The Zoom app is one of many online conference programs. During the pandemic, we couldn’t meet in person – but life and business shouldn’t stop! There is now an opportunity – a free and easy opportunity – to stay connected and build new relationships.

Here is a quick ummary so that even those who are new to this world and don’t like to learn from descriptions and videos can use it conveniently, efficiently and with pleasure.

First, one-time steps in using the Zoom app

The inviting party sends me a link like this: https://zoom.us/j/3304935398, where the number sequence identifies the chat or conference room.

If I click on this, either the Zoom application will start immediately, or a pop-up window will appear to download the installation file:

or it will download it immediately:

In the latter two cases, the installer must be started manually: find the zoom*.exe file on the computer and start it.

The application can also be installed – in advance – without the invitation link from the https://www.zoom.com/ page:

https://zoom.us/download#client_4meeting:

This page contains installation files for mobile, as a browser extension, etc.

After this, you no longer need to worry about installing the Zoom application, it will be there on the computer.

Joining a conversation or conference using the Zoom application

I receive a link like this from the inviting party: https://zoom.us/j/3304935398, where the number sequence identifies the conversation or conference room, making it unique.

If I have already installed the Zoom application on my computer, clicking on the link will either automatically open Zoom, or a pop-up window like this will appear:

It is worth checking the checkbox, so that Zoom will start automatically next time.

After logging in, you may have to wait for the organizer to let you in:

Joining a Zoom conversation or conference directly from a browser

If for some reason I don’t want to or can’t install the Zoom application, there is an option – with fewer features – to connect directly from a browser:
On the https://zoom.us/join page, I enter the room number (meeting ID):

In the pop-up window, click “Cancel”

Then by clicking on the “Join from your browser” link

I enter my name and click the check mark in the box

If I get a task, I solve it, then click the blue Join button to enter the room.
After logging in, you may have to wait for the organizer to let you in:

During a meeting

Image and sound

In the lower left part of the screen – if I move the mouse – I can adjust the image and sound:

The figure above shows a state where my voice is muted, others cannot hear it – this is a good setting for meetings, conferences and trainings with many participants, so that background noise does not disturb – and my face is visible on the video.

If I want to comment briefly, I temporarily turn off the mute by holding down the space key (like with walkie-talkies in the past). If I want to speak for longer, I click the crossed-out microphone button (this works if the organizer allows me to unmute myself).

If I click the Stop video button, my name will appear in the video instead of my face, like in the picture for Attila:

Participants

The following options are also available on the bottom bar:

invite a new participant

tracking the number of participants,

or by clicking on this icon I can change the appearance of my own name in the list of participants by clicking on the More button next to my own name with the Rename option:

or in the upper right corner of my own window also with the Rename option:

In the upper right corner, you can set how and who to see in the Zoom window.

In Gallery view, I see the faces of several participants at once, framed by the speaker’s image.

In this case, the button is labeled Speaker view:

If there are many participants, you can use the arrow at the bottom to see the others.

In Speaker view, only the speaker’s face is visible, and the button is labeled Gallery view.

Shared screen views

If someone shares their screen, I can set the layout in which I see the participants and/or the shared screen.

By default, Zoom places participants on the shared screen:

I can use the bars in the upper left corner of the participants window to

collapse the participants window

see the speaker

see all participants.

By clicking on View Options in the menu bar at the top of the screen, you can select screen sharing (Side-by-side mode):

The participants are then visible in a separate bar, and the width of this bar can be adjusted, and here you can also select Speaker (speaker) or Gallery (all participants) view:

I can even draw or write on the projected image (Annotate):

Share my screen

In addition to my own picture and video, I can also share a window from my own screen. For example, if I am giving a presentation, I open the presentation and then click the button, then select the window I want to share or the Zoom whiteboard, where I can write, draw anything, and others can do the same, and at the end I can save it to an image file.

You can stop sharing your screen at any time by clicking the Stop share button at the top of the screen:

As a host in the Zoom application

As a host, you can open your own room, meeting, conference, training.

To do this, you just need to register on the https://zoom.us/signup page. You will receive an email with a confirmation link. Click on the link and your personal Zoom room will be created. Send your Zoom room number and the link to this guide (https://folyamatszervezo.hu/utmutato-a-zoom-alkalmazas-hasznalatahoz) to your partners and meet them online!

Security tips

You can now set a password for every Zoom room/meeting. If you send the password separately or say it over the phone, it will make it significantly more difficult for strangers to get in. (I tested that – although the link that Zoom creates for a password-protected meeting contains an encrypted password – it also allows you to enter the encrypted password manually. So the password is only protected if you don’t paste it into the link, but send it separately and everyone enters it manually.)

It is possible to create a lobby, which also provides protection against uninvited “guests”.

Do not write clickable links in the Zoom chat! A link entered without the http:// prefix appears nicely when copied (Ctrl+C) and pasted into the browser’s address bar (Ctrl+V), while attackers do not “see” Zoom as a link.

If someone does send you a clickable link in a Zoom chat, do not click on it on the spot, but copy the part after the http:// and paste it into the browser’s address bar.