Customize User Settings

Signing in to Zoom
Scheduling Meetings
Managing a Meeting
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Customize your Zoom user settings

Zoom offers many options and features to use in meetings. You can customize most of these for your UW Zoom account through your user settings, which will apply across all meetings you schedule and host through this account, regardless of which device you are using.

When user settings are adjusted through the Zoom web portal, they become the default settings for all scheduled meeting (set them once, and they don't change). 

Some settings must be enabled, or turned "ON", before a meeting is launched. 

For instance, if Chat is turned "OFF" in your user settings when you initiate a new meeting, turning it "ON" in your user settings while the meeting is running will NOT enable Chat for that meeting.

Thankfully, if this happens to you, you'll only have to fix it once; once you enable Chat, it will stay on for all future meetings you schedule unless you disable it again.

Find Zoom user settings

Zoom settings interface on the Zoom web portal.

  1. Log in to the Zoom web portal Links to an external site. using your UW NetID.  
  2. Select Settings in the Navigation panel.
  3. Use the subsections navigation panel (In-Meeting (Basic) to jump to specific settings, or scroll down.

Search for specific settings

Search Settings box on the Zoom web portal.

  • TIP:  Use a keyword search in the Search Settings box, located at the top of the Settings section, to jump to a specific setting.
  • A browser keyword search also helps track down a topic, using Ctrl + F (PC) or Command + F (Mac).

Suggested user settings

Instructors who are new to teaching with Zoom are encouraged to set their user settings to match those listed below.

After you practice hosting several meetings to become more comfortable with Zoom's settings and functionality, we recommend turning "ON" additional features as needed.

One button described as on, and one button described as off.

  • Toggle the button from ON to OFF using the button next to the setting description.

This may look like a lot, but don't worry - the settings are easy to update, and you only need to update them once.

Security

  • Waiting Room: ON

Schedule Meeting

  • Participants video: OFF
  • Enable Personal Meeting ID: ON
  • Mute all participants when they join a meeting: ON*

In Meeting (Basic)

  • Meeting chat: ON
    • By default, allow participants to chat with: Everyone and anyone directly
    • Allow users to save chat from the meeting: Everyone
  • Meeting chat - Direct messages: ON
  • Meeting chat - Auto-save: ON 
  • Sound notification when someone joins or leaves: OFF
  • Send files via meeting chat: OFF
  • Co-host: ON
  • Meeting polls/quizzes: ON
    • Allow host to create advanced polls and quizzes: ON
    • Allow alternative host to add or edit polls and quizzes: ON*
  • Screen sharing: ON
    • Who can share? All Participants
    • Who can start sharing when someone else is sharing? Host Only
  • Annotation: OFF
  • Non-verbal feedback: ON
  • Meeting reactions: ON
  • Allow users to change their name when joining a meeting: ON
  • Allow participants to rename themselves: ON

In Meeting (Advanced)

  • Breakout room - Meetings: ON 
    • Assign participants to breakout rooms when scheduling: ON
    • Broadcast message to participants: ON
    • Broadcast voice to breakout rooms: ON
  • Automated captions: ON

Almost all user settings will save automatically as soon as you update them. If you have questions about any of your Zoom user settings, please email ctnmhelp@uw.edu or review the guides from the Zoom Support help center Links to an external site..

Zoom desktop application settings

Certain settings can also be edited in the Zoom desktop application. Unlike your user settings, these settings customize how Zoom works on the specific computer or mobile device you are using.

Gear wheel to access Zoom settings found on the Zoom desktop application.

  • Select the gear wheel icon to access settings through the Zoom desktop application.

Zoom desktop application settings provide more granular control over how a Zoom meeting looks and sounds.

Some examples of features you may want to update in your application settings:

  • General: Customize appearance of Zoom application
  • Audio: Select and test microphone and speakers
  • Video: Edit camera quality and lighting features
  • Background & Effects: Change your virtual background
  • Accessibility: Adjust font sizes for captions and chat 

Zoom desktop application general settings panel. 

Basic Zoom meeting settings

In this Zoom Training video, learn more about how and why to adjust settings.

Zoom Guide: Changing user-level settings Links to an external site.

Check for understanding