The best Zoom settings to optimize your experience.

Zoom It remains one of the best apps for video conferencing and video chatting with friends and family, but like all software tools, it needs a bit of customization to work the way you want it to.

Maybe you don't want your webcam video feed to be mirrored, or you'd prefer to have a dark theme for the Zoom app interface, or maybe you want the thumbs-up emoji to match your real-life skin tone.

If you want to improve your Zoom experience, here are some key Zoom settings that are worth tweaking from the start.

Zoom Settings Connect Your Calendar

 

There's a reason this tip is one of the first to appear on the "Getting Started" checklist when you first launch Zoom. If you're going to have regular meetings or video calls, having your digital calendar integrated with Zoom does it all. shape easier.

To do this, click Connect your calendar in the Start list or click the Connecting your calendar link in the top right corner. Alternatively, log in to your Zoom account on the Zoom site, then go to your profile page and scroll down to Others section, then select Setting up the calendar and contacts service and follow the instructions that appear in screen.

Zoom Toggle Dark Mode

I hate the applications, browsers, and glare-inducing white backgrounds, which is why I always enable dark mode in apps that support it, and that includes Zoom. (If you're on a computer laptop with OLED display, dark mode can also help extend battery life and reduce image burn-in).

To enable dark mode in Zoom, click on your profile picture, then Settings. In it General section, scroll down to Appearance, then select Dark.

Modify audio settings in Zoom

Zoom works pretty well out of the box, but a few audio settings adjustments can really improve the overall experience, not just for you but for everyone you end up talking to.

Open the