoom subscription, you can buy the Zoom Room subscription, too. This gives you the space of a physical conference room which can host multiple meetings with different members at the same time. It also allows your members to access Zoom Meetings more quickly.

For big companies that hold more conferences at the same time, this environment is the best. The employees can switch from one meeting to another without leaving the main app. This can spare valuable time for everyone.

This is the equipment you need to run the Zoom Room system for your company:

• A computer with Windows or iOS, or a mobile device.
• Tablets for your future members. Make sure you installed Zoom Meetings on them.
• Input and output devices for audio and video – microphone, web-camera, and speakers.
• At least one monitor. You will display the meeting participants on them for better control over the speakers. A second monitor would also help you if you want to use the Screen Sharing function.
• HDMI cables to connect your computers to the monitor.

Zoom Compatibility With Operating Systems, Devices, and Browsers

Zoom’s goal is to connect people who are far away from each other no matter their operating systems, devices, or technical possibilities. Therefore, you can freely join a Zoom meeting from your Android, iOS, Windows, or Linux device.

Once everything is up and running, you’ll be having fun using the Zoom app. You can make the sessions even more enjoyable by adding virtual backgrounds. Upload a landscape or beach photo so that your colleagues won’t have to look at the dull wall of your home office. Despite the tough times we are living in, we should keep the spirits up and have fun.

Integrate Zoom for a Better Experience

The Zoom mobile app can offer you the basic features you need to work remotely in an efficient way. But for a better experience, integrating Zoom with other apps is of great help.

For more advanced actions and smoother collaboration, most users install plugins. This is why we want to recommend to you Amelia, a plugin created by us that will help the Zoom app perform better and assure great results.

Amelia can work together with Zoom on the appointment scheduling process.

This gives you the possibility to manage your time efficiently while sharing it with different working teams. It is quite easy to integrate this plugin in Zoom and these are the steps that you have to follow:

• Log into your Zoom account
• Access the Zoom Marketplace and create your application
• Choose the first type of app – JWT

• Complete with basic information and app credentials
• Set Zoom options

• Invite your employees and help them connect with the app

How Helpful is Zoom for Business Owners?

The best thing about Zoom is that it is easy to use and doesn’t require major hard or software preparations. This is why most business owners prefer Zoom. All in all, Zoom users don’t have to:

• Assure maintenance for a complex additional system besides the ones they are already using
• Provide training sessions for employees or other end-users
• Pay for the updates, error corrections, and other maintenance issues
• Hire additional IT workers

It’s so easy to bring people together to solve ongoing problems and keep work on the right track with this cloud-based software.

Other important advantages that Zoom gives to companies are its ability to:

• Organize meetings in a short time
• Invite clients and employees to the conference through a simple link
• Share screens with the meeting participants
• Record the talk and reuse it afterward
• Be used as a screen recording program for tutorials and seminars

We hope this article answered your “how does Zoom work” question.

And if you have more questions about how Zoom works, hopefully they’re among the following ones we answered below:

How secure is Zoom now?

At the beginning of 2020, Zoom was in the loop due to security problems and unwanted visitors identified as Zoombombers.

The company reacted promptly, to say at least. It reassured users that security problems will be solved, and it reminded them of how important privacy and security are. A variety of measures were undertaken to combat threats, such as excluding meeting IDs from the title bars during a call. In this way, users were enabled to share screenshots online without fearing eventual abuse.

There were also several updates intended to improve security credentials.

How do I stop zoombombing?

The more prominent Zoom became, the more attempts there were to abuse the service. Hackers and internet trolls were all over it. Meetings were insecure, and participants were publicly exposed and ‘bombed’ with inappropriate content. They were receiving graphic videos, ads, photography, and many other things.

The Zoom team, however, did a great job securing calls and eliminating Zoombombing.

Are there any security tools offered by Zoom?

With Zoom, you can manage and secure meetings as they happen. An array of security options and tools are offered to users to have them lock a meeting as it begins so that there are no unwanted visitors. The organizer of the meeting can remove and add participants as he wants, mute some of them, or even disable private chats.

You can access these tools very easily, by simply clicking on a dedicated settings button appearing in the window. A similar button has been added for each participant so that you can govern individual interactions, and remove a guest, if necessary.

How do I report meeting participants?

Another cool improvement is reporting unwanted participants, even if they were invited to a meeting. You will not only remove them from your call but also send an automated report to Trust & Safety team which will then handle the issue. This helps identify users which are not allowed to interfere in calls or who may misuse the system in the future.

Reporting is also made simple – all you need to do is to select ‘report’ on your security menu.

What are Zapps and what do they do?

At the end of 2020, Zoom introduced the so-called Zapps, a variety of apps all Zoom users can access. It doesn’t matter if you are a freemium or a paid user – you can integrate Zoom with an array of solutions you are using.

Here are some examples of its current launching partners: Dropbox, Slido, Asana, HubSpot, Atlassian, Kaltura, Gong, Cameo, Miro, ServiceNow, Lucidspark, Chorus, Exer, PagerDuty, Wrike, Mural, Slack, Kahoot!, Slack, etc.

There is Dropbox Zapp, for instance, that lets you share the document as you work on it. The Slido Zapp helps you organize pools for your team, while the Asana Zapp for real-time project updates.

