How to use Zoom: a step-by-step guide for beginners

This guide is for anyone who has been sent a Zoom link and isn't quite sure what to do with it. By the time you reach the end, you'll know how to download the app, join a video call, get your face on screen, and mute yourself when the dog starts barking. No prior experience needed.

Zoom is one of the most widely used video-calling services in the UK. Millions of families used it to stay in touch during the pandemic, and plenty still do. Doctors, solicitors and community groups use it too. If someone has sent you a link and said "just click it", this guide explains exactly what happens next.

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Step 1: Download Zoom onto your device

The Zoom app is free. You do not need to pay for anything to join a meeting someone else has set up.

On an iPad or iPhone: open the App Store (the blue icon with a white letter A), type "Zoom" in the search bar at the top, and tap "Get" next to the app called Zoom - One Platform to Connect. It's made by Zoom Video Communications. Tap "Install" if prompted and wait about a minute.

On an Android phone or tablet: open the Play Store (the colourful triangle icon), search for "Zoom", and tap "Install" on the same app. Some Samsung devices have a slightly different layout, but the search bar is always at the top.

On a Windows laptop or desktop: go to zoom.us in your browser, scroll down to the footer and click "Download Centre", then click "Download" under Zoom Desktop Client. Once it downloads, open the file and follow the short installation wizard.

On a Mac: the process is identical to Windows. Go to zoom.us/download and run the installer.

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Step 2: Create a free Zoom account

You only need to do this once. After that, Zoom remembers you.

Open the app and tap or click "Sign Up". Enter your email address, then check your inbox for a confirmation email from Zoom. Click the link in that email, choose a password, and you're in. The whole thing takes about four minutes.

A couple of things worth knowing: your date of birth is required during sign-up purely to confirm you meet the minimum age requirement. Zoom does not use it for anything else. And if you already have a Google or Apple account, you can tap "Sign in with Google" or "Sign in with Apple" instead and skip the password step entirely. In my experience, the Google sign-in option is the quickest route for most people.

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Step 3: Open the invitation link

When someone sends you a Zoom meeting link, it looks something like this:

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/12345678901?pwd=aBcDeFgH

The numbers in the middle are the Meeting ID.

On a phone or tablet: simply tap the link in the text message or email. Your device will ask whether to open it in Zoom or in your browser. Choose Zoom.

On a computer: click the link in your email. Your browser will open briefly, then a small window will appear asking "Open Zoom Meetings?" - click that. If nothing happens after a few seconds, there's usually a small link on the page that says "download & run Zoom"; click that instead.

You may be asked to enter a Meeting ID and passcode manually if the link doesn't work. Both are included in the invitation message.

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Step 4: Allow Zoom to use your camera and microphone

Before you appear on screen, your device needs permission to use its camera and microphone. This only happens the first time.

A pop-up will appear saying something like "Zoom would like to access your camera" and separately "Zoom would like to access your microphone". Tap "Allow" for both. If you tap "Don't Allow" by accident, you can fix this later in your device settings (search for "Zoom" under Privacy or App Permissions).

Some people feel uneasy about giving an app permission to use the camera. That's entirely understandable. Zoom can only see and hear you while the app is open and you're in a meeting. The moment you leave or close the app, the camera is off.

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Step 5: Join the meeting

Once the app opens and permissions are sorted, you'll see a preview of your own camera. This is your chance to check how you look before anyone else sees you.

Tap or click "Join with Video" to enter the meeting with your camera switched on. If you'd rather not appear on camera, tap "Join without Video" instead. You can switch video on and off at any point during the call.

Depending on the meeting, you may be placed in a "waiting room" first. This just means the host hasn't let you in yet. You'll see a message saying "Please wait, the meeting host will let you in soon." Nothing's gone wrong. Just wait.

Once you're in, you'll see either a grid of faces (if there are several people) or one large image of the person you're calling. Your own video appears as a small box, usually in the corner.

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Step 6: Mute and unmute yourself

At the bottom of the screen (on a phone, you may need to tap once to make the toolbar appear) you'll see a microphone icon on the left. If the microphone has a red line through it, you're muted and no one can hear you. Tap it to unmute. Tap again to mute.

This matters more than people realise. Background noise, a television, a kettle boiling, can be surprisingly disruptive for everyone else on the call, even if you can't hear it yourself. The polite habit is to stay muted until you want to speak, then unmute, talk, and mute again afterwards.

Next to the microphone icon you'll see a camera icon. Same logic applies: a red line means it's off. Tap to toggle.

On a computer, the toolbar sits at the bottom of the Zoom window. If it disappears, move your mouse over the window and it'll reappear.

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Step 7: Leave the meeting

When the call is finished, tap or click "Leave" in the bottom-right corner of the screen. You'll be given the option to "Leave Meeting" (just you) or "End Meeting for All" (if you're the host). Unless you organised the meeting, choose "Leave Meeting".

And that's it. You've made a Zoom call.

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A few things to know before your first call

Check your internet connection first. Zoom doesn't need a fast connection, but it does need a stable one. If your Wi-Fi signal is weak, move closer to your router. A video call requires roughly 1.5 Mbps upload and download speed; most UK broadband manages that easily, but a poor signal in a back bedroom can cause freezing.

Good lighting makes a real difference. Sit facing a window rather than with one behind you. The camera will struggle with a bright light source behind your head and you'll appear as a silhouette.

You don't need to shout. A common first-timer habit. Speak at your normal volume; the microphone is more sensitive than you'd expect.

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