How to Use Zoom Waiting Room [Step-By-Step Guide]

If you run Zoom meetings, you likely have issues with guests appearing too early. You might even have unwanted guests from time to time.

Having unwanted distractions pop up when your meeting is going very well can be frustrating. A great way to solve this problem is to create a Zoom Waiting Room. Here's everything you need to know about this feature and how it works so you can use it as effectively as possible!

What is Zoom Waiting Room?

Zoom’s waiting room is a feature that gives the host control over when someone joins the meeting. You place each participant in a queue. When the host starts their session, they can allow the participants to join. The host can either let everyone in at the start of the meeting or select each person individually.

Prevent Zoombombing 

Zoombombing is when an unwanted guest obtains your meeting link. They will "bomb" your meeting by creating a bunch of noise or showing an inappropriate video. It can be one of the most frustrating elements of managing your meeting space. After putting all that time into your meeting, it's frustrating to have someone Zoom in and make a bunch of noise.

The waiting room can help make you feel more secure than letting anyone with the link join. You'll have visibility on everyone who is trying to join your meeting. It makes sure that you never have any unwanted guests.

How to Enable a Zoom Waiting Room

You can enable your waiting room:

● For all meetings

● For a single meeting

● During a meeting

Let’s look at different ways you can create the queue.

How to Enable Zoom Waiting Room for All Meetings

Here’s how to create a waiting room for every meeting by default.

Step 1: ‘Sign In’ to your account on zoom.us.

Step 2: On the toolbar to the right, click ‘Settings’.

Step 3: Click ‘Meeting’ then ‘Security’.

Step 4: Scroll down and tick the option for Waiting Room.

Now the waiting room feature will be available for all meetings.

How to Enable a Zoom Waiting Room For a Single Meeting

Here’s how to turn the waiting room on for just one meeting on your schedule.

Step 1: Log in to the web version of Zoom.

Step 2: Using the toolbar to the left, click ‘Meetings’.

Step 3: Click ‘Schedule a Meeting’ to the right of the screen.

Step 4: Scroll down to ‘Security’ and check the box for ‘Waiting Room’.

How to Enable a Zoom Waiting Room During a Meeting

Step 1: During the Meeting, click ‘Manage Participants’ on the toolbar at the bottom.

Step 2: Click ‘More’ (...), then click ‘Put attendee in waiting room on entry’. This will automatically create the waiting room.

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How to Disable Zoom Waiting Room

Sometimes you want to give free rein to anyone who wants to join your meeting. Maybe many participants are converging at different times, and you don’t have time to allow each in one by one. Regardless of your scenario, here’s how to turn off a Zoom waiting room.

Disable Zoom Waiting Room as a Paid User

Paid users can secure their meetings via a passcode or a waiting room.

Step 1: Log on to zoom.us and ‘Sign In’ to your account.

Step 2: On the toolbar to the right, click ‘Settings’.

Step 3: Click ‘Meeting’ then ‘Security’.

Step 4: Tick the option to turn ‘Meeting Passcode’ on.

Step 5: Tick the option to turn Waiting Room off.

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Disable Zoom Waiting Room as a Free User

Free users must keep the passcode on regardless of whether there is a waiting room. This limitation helps them have one less step.

Step 1: Navigate to the online portal at zoom.us to ‘Sign In’ to the web platform.

Step 2: On the toolbar to the right, click ‘Settings’.

Step 3: Click ‘Meeting’ then ‘Security’.

Step 4: Tick the option to turn Waiting Room off.

How to Admit Participants During Your Meeting

Great, now you know how to create and delete a waiting room. Let’s go over how to allow participants in from the waiting room.Web

Step 1: Click ‘Participants’ on the toolbar at the bottom of your screen.

Step 2: Click ‘Admit’ next to the participant’s name that you want to allow into the meeting.

Desktop Client

Step 1: Click ‘Participants’ on the toolbar at the bottom of your screen.

Step 2: Click ‘Admit’ next to the participant’s name that you want to allow into the meeting.

Alternatively: Click ‘Admit All’ to allow everyone in the waiting room in the meeting.

iPhone

Step 1: Tap anywhere on the screen to bring up the toolbar at the bottom.

Step 2: Click ‘Participants’.

Step 3: Click ‘Admit’ next to the name of the people you’d like to admit.

Alternatively: Click on ‘Admit All’ to admit everyone currently in the waiting room into the meeting.

Android

Step 1: Tap anywhere on the screen to bring up the toolbar at the bottom. 

Step 2: Click ‘Participants’.

Step 3: Click ‘Admit’ next to the name of the people you’d like to admit.

Alternatively: Click on ‘Admit All’ to admit everyone currently in the waiting room into the meeting.

How to Customize Zoom Waiting Room

A custom waiting room is an excellent way for attendees to learn about your company. At the same time, they stay engaged while waiting for the meeting to start. Let’s start by looking at different ways you can customize your room. Then we’ll talk about how to do it.

Different Ways You Can Customize Your Waiting Room

Add a Logo

You can add a custom logo to your waiting room so that participants know they're in the right place. It can be up to 1MB in size (ensure it's a high-quality render) and should be 60 x 40 pixels. You can upload your logo in JPG, PNG, or GIF format.

Add a Description

A description is a great way to let attendees know what the meeting is about and what to expect. You can also provide a brief agenda of the topics for discussion. The more information you give attendees, the more comfortable they'll feel. It will let them know some of what to expect at the meeting.

Keep Things Fresh with Welcome Video

Make your clients feel at home by creating a welcoming video that pops up when they enter your waiting room. To make this feature even more dynamic, they offer more than one file type to meet your needs: MOV, M4V, or MP4 up to 30MB. You will need to have a paid account to add a video.

How to Navigate to the Custom Waiting Room Editor

Step 1: Go to zoom.us and ‘Sign In’.

Step 2: On the toolbar to the right, click ‘Settings’.

Step 3: Click ‘Meeting’ then ‘Security’.

Step 4: Scroll down and tick the option for Waiting Room. Then click ‘Customize Waiting Room’.

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FAQ

How Do I Know if Someone is in The Waiting Room or Not?

You can see who is in the waiting room on the 'Participants' screen.

1. On the toolbar at the bottom of the Zoom window, click on 'Participants.'

2. Another screen on the right will pop up, and it will show everyone who is in the waiting room. An 'Admit' button will let them join when you are ready to bring them in.

Do I need to Subscribe to Zoom to Use the Waiting Room?

To use the waiting room feature, you must be a licensed user. So if you want to manage users or invite people to your waiting room, you can create a free Zoom account.

Can I Rename Participants in the Waiting Room Before They Join the Meeting?

Zoom offers the option to rename participants in the Waiting Room. Both hosts and co-hosts can change the name of any participant before the meeting. After you make changes, Zoom will apply the new information to the guest when they enter your session.

How Can I Admit All Participants Automatically?

You can use the Admit All button to allow everyone in the waiting room to join at one time. This button is available on the Desktop client, iOS, and Android:

1. Click ‘Participants’ on the toolbar at the bottom of your screen.

2. Click ‘Admit All’ to let everyone in the waiting room in at once.

Will I Be Heard While I’m in the Waiting Room?

While in the waiting room, you can test your mic to ensure it is working correctly for the meeting. No one else in the session can hear you. Once the host lets you in the conference, your microphone will unmute. You will then be audible to other people in the meeting.

Conclusion

The waiting room is an excellent trick for Zoom meetings. Now you’ll never have to worry about Zoombombing again. It is also useful for managing your meeting participants and making the online meeting more organized