How to start a Zoom meeting as host
Zoom meetings can be scheduled or started ad-hoc. A scheduled meeting doesn’t start automatically i.e., the meeting room will not open simply because the time for it to start has arrived. With all scheduled meetings, the meeting must be started manually by the host.
Start a Zoom meeting as host
A scheduled meeting can be ‘started’ any time. Participants can join a meeting only after it starts. If the meeting starts early, participants can join it when the host allows them in. They do not have to wait for the given time to arrive before they can request to enter the meeting room.
A scheduled meeting can be started at any time before it’s set time, it can be close early, and started again. If you have meeting scheduled on Wednesday, you can start it on Tuesday, end it, and then start it again on Wednesday.
Start a Zoom meeting as host – Desktop
To start a Zoom meeting as host from the Windows 10 or macOS desktop app, follow these steps.
- Open Zoom.
- Go to Meetings from the top right.
- Select the meeting you want to start from the column on the left.
- Click the Start button.
Start a Zoom meeting as host – Web
To start a Zoom meeting from the web interface, follow these steps.
- Visit Zoom in your browser.
- Select Meetings from the column on left.
- Select the Upcoming tabs.
- Move the mouse over the meeting you want to start.
- Click the Start button that appears.
Start a Zoom meeting as host – iOS/Android
To start a Zoom meeting from the iOS or Android apps, follow these steps.
- Open the Zoom app.
- Go to the Meetings tab.
- Tap the meeting you want to start.
- Tap Start.
Starting meetings early
Zoom allows users to start a meeting early. This is particularly handy given that users cannot select a custom minute on the hour to schedule a meeting however, when a meeting starts early, the participants are not informed automatically. If you plan on starting a meeting early, make sure everyone knows.
Conclusion
A scheduled meeting that has never been started will remain in the list of scheduled meetings. You can still start it and let the participants know that the link they have is valid and should be used. If you do not plan on holding the meeting, ever, you will have to manually delete it. The process is similar to starting the meeting only instead of the Start button, you will click the Delete button.
