Managing participant capabilities as a Zoom meeting host

Zoom gives you options, as a meeting host, to control how participants in your Zoom meeting can interact with you and each other.  A full explanation of all these options is available from Zoom, with screen shots for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Below are directions for managing screen sharing and audio sharing.

Screen sharing

By default Zoom allows all participants to share their screens, one participant at a time. For small group settings where screen sharing may pass back and forth among participants, these settings may be appropriate.  For larger or more structured events like a lecture or a presentation, Zoom allows you to restrict screen sharing to yourself as the meeting host, thus preventing other participants from sharing their screens. For smaller or more interactive settings, Zoom allows you to let multiple participants share screens at the same time. 

To tailor these settings appropriately for your Zoom meeting, follow these steps:

1.  Move your mouse to the bottom of the Zoom meeting window, then select the up arrow next to Share on the menu bar:
2. Select Advanced Sharing Options.
   
3. In the Advanced Sharing Options dialog box, choose the sharing options that are right for your meeting and select the X in the upper right to close the dialog box. 

Audio sharing

By default, your meeting will allow all participants to interact via audio. While this setting may be appropriate for small group meetings, it may be less appropriate for lectures or presentations. As host, you have the option to mute the audio of individual participants or all participants in your Zoom meeting.

To mute or unmute all current and future participants

1. To manage participants' audio, select Manage Participants in the menu bar that appears when you hover your mouse at the bottom of the Zoom window.
2. The Participants pane will display to the side of your Zoom meeting window.
3. At the bottom of the Participants pane, select the Mute All button (alternatively, you could also select the More button and select Mute participants on Entry from the pop-up menu). This action prevents all current and new participants from sharing their audio. You'll notice a dialog box will appear—by default the Allow participants to unmute themselves choice is selected.  If you'd prefer, as host, to control when participants can be unmuted, deselect that choice in the dialog box.
4. To unmute all participants, select the Unmute All button at the bottom of the Participants pane. With the choices available, all participants are muted, and only you as the host can unmute them in the Participants tab. 

To mute or unmute individual participants

1. To manage participants' audio, select Manage Participants in the menu bar that appears when you hover your mouse at the bottom of the Zoom window.
2. You can mute and unmute individual participants in the Participants pane by hovering over individual names and selecting Mute or Unmute. Please note: Unless you've muted all participants first, any participant you mute individually can unmute themselves.
   

If you have any questions, please contact Michigan Tech IT at (906) 487-1111 or it-help@mtu.edu.