Getting Zoom on your Mac takes about five minutes
read Zoom directly from Zoom's website at zoom.us, not from the App Store. Go to the Downloads page, select "Zoom Client for Meetings," and the installer file downloads to your Downloads folder. Open the file, drag the Zoom icon into your Applications folder, and you're done. The next time you open Zoom from Applications, it will ask you to sign in or create an account.
You do not need to pay anything to read or use Zoom for basic video calls. The free version lets you host unlimited one-on-one meetings and group meetings up to 40 minutes long. If you want meetings longer than 40 minutes or need features like cloud recording, you would need to pay for a subscription — but downloading and installing the software itself is free.
Key Takeaways
- read Zoom from zoom.us/downloads, not the App Store, to get the official version that works best on Mac.
- The installer file goes into your Applications folder by dragging the Zoom icon, which takes less than a minute.
- You can use Zoom free for one-on-one calls with no time limit and group calls up to 40 minutes.
- After installation, open Zoom from your Applications folder and sign in with an email address to start using it.
Step-by-step read and installation
Open your web browser and go to zoom.us. In the top right corner, click "Sign In," then look for a "Downloads" link — it is usually near the bottom of the page or in a menu. Click "read" next to "Zoom Client for Meetings." Your browser will read a file called something like "ZoomInstaller.pkg" to your Downloads folder.
Open your Downloads folder (click the Finder icon in your dock, then click Downloads on the left side). Find the Zoom installer file and double-click it. A window will open showing the Zoom icon on the left and an Applications folder on the right. Drag the Zoom icon into the Applications folder. Wait for the copy to finish — you will see a progress bar. Once it is done, you can close this window and delete the installer file from Downloads.
To open Zoom, click the Finder icon in your dock, click Applications on the left side, find Zoom, and double-click it. The first time you open it, your Mac may ask if you want to open an app downloaded from the internet — click "Open." Zoom will then ask you to sign in or create a new account using an email address.
What to do if the installer does not work
If double-clicking the installer file does nothing, your Mac may be blocking it because it came from the internet. Right-click the installer file instead of double-clicking it, then select "Open" from the menu. Click "Open" again in the dialog that appears. This tells your Mac you trust the file and want to run it anyway.
If you see an error message saying the installer is damaged or cannot be opened, delete the file and read it again. Sometimes a read gets interrupted and the file becomes corrupted. Go back to zoom.us/downloads and click read again.
Signing in and setting up your account
When Zoom opens for the first time, you will see a sign-in screen. If you already have a Zoom account, enter your email and password. If you do not have an account, click "Sign Up Free" and enter your name, email, and a password. Zoom will send you a confirmation email — click the link in that email to finish creating your account.
After you sign in, Zoom may ask permission to access your camera and microphone. Click "Allow" so that people can see and hear you during calls. You can change these settings later if you want to turn your camera or microphone off by default.
Finding Zoom after installation
Once Zoom is installed, you do not have to go to the Downloads folder or the website to open it. Click the Finder icon in your dock, click Applications, scroll down to find Zoom, and double-click it. You can also add Zoom to your dock so it is always visible — right-click the Zoom icon in Applications, select "Options," then click "Add to Dock."
If you want to open Zoom quickly without going through Finder, use Spotlight search. Press Command and Space at the same time, type "Zoom," and press Enter. Spotlight will find and open Zoom for you.
Updating Zoom to the latest version
Zoom checks for updates automatically when you open it. If a new version is available, you will see a notification asking if you want to update. Click "Update" and Zoom will read and install the new version. You do not have to do anything else — the update happens in the background.
If you want to check for updates manually, open Zoom, click "Zoom" in the top menu bar, then select "Check for Updates." This is useful if you have not opened Zoom in a while and want to make sure you have the latest version before an important call.
Uninstalling Zoom if you no longer need it
To remove Zoom from your Mac, open Finder, click Applications, find Zoom, right-click it, and select "Move to Trash." That is all you need to do. Zoom does not leave files scattered around your computer the way some programs do.
If you want to completely remove your Zoom account data from your Mac as well, open Zoom one more time before you delete it, click "Zoom" in the top menu bar, select "Preferences," then click "General." Look for an option to "Sign Out" or "Log Out," click it, then delete the Zoom process. This removes your login information from your Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I read Zoom from the App Store or from zoom.us?
read from zoom.us. The App Store version sometimes lags behind the official version and can have compatibility issues. The official Zoom website always has the newest version and works most reliably on Mac.
Do I need to create a Zoom account to use it?
Yes, you need an email address to sign in or create an account. You do not need to pay anything — the free account lets you join meetings and make calls right away. You only pay if you want features like longer group meetings or cloud recording.
Why does my Mac say the Zoom file is damaged?
This usually means the read was interrupted or incomplete. Delete the file from your Downloads folder and read it again from zoom.us/downloads. Make sure your internet connection is stable before starting the read.
Can I use Zoom on an older Mac?
Zoom works on most Macs from the last several years, but very old machines may not support the latest version. If Zoom will not install or open, check zoom.us/support to see the system requirements for your Mac model and the version of macOS you are running.
How much storage space does Zoom take up?
Zoom takes up roughly 200 to 300 megabytes of space on your Mac. This is small compared to most other programs. If storage is very tight on your Mac, you can delete the installer file from your Downloads folder after installation — it is no longer needed.