Zoom meetings have become ubiquitous in the modern workplace. With participants joining from around the world, it can be challenging to keep everyone engaged. Pinning a speaker’s video is an easy way to focus attention during meetings. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to utilize this feature effectively.
Table of Contents
What Is Video Pinning
Pinning a video in Zoom keeps one participant as the main speaker on the screen, even when they are not talking. Their video feed will remain prominent regardless of who else speaks during the meeting. This is useful for:
- Keeping presenters or lecturers on screen
- Spotlighting sign language interpreters
- Focusing on a shared presentation or demo
Video pinning overrides Zoom’s default active speaker view. Only meeting hosts and co-hosts can pin a participant’s video.
How to Pin a Video
Pinning a speaker’s video is simple:
On Desktop
- Hover over the video of the participant you want to pin
- Click on the More button (three dots)
- Select Pin from the menu
You can pin up to 9 videos this way. Pinned videos will remain fixed on screen until manually unpinned.
On Mobile
- Tap on the participant’s video to bring up the menu
- Tap Pin to keep them on the main screen
You can also double tap the participant’s thumbnail in gallery view to pin them.
Pinning Multiple Videos
Zoom allows hosts to pin up to 9 videos simultaneously in meetings with 3 or more participants. This “multi-pin” keeps multiple speakers visible on one screen.
To multi-pin videos:
- Hover over the participant and click the More button
- Choose Allow to Multi-Pin from the menu
- Repeat for up to 9 participants
By default, only hosts and co-hosts can use multi-pin. But you can enable individual participants to use it as well.
Multi-pin is viewable only by the person pinning the videos – the rest of the participants will see a standard view.
Differences Between Pinning and Spotlighting
Spotlighting is similar to pinning, with one key difference:
- Pinned videos are only viewable by the person pinning them
- Spotlighted videos are prominent for all participants to see
So if you need everyone to focus on the same speaker, use Spotlight video. To customize your own view, use Pin video.
Hosts can spotlight up to 9 participants simultaneously so the entire meeting sees them prominently.
Tips for Effective Video Pinning
Here are some best practices for pinning speaker’s video:
- Inform participants you will be pinning speakers
- Spotlight interpreters so they are viewable by all
- Unpin presenters when done so conversations can flow
- Enable participants to pin if doing breakout rooms
- Use gallery view and hide non-video participants to maximize space
Troubleshooting Issues
Here are some common pinning issues and how to resolve them:
- Videos not staying pinned – Hover over the pinned video and click pin icon again
- Can’t find pin option – Make sure you are a host or co-host
- Black screens between pinned videos – Try spotlighting instead
- Pinned videos not showing in recordings – Use spotlight instead
Conclusion
Pinning speakers is an easy way to direct focus during Zoom meetings. By following these steps, enabling multi-pins, and setting some best practices, you can optimize the video experience for all participants. Over time, you will get comfortable with pinning and spotlighting the most relevant speakers at the right moments.
