In-Meeting Controls
In this chapter, we will review the Zoom Tools available in the In-Meeting Controls Toolbar, the Screenshare Toolbar, and the Annotate Toolbar.
This guide is a work-in-progress. Please pardon any partially-finished sections.
Note: If images of Toolbars or Icons appear different from yours, or a feature isn't working as described, you may need to update your Zoom app version. Learn how to download the latest update or check your version. If your app is up-to-date, our images might not be. Please let us know so we can edit our guide. You can check our last update date and/or contact us via the small circle with a lowercase "i" located in the blue footer at the bottom of each page.
Meeting Controls Toolbar
The Meeting Controls Toolbar is at the bottom of the screen when using the Zoom desktop app. When using the tablet or smartphone app, the Meeting Controls appear at the bottom of your screen, except for Leave meeting, which appears in the top-right corner.
Raise Hand & Reactions
Raise Hand is in the Reactions menu in the Toolbar. Zoom recently added an "All emojis" option, which can be enabled in the browser settings. To access the extended list of emojis, click the ellipsis in the upper right corner of the Reactions menu.
Asking students to use the Raise Hand feature to ask questions can help minimize distractions, but it's first worth considering what type of "flow" you intend for your class. Requiring the use of Raise Hand could stifle organic interactions and feelings of connectedness.
Reactions icons appear in the upper left corner of the participant's video Self View.
The hand icon remains until the participant clicks Lower Hand. If students have hidden their Self View, they won't be able to see the raised hand and will need to remember to lower it.
The other Reactions above Raise Hand can help your students express themselves without interrupting. Remind students to keep it professional and use them sparingly. They disappear after ten seconds.
Polling
Two options:
To create a poll during a meeting, click Polling in the Toolbar.
Click Add a Question in the pop-up window.
-OR-
To create polls in advance, go to your list of meetings in the web browser, click on a class meeting, and scroll to the bottom of the meeting details.
Beneath the Start/Edit buttons, click the Add button next to the "You have not created any poll yet" message and type your questions and answers.
a. You can also Add multiple polls while you're here, which is handy if you're adding them to a recurring class meeting.
To launch your existing poll during the meeting, click Polling in the Toolbar, select the poll, and click Launch Polling.
For more details on Polling, including anonymous answering, sharing poll results with the class, and downloading answers, please view Zoom support's video and written overview.
The Polling button in the Screenshare Toolbar offers these same options.
Chat
In-Meeting Chat can be used for students to ask questions or hold relevant side conversations.
Participants can post links and some types of attachments in the chat.
If students are in Breakout Rooms, they can see anything that was posted in chat prior to leaving the "main"/original room, but will not see new chats until they return to the main room.
a. Any Chats posted in individual Breakout Rooms will not be viewable in the main room or other Breakout Rooms.
For more information about Breakout Room communication, please see our CTEL Zoom FAQs for Faculty.
Participants
Click Participants to open the side-panel and verify attendance, turn participant's camera or microphone on/off, and Invite participants.
The Participants button in the Screenshare Toolbar offers these same options.
Live Transcript (Closed Captioning)
Closed Captioning is enabled by default in UMS Zoom accounts. They appear at the bottom of the Zoom window. To start Closed Captions in a meeting, click Live Transcript and choose one of the available options:
Enable Auto-Transcription computer-generates captions in real time, which makes it the simplest option. While Closed Captioning is enabled by default, this setting must be turned on in your Zoom browser Settings (second screenshot).
You can Assign a participant to type or choose I will type.
For more information on the Copy the API token option for use with a 3rd-party CC service, please review Zoom's CC support page.
The Live Transcript option in the Screenshare Toolbar's "More" button offers these same options.
Hide / Show Self View
It's easy for students to get distracted by checking their self-view video during class. Here's how to help them turn it off:
To hide the self view of your video tile, click the ellipses in the upper right corner of your video/picture tile.
Click Hide Self View.
To turn your self view back on, click View in the upper right corner of the Zoom window and click Show Self View.
Zoom will revert to the default (showing self view) after the meeting, and the self view will need to be hidden during each new meeting.
Note: Inform your students that, if they've clicked Raise Hand, they'll need to remember to lower it since they won't be able to see it with their video hidden.
Always Show In-Meeting Controls
Open the Zoom desktop or tablet/mobile app.
Click the gear icon below your picture in the upper right corner of the app window, and a Settings pop-up will open.
Tick the box next to Always show meeting controls.
Click the red circle in the upper left corner to close the settings window, or leave it open to peruse the other settings options. Zoom support offers video walkthroughs and text tutorials for these settings.
Share Screen
Click the Share Screen icon to play audio or video media, display or work with Word, PowerPoint, and Google Documents, or write on the Whiteboard.
To share a specific application, click its thumbnail. You can also choose to share your entire desktop or multiple windows by clicking the thumbnail for the desired option/s.
When sharing your screen to play audio or video media, be sure to click Share Sound (in the lower left corner of the pop-up window) before you click the thumbnail image of the screen you want to share. Please inform your students this also applies Breakout Rooms.
Screenshare Toolbar
While sharing your screen with the Zoom desktop app, your toolbar moves to the top of your monitor. To move the toolbar, click and hold with your mouse or touchpad and drag it to your desired location.
The Participants, Chat, and Polling tools remain the same in the Screenshare Toolbar, and new controls, such as Annotate, Pause Share, and Stop Share, will appear. Click More to access familiar options, such as Record and Breakout Rooms.
View Zoom Support's video and written instructions for tablet/smartphone screensharing, as well as for help using a second camera with the desktop app.
Screenshare PowerPoint (PPT) With a Single Monitor
Follow these steps to share your PPT Slide Show with participants, while you see your Presenter View with notes. Set this up a few minutes before your Zoom meeting is scheduled to begin.
Open your PPT presentation.
Start the PPT Slide Show in Presenter View.
a. If it opens in full screen, click your keyboard's esc button.
b. Resize and drag the PPT and Zoom windows to opposite corners if you want access to both during your meeting.
In Zoom, click Share screen and choose the Advanced tab.
Choose Portion of Screen and click Share Sound if appropriate.
Resize and drag the green box so it outlines the PPT slide.
a. Don’t move the PPT app window around your screen during your presentation because the green box won’t move with it.
You're ready to present! Screenshots are coming soon. In the meantime, this video provides a good walkthrough from 2:26.
The "More" Button
Located at the far right of the Screenshare Toolbar, the More button contains options normally found in the In-Meeting Toolbar.
When sharing your screen, the options you'll most likely use are:
Record to the Cloud
Live Transcript
Hide Floating Meeting Controls
Share sound
The Annotate Toolbar
Mouse: Deactivate annotation tools and switch to your mouse pointer. This button is blue if annotation tools are deactivated.
a. Can also right-click anywhere to return to Mouse Mode.
Select (only available if you started the shared screen or whiteboard): Select, move, or resize your annotations. To select several annotations at once, click and drag your mouse to display a selection area.
Text: Insert a textbox you can type into.
Draw: Insert lines, arrows, and shapes.
a. Note: To highlight an area of the shared screen or whiteboard, select the square or circle icon filled with dots in the Draw menu to insert a semi-transparent square or circle.
Stamp: Insert predefined icons like a check mark or star.
Spotlight / Arrow / Vanishing Pen icons: Turn your cursor into a spotlight or arrow. The Spotlight icon is the default when you open Annotate. Click Spotlight to access the other two options.
Spotlight (only available if you started the shared screen or whiteboard): Displays your mouse pointer as a red dot to all participants when your mouse is within the area being shared. Use this to point out parts of the screen to other participants.
Arrow: Displays a small arrow instead of your mouse pointer. Click to insert an arrow that displays your name. Each subsequent click will remove the previous arrow placed. You can use this feature to point out your annotations to other participants.
Vanishing Pen (only available if you started the shared screen or whiteboard): Allows the presenter to annotate on the whiteboard or shared screen without having to erase or undo their last addition, as the annotation will fade away within a couple seconds.
a. Note: Only works with desktop app version 5.6.3 and higher (released 04.19.21).
Eraser: Click and drag to erase parts of your annotation. (The Clear option is more efficient if you're removing all annotations.)
Format: Change the formatting options of annotations tools like color, line width, and font.
Undo: Undo your latest annotation.
Redo: Redo your latest annotation that you undid.
Clear: Delete all annotations.
Save: Save shared screen / whiteboard and annotations as a PNG or PDF. The files are saved to the local recording location.
a. Note: This option is only available to viewers if the host has allowed others to save.
To change the file format, click the downward arrow next to Save and select one of these options:
a. PNG: Save as a PNG file. If there are multiple whiteboards, Zoom will save a PNG file for each whiteboard.
b. PDF: Save as a PDF. If there are multiple whiteboards, Zoom will save a single PDF containing all whiteboards.