How to Use Zoom: A Calm, Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Zoom is a free app for video calls with one person or a whole group, and you can join most meetings just by tapping a link someone sends you. There is nothing to pay and nothing complicated to set up for joining a call. Zoom is the video-call app many families, clubs, doctors, and churches use, so learning it once opens a lot of doors.

You can use Zoom on a phone, a tablet, or a computer. The steps below cover joining a call you have been invited to, then hosting your own, on whatever device you have. Take it slowly; you can practise as much as you like, and nobody sees you until you choose to turn your camera on.

Installing the Zoom app first

Install the Zoom app once, before your first call, so you are not rushing when the time comes. On an iPhone or iPad, open the App Store, the blue icon with a white letter A. On an Android phone or tablet, open the Google Play Store, the white icon with a coloured triangle. On a computer, go to zoom.us in your web browser.

In the store, tap the search box at the top, type the word Zoom, and look for the app called Zoom Workplace, sometimes shown as Zoom Cloud Meetings. Tap Get or Install. The download is free and takes a minute or two. When it finishes, you will see a blue Zoom icon on your screen with a white video camera on it.

You do not need to open Zoom or sign in yet. Having the app installed is enough to join when someone invites you. If a meeting link ever opens in your web browser instead, that works too, but the app is smoother and easier on a small screen.

Joining a meeting from a link

Most calls reach you as a link in a text message, an email, or a WhatsApp message. The link looks something like zoom.us followed by some numbers. Tapping it is the easiest way in, because it carries the meeting details for you.

1. Open the message, email, or text that contains the Zoom link.
2. Tap the blue link once. Your device will offer to open it in the Zoom app.
3. If asked, tap Open or Launch Meeting to confirm.
4. Wait a few seconds while Zoom connects. You may see a message that says the host will let you in soon; this is normal, just wait.
5. When prompted, tap Join with Video to show your face, or Join without Video to stay hidden for now.
6. Tap Join with Wi-Fi or Internet Audio, sometimes called Call using Internet Audio, so the others can hear you.

You are now in the call. If you see yourself but cannot hear anyone, or they cannot hear you, the audio step was probably skipped. Look for a small microphone or headphone icon and tap Join Audio.

Joining with a Meeting ID and password

Sometimes you are given a Meeting ID, a string of 9 to 11 digits, and a passcode instead of a link. This is just another way to reach the same call. Open the Zoom app, tap the blue Join button on the main screen, type the Meeting ID, then tap Join and enter the passcode if asked.

Write the Meeting ID and passcode on paper beforehand if someone reads them to you over the phone. Numbers are easy to mishear, and having them written down removes the pressure of getting them right in the moment. The result is identical to tapping a link.

Testing your camera and sound before a real call

You can check that everything works before any real meeting by joining Zoom's free test call, so nothing is a surprise on the day. Open your web browser and go to zoom.us/test, then tap the blue Join button. Zoom opens a practice room where you are the only person, with no one watching.

In the test room, Zoom asks if you can hear a ringtone, which checks your speaker, then asks you to speak and listen for it played back, which checks your microphone. You will also see your own camera picture, so you can tidy your hair and check the lighting. Sit with a window or lamp in front of you rather than behind, so your face is lit and not in shadow.

Practise tapping the mute and camera buttons in this test room until they feel familiar. Since no one else is there, you cannot embarrass yourself, and a few minutes here makes a real call far more relaxed. Leave the test the same way as any call, with the red Leave button.

Your controls during a call

Tap the middle of the screen once if the buttons disappear, and a row of controls appears along the bottom or top. These let you control your sound and picture. Nothing here can disconnect the call by accident; the only button that leaves the meeting is clearly labelled Leave and is usually red.

A red line through the microphone means you are muted and others cannot hear you. Tap it once to unmute when you want to speak. The same applies to the camera icon for your picture. If you ever feel lost, leaving and re-joining with the same link fixes most small problems.

Hosting your own Zoom meeting

Hosting means you start the call and invite others, which needs a free Zoom account. Open the Zoom app, tap Sign Up, and follow the prompts using your email address. You will confirm by clicking a link Zoom emails you. Write your password on paper and keep it safe.

Once signed in, tap the orange New Meeting button, then Start a Meeting. To bring people in, tap Participants, then Invite, and choose Copy Link. Now paste that link into a text, email, or WhatsApp message to whoever you want on the call. They tap it and join, exactly as you learned above.

Free Zoom accounts limit group calls of three or more people to 40 minutes, after which the call ends and everyone simply re-joins the same link. One-to-one calls have no time limit. For most family catch-ups the 40 minutes is plenty, and re-joining takes seconds.

Frequently asked questions

Is Zoom free? Yes. Joining any meeting is free and needs no account. Hosting is also free, with a 40 minute limit on group calls. You only pay if you want longer group meetings or extra features, which most people never need.

Do people see me before I am ready? No. When you join, Zoom asks whether to turn your camera on. If you choose Join without Video, your picture stays hidden until you tap Start Video yourself. You are always in control of your camera and microphone.

What if I cannot hear anyone? Check that you tapped Join Audio or Call using Internet Audio when you joined, and turn up your device volume with the side buttons. If it still fails, leave the call and tap the link again to re-join.

Can I use Zoom on my phone instead of a computer? Yes, fully. The phone and tablet apps do everything the computer version does for joining and hosting calls. Many people find a tablet the most comfortable, since the screen is bigger than a phone but it is still easy to hold.

Will I disturb the meeting if I press the wrong button? Almost certainly not. The only button that leaves the call is the red Leave button, and it asks you to confirm first. Everything else just controls your own sound and picture, so feel free to explore the controls.