How to Create a Zoom Account: Setting Up Zoom Account

Introduction

Zoom is a popular video conferencing platform that allows people to meet virtually through video meetings, webinars, phone calls, and chat. With over 300 million daily Zoom meeting participants, it has become an essential tool for remote work, education, telehealth services, and staying connected.

Creating a Zoom account is free and only takes a few minutes. Once set up, you can join Zoom meetings hosted by others or schedule and host your own. This guide will walk you through the steps to sign up for a Zoom account across devices and start using the platform.

Signing Up for a Zoom Account

Signing up for a free Zoom account is simple. Here are the steps:

• Go to zoom.us and click Sign Up Free in the top right corner.
• Verify your birth date when prompted. Zoom requires users to be at least 16 years old.
• Enter your email address and click Sign Up. You can use a work or personal email.
• Check your email inbox for a message from Zoom and click Activate Account. This verifies your email address.
• Fill in your first and last name when redirected back to Zoom’s website.
• Optionally, you can skip inviting colleagues at this stage. Click Skip this step.
• Your Zoom account setup is complete! You will see your personal meeting URL and can start or join meetings.

The process is very similar when signing up through Zoom’s mobile app. Simply download the app, tap Sign Up, and follow the instructions.

You can also create an account using your Google, Facebook, or SSO credentials instead of an email and password.

Downloading the Zoom App

To get the full Zoom experience, you should download Zoom’s desktop and mobile apps after creating your account:

• Desktop app – Go to zoom.us/download and click Download under “Zoom Client for Meetings”. Open the installer file once downloaded and follow the setup wizard.
• Mobile app – Search “Zoom Cloud Meetings” on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Download and install the app.

The Zoom app lets you start instant meetings, schedule future meetings, and manage settings. Alternatively, you can join Zoom meetings directly through any web browser without downloading anything.

Starting Your First Meeting

Starting a test meeting is a great way to familiarize yourself with Zoom’s features after setting up your account:

• Open the Zoom desktop or mobile app and select New Meeting to start an instant meeting.
• Alternatively, click on your profile picture and select Start Meeting from the dropdown menu.
• Give Zoom permission to access your microphone and camera when prompted.
• Explore the various controls and settings available during your meeting.
• Click End Meeting when you are done.

Feel free to invite other contacts to join your test meeting as well!

Scheduling a Zoom Meeting

In addition to starting instant Zoom meetings, you can also schedule future meetings:

• Sign in to the Zoom web portal using your account credentials.
• Click Schedule a Meeting at the top right.
• Set the meeting topic, date/time, duration, and other details.
• Enable or disable settings like video, meeting ID generation, waiting room, etc.
• Click Save to finish scheduling your meeting.

The meeting invitation will contain a join link that you can share with participants. Your scheduled meetings also appear in the Zoom desktop and mobile apps.

Enabling Zoom Security Options

As a meeting host, you have access to important security options that help prevent trolling and zoom-bombing incidents. Here are some key features to enable:

• Waiting Room – Guests wait for the host to admit them before joining the meeting
• Password – An extra layer of protection behind a passcode
• Lock Meeting – Prevents anyone else from joining after the meeting starts
• Remove participants – Kick out disruptive attendees if needed

You can toggle these options on or off before or during your Zoom meetings. They add a great deal of protection and control for meeting hosts.

Comparing Free and Paid Zoom Plans

Zoom offers several pricing plans beyond the basic free version. Here’s an overview:

• Free – 40-minute group meetings for up to 100 participants, unlimited 1:1 meetings
• Pro ($149.90/year) – 24-hour group meetings for up to 100 participants, user management tools
• Business ($199.90/year) – Minimum 300 participants, dedicated phone support
• Enterprise (custom pricing) – Minimum 500 participants, executive business reviews, dedicated account manager

Paid accounts remove the 40-minute limit on group meetings. They also provide more cloud storage, administrative controls, phone support, and advanced features like company branding and SSO integration.

For most personal usage, the free Zoom account should suffice. Small teams may benefit from a Pro plan, while large enterprises require a Business or Enterprise plan.

Joining Your First Zoom Meeting

Once signed up, you can start joining other people’s Zoom meetings right away:

• Via invite link – Open the Zoom meeting link or invitation sent to you. It will launch the meeting.
• Via meeting ID – Open the Zoom app or web portal, click Join, and manually enter the meeting ID provided.
• Via personal link – Go to zoom.us/join and enter the person’s personal meeting room link.

In your first meeting, take a minute to familiarize yourself with the interface. Be sure to check your audio and video connections. With just those basics covered, you are ready to be an active Zoom participant!

Conclusion

Signing up for Zoom only takes a few minutes whether you are on desktop or mobile. Follow the step-by-step process outlined here to create your free account, download the app, and start your first test meeting.

Enable relevant security options as a meeting host to keep your events safe. And feel free to join other Zoom meetings anytime using the invite link, ID, or personal room link provided.

With your account created, Zoom’s robust features for video meetings, webinars, chat, and conference calls are now at your fingertips!