How to join an online meeting: Google Hangouts, Zoom, and Skype
A lot of daily activity is moving online with countries going into full or partial lockdowns because of COVID-19. To that end, lots of people are learning about new tools that help them work online. If you have to attend online meetings, but are struggling to understand how to join one, we have you covered. Here’s how you can join a Google Hangouts, Zoom, or Skype meeting.
Join Google Hangouts meeting
In order to join a Google Hangouts meeting, you need a link to the meeting. This link must be shared by whoever has invited you to the meeting. The link can be shared over email or over a text message or a chat message.
If you’ve received a Google Hangouts meeting invite in your email, there will be a link that you can click to join it. That really is all you have to do. In some cases, depending on the settings for the meeting, you may have to wait until the person who created the meeting allows you to join it.
If you’ve been given a link to a meeting, all you have to do is enter it in the URL bar in your browser. You don’t have to be signed in to your Google account to join the meeting.
If you know a meeting invite has been sent to your Google account, but you cannot find it, visit Google Hangouts. Click the hamburger icon at the top left and click ‘Invites’ in the column. You will see all the invites that have been sent.
Join Zoom meeting
A Zoom meeting invite can be sent to you over email as a link, or as a calendar invite. If you use Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, or Yahoo Calendar, check it for invites. The invite will have a link that you can click to join a Zoom meeting.
Alternatively, you might have been sent a link over email, or text message, or chat. Visit the link in your browser.
If you’ve never used Zoom before, you will be prompted to install a plugin for it. You may have to wait for the person who scheduled the meeting to arrive before you can actually join the call. You will see a message telling you to wait. You might also be taken directly to the meeting even if the other person has not arrived yet. It depends on the settings for the meeting. You do not need to create a Zoom account to join a meeting.
Join Skype meetings
In order to join a Skype meeting, you must have a Skype account and the app installed either on your desktop or your phone. The person inviting you to the meeting will need your Skype ID or your email associated with the ID.
At the time of the meeting, you must be signed into Skype. The meeting is basically a call will multiple participants. When it starts, you will get an incoming call alert from the person who set the meeting. Answer it, and you will be in the meeting.
