The fastest way to start a Zoom meeting
Open Zoom on your computer or phone, sign in to your account, and click the blue New Meeting button. Zoom generates a meeting ID and link when ready — you can share that link with others right away, or start the meeting alone and invite people once it begins. The whole process takes about 30 seconds.
If you want to schedule a meeting for later instead of starting one now, click Schedule instead of New Meeting. You'll set a date and time, add a title, and Zoom will send you a calendar invite and a link to share with participants.
Key Takeaways
- Click New Meeting to start when ready, or Schedule to pick a date and time for later.
- Your meeting ID is unique to that session — once you end the meeting, that ID cannot be reused.
- Share the meeting link (not just the ID) so people can join with one click instead of typing numbers.
- Turn on the waiting room before you invite others, so you control who enters and when.
- Test your camera, microphone, and speaker before inviting anyone, especially if this is your first meeting.
Starting a meeting right now
Sign into the Zoom app or Zoom.us in your web browser. On the home screen, you'll see a blue button labeled New Meeting. Click it. Zoom opens a meeting window with your camera and microphone settings visible at the bottom.
Before you invite anyone, check that your camera is on (you should see yourself), your microphone is working (the microphone icon should not have a slash through it), and your speaker is set to the right device. If you're using a laptop's built-in speaker and it sounds muffled, switch to headphones or an external speaker in the audio settings.
Once you're ready, share the meeting link with others. You'll find it in the meeting window under Invite — it looks like https://zoom.us/j/[numbers]. Send that full link, not just the meeting ID. People who click the link join in one step; people who only have the ID have to type it in manually.
Scheduling a meeting for a specific date and time
Click Schedule instead of New Meeting. A form appears asking for the meeting title, date, start time, and duration. Fill in each field. You can set the meeting to repeat daily, weekly, or monthly if you need regular check-ins.
Scroll down to see more options: you can require a password, turn on the waiting room, and choose whether participants can share their screen. For security, turn on both the password and the waiting room — the password prevents someone from joining if they find the link, and the waiting room lets you see who's trying to enter before they get in.
Click Save. Zoom sends you a calendar invite (in Outlook, Google Calendar, or Apple Calendar, depending on what you use) and gives you a link to share. You can send that link to participants now, or wait until closer to the meeting time.
Controlling who enters with the waiting room
The waiting room is a holding area where people wait after they click the meeting link. You see their names and can let them in one at a time, or all at once. This prevents someone from joining before you're ready or from entering if they shouldn't be there.
Turn on the waiting room when you schedule the meeting (look for the toggle under Security), or turn it on after you start. If the meeting is already running, click the Security button at the bottom of the window, then select Enable Waiting Room. Anyone who tries to join after that point lands in the waiting room instead of the meeting.
When someone arrives, you'll see a notification. Click Admit to let them in, or Remove if they shouldn't be there. You can also admit everyone at once by clicking Admit All, though this defeats the purpose of the waiting room.
Adding a password to your meeting
A password is a second layer of protection. Even if someone gets the meeting link, they can't enter without the password. When you schedule a meeting, Zoom generates a password automatically — you'll see it listed under the meeting link. You can change it to something easier to remember, or delete it if you don't need one.
If your meeting is already running and you didn't set a password, you can add one. Click Security at the bottom, then Enable Waiting Room or Lock Meeting. Locking the meeting prevents anyone else from joining at all, even if they have the link and password. Use this once everyone you expect has arrived.
Sharing the meeting link the right way
The meeting link is the easiest way for people to join. It looks like https://zoom.us/j/[10-digit number]. You can find it in the Invite section of the meeting window, or in the calendar invite Zoom sent you.
Copy the full link and paste it into an email, text message, or chat. Do not share just the meeting ID — people will have to type it in manually, and they might make a typo. The link does the work for them.
If you want to include the password in the message, write it separately: "Meeting link: [link]. Password: [password]." Some people copy the link and password together by mistake, which breaks the link.
What happens when you end the meeting
When you click End Meeting, everyone is removed from the call. The meeting ID for that session is gone — you cannot restart it or let people rejoin. If you scheduled the meeting to repeat, the next occurrence will have a different meeting ID.
Zoom saves a recording of the meeting if you turned on recording before you started. You can find it in the Recordings tab on Zoom.us, usually within a few hours. If you did not turn on recording, there is no video to retrieve later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the same meeting link every time I meet with the same group?
No. Each time you end a meeting, that link stops working. If you meet with the same people regularly, schedule recurring meetings instead — Zoom will generate a new link for each occurrence, but you can send the same calendar invite each time and people will know when to expect it.
What if someone joins before I'm ready?
If you turned on the waiting room, they'll be stuck there until you admit them. If you didn't, they'll be in the meeting. You can remove them by clicking their name and selecting Remove, or you can lock the meeting so no one else can join. Lock the meeting once everyone you expect has arrived.
Do I need to give people a password if I'm using the waiting room?
No — the waiting room is enough. A password adds a second layer if you're worried about the link being shared with someone who shouldn't be there, but it's not required. Use both if the meeting is sensitive; use just the waiting room for casual meetings.
Can I change the meeting link after I've shared it?
No. Once you share a link, it stays the same until the meeting ends. If you need to cancel or reschedule, send a new message telling people the old link is no longer valid and sharing a new one.
What's the difference between ending a meeting and leaving a meeting?
If you're the host (the person who started it), clicking End Meeting removes everyone and closes the meeting entirely. If you're a participant, you can click Leave Meeting to exit, but the meeting keeps going without you. Only the host can end it for everyone.