Zoom is continuing to expand the Zapp family. Soon enough, developers will have the possibility to integrate any app into their Zoom account, as long as it is approved.

To see how this works, check the demos on zoom.us/zapps.

What is OnZoom and how can I use it?

Alongside Zapps, Zoom developed and launched OnZoom beta, a fancy tool for online events planning. OnZoom was later enriched with an online marketplace for paid Zoom users, where they can host public events and monetize from them. This is a great feature to use for online yoga training, concerts, fitness classes, improv shows, etc.

Check onzoom.com to learn more.

How to record calls and videos with Zoom?

An important upside to using Zoom is that you can record your meetings as videos. Note, however, that certain permissions apply.

The host of the meeting needs to go to Settings and enable the recording option. Therefore, check the settings for your account and see whether the recording is allowed.

This is how you can do it:

• Log in
• Open the Account Settings and then the Meeting Settings
• Move to the Recording option and enable it.

You can either do the recording yourself or enable a person/group to do this. Here are some guidelines that can help you.

When recording meetings in Zoom, you can choose whether to save the video locally or in the cloud. The cloud option, however, is reserved for paid subscribers only. The reason is that Zoom has further costs in storing and distributing video content in the cloud. To be able to record Zoom calls locally or in the cloud, you need a Windows, macOS, or a Linux operating system.

Where to find the recording option? A Record button will appear on the bottom of the screen when the meeting begins. You will immediately be able to see where the video is being stored.

In case you are not able to see the recording button, open the Meeting Settings again and check whether it is enabled by the account admin. The created videos can be either downloaded to the device or streamed directly from the browser.

Zoom also shows participants who are not recording whether the meeting is being recorded and by whom. This eliminates any privacy or transparency concerns related to recording.

As soon as the call is over, Zoom converts the recording into an MP4 video file and makes it instantly accessible.

How do I record meetings on the Zoom mobile app?

Of course, you can record your Zoom meetings even on the go. However, you won’t be able to save the file locally and you have to transfer it to the cloud, which means you need a paid account for this feature. Note as well that cloud storage per account is limited, and you may not be able to record all meetings you want.

This is how you can record Zoom calls on the mobile device:

• Go to the Zoom app
• Start or join the meeting
• Locate the three-dot menu on the screen at the bottom right corner)
• Select ‘record’ or ‘record to the cloud’
• The recording icon will appear, and you will be able to pause the recording or stop it completely.
• After the meeting, log in the to the Zoom site and look for the video in ‘My Recordings’

Where are Zoom recordings saved?

If you want to save meetings locally, Zoom will transfer the files to your Zoom Folder on the computer. This is where the Zoom folder is usually stored:

PC: C:\Users\User Name\Documents\Zoom

Mac: /Users/User Name/Documents/Zoom

If the meetings are stored in the cloud, you can access them through the Zoom App. Navigate to the Meetings section and the ‘Recorded’ tab – you can either play the video directly in Zoom or choose a preferred program/app.

How do I remove background noise in Zoom?

Nowadays, Zoom also offers settings for users to adjust the audio during a call and to get rid of any unwanted background noise.

The tools can also be found under ‘Settings’, as you click on the audio options. All you need to do is to select ‘suppress background noise’ from the dropdown menu.

You can even decide how much noise suppression is necessary. You can completely suppress the barking of your neighbor’s dog during a meeting, but also keep the chilled-out music while having a call with a friend. Zoom offers a large selection of audio options to choose from.

How do I use virtual backgrounds for a meeting?

The virtual backgrounds of Zoom are very easy to use, even if you are an absolute beginner. If you use a PC or Mac, just open the ‘Setup’ icon in the upper right corner, and choose ‘Virtual Backgrounds’ from the menu.

The choice of backgrounds is not exactly vast but still provides enough options. Choose a background you like and click on it – nobody will be able to see your actual room setting. Above you will also find a plus sign you can use to add any background you want, even from your computer.

Another cool option is that you can add or change virtual backgrounds after the meeting has begun. Locate the small arrow alongside the video symbol, and you will land on the same menu.

Zoom recommends members use a green screen for best results, but it is completely up to them to decide.

How do I use virtual backgrounds on my smartphone?

The mobile Zoom app also enables virtual backgrounds.

As you join the meeting from your font, click on the three-dots menu again and go to ‘more’. You will there find the ‘Virtual backgrounds’ option with the same selection as the one on your computer.

How to record transcripts for the Zoom meeting?

With Zoom, you will not only be able to record meetings, but also transcribe their audio content and save it on the cloud. Transcription is fully automated and can be edited by the admin. A very useful feature is that you can scan the text for keywords and share it with other stakeholders.

Transcription, the same as recording, must be enabled first. Log into your Zoom account, go to ‘My Meetings’ and select the Cloud recording option. You can verify whether transcription is enabled. If not, click on ‘Turn on’.

In some cases, the button will be greyed out, which means that it has been locked. This may happen when you don’t have a paid membership or a full set of Account privileges. Your Zoom admin may be able to help you.

If you enjoyed reading this article on how Zoom works, you should check out this one about how to create a Zoom meeting.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like how to change your background on Zoom, how to record a Zoom meeting, Zoom integrations, Zoom keyboard shortcuts, Zoom waiting room, how to add Zoom to Google Calendar and how to schedule a Zoom meeting.