15 Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts Everyone Should Know

Everyone seems to be talking about Zoom these days.

In case you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, Zoom is the popular video conferencing software that’s taken the world by storm. With the onset of COVID-19, and the enforced adoption of remote working, Zoom has become very popular of late.

The Zoom platform happens to be an excellent means of holding large online meetings. It’s easy to use and comes with several great features that people love.

That’s why it’s convenient to learn about Zoom keyboard shortcuts, which makes the software that much easier to use. Here’s a look at some Zoom platform features and the shortcuts to access them.

1. Schedule a Meeting

Using Zoom for meetings is easy, and scheduling a meeting is a piece of cake.

There are many ways to do it, including using the “schedule meeting” feature on the home screen. But, by far, the easiest and fastest way to schedule a new meeting is to simply use the keyboard shortcut.

Just use Command (⌘) + D on a Mac or Control + D on Windows. This will open up the scheduled meeting prompt: just add time, date, and other details to schedule a new meeting.

2. Join Meeting

The join meeting feature is one of the most important Zoom tools. By using this feature, you can quickly rejoin a Zoom meeting.

For whatever reason, you might navigate away from the meeting, or maybe you were accidentally kicked off. Having a shortcut on hand helps you get back to the meeting immediately.

For Mac users, just use Command (⌘) + J, or for Windows users, use Alt + J. Having used the shortcut, just add the invite link and join the Zoom meeting.

3. Invite

You might want to invite another participant to join an ongoing meeting.

The simplest way to do this is to quickly toggle a keyboard shortcut to invite someone else on the call. For example, for Mac users, hit Command (⌘) + T or Alt + T for Windows users. This will open up an invite screen; enter the invitee’s email.

Keep in mind that Zoom has also been subject to security issues—especially hacking by trolls, a practice colorfully known as Zoombombing. Luckily, there are many ways of improving security for Zoom meetings.

4. Switch to Active Speaker View

If you want your screen to display the active speaker, using a keyboard shortcut is the best way. For example, on a Mac, use Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + W; for Windows, use Alt + F1.

5. Enter/Exit Full Screen

Many Zoom users will want the meeting display to take up the entire screen. Doing so tends to minimize distractions.

Still, it’s sometimes necessary to return to the desktop to use another app, perform an internet search, etc. Just use Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + F for Mac or Alt + F for Windows.

6. Screen Sharing

Screen sharing is a very useful feature in Zoom meetings.

It’s used to easily share the screen on your computer with other participants, typically a video or presentation. That way, you can demonstrate something important to the other attendees.

Rather than fiddling with the buttons and features in the app, you can just hit Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + S on a Mac or Alt + S on Windows. Then, just use the same combo to exit the screen sharing.

7. Pause Screen Sharing

You might also want to pause the screen sharing for a variety of reasons. This could be while trying to resolve a technical issue with what you’re sharing, or perhaps you just have personal reasons for not sharing everything with your colleagues.

Either way, pausing is pretty straightforward. Just toggle the onscreen pause button, or use Shift (⇧) + Command (⌘) + T on a Mac or Alt + T on Windows.

8. Display/Hide Participants Panel

We can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to admire your lovely colleagues.

But if, for some reason, you find yourself distracted or just disgusted with the thumbnail images of your fellow participants, it’s pretty easy to hide this panel. For Mac users, hit Command (⌘) + U, and for Windows users, hit Alt + U. The same shortcut will also display the panel.

9. Display/Hide In-Meeting Chat Panel

Again, you might find the in-meeting chat panel in the Zoom app to be a bit of a distraction.

In this case, you can easily hide or display the panel with simple keyboard shortcuts. For example, use Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + H for Mac and Alt + H for Windows.

10. Raise/Lower Hand

Zoom allows for potentially vast numbers of participants. This can be up to one hundred on the free plan and up to one thousand on paid plans.

So it can be challenging to recognize participants who wish to voice an opinion. The raise hand feature provides for better participation, and it’s effortless to use. Use the shortcut Option + Y for Mac and Alt + Y on Windows.

11. Mute/Unmute Audio

There are several reasons why you might want to mute your audio during the meeting.

In those situations, don’t fret. Just use Shift (⇧) + Command (⌘) + A for Mac and Alt + A for Windows.

12. Unmute to Talk

And rather than unmute your audio altogether, you can use this neat feature to temporarily unmute yourself while talking in the meeting.

It’s straightforward: just press the Space bar while speaking (this works for Mac and Windows users).

13. Mute/Unmute Audio for Everyone but the Host

This one’s just for the host. Look, it can be difficult trying to host a Zoom meeting, and dealing with multiple participants trying to talk over each other can be a real pain.

It’s even more difficult for the host to make himself heard. So this handy little feature allows you to basically shut everyone else up. To do it, just use Control + Command (⌘) + M on a Mac or Alt + M on Windows.

14. Pause/Resume Recording

One of the interesting Zoom tools is that you can record the entire meeting. Nevertheless, you might not want to record everything. Instead, just hit Shift (⇧) + Command (⌘) + P on a Mac or Alt + P on Windows to pause or resume a recording.

15. End the Meeting

This one couldn’t be simpler. Just hit Command (⌘) + W on a Mac or Alt + Q on Windows.

Use These Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts to Make Your Meetings Go Smoothly

By using these Zoom keyboard shortcuts, you can easily enhance your productivity during meetings. It might take some time to learn all the keyboard combos, but it’ll make your life much easier once you do.

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