Participant Controls

Screenshot of Zoom options. The screenshot is a long, horizontal bar with a black background. There are a number of icons with text below them. The icons and text to the left are: a microphone with text below that says Mute; and a video camera with text below that says Stop Video. There are arrows pointing up to the right of both options. In the middle, there are five icons with text below. They are a silhouette of people with the number "2" and text below that says Participants; a message bubble with text underneath that says Chat; a green square with an arrow pointing up and text below that says Share Screen; a solid circle with another circle around it with text below that says Record; and a circle with a smiley face with a plus icon and text below that says Reactions. To the right, there is a red rectangle with white text that says Leave.

The participant controls appear at the bottom of your screen if you're not currently screen sharing.

Participants have access to these features:

  • Join Audio or Unmute/ Mute: Mute and unmute your microphone.

  • Audio Controls (click the ^ arrow next to Mute / Unmute): Allows you to change the microphone and speaker that Zoom is currently using on your computer.

Tip: Use the following keyboard shortcuts to mute or unmute yourself. You can also use push to talk if you want to unmute yourself by holding the spacebar.

  • Windows: Alt + A

  • Mac: Shift + Command + A

  • Start Video / Stop Video: Turns your camera on or off.

  • Video Controls (click the ^ arrow next to Start Video / Stop Video): Change cameras if you have multiple cameras, select a virtual background (if enabled), or access your full video settings.

Participants : See who's currently in the meeting and invite others. You can also access to these options:

  • Rename: Hover over your name, click More, and choose Rename to change your screen name displayed to other participants.

  • Chat: Access the chat window to chat with other host.

  • Share Screen: Start a screen share (if the host allows). You will be able to select the desktop or application you want to share.

  • Record: Start or stop a local recording. Participants do not have access to start a cloud recording.

Note: The host will need to allow local recordings in their account settings, then give you permission to record. If you don't have permission to record, use the in-meeting chat or audio to ask the host for permission.

  • Reactions: Meeting reactions, nonverbal feedback, and Raise Hand allow you to communicate issues or feedback to the host or presenter without disrupting the meeting. These reactions are shown on your video panel and next to your name on the participants panel.

  • Leave: Leave the meeting while it continues for the other participants. Only the host can end the meeting.

When using educational technology tools, be FERPA aware. To learn more, visit the Registrar's FERPA Guidelines site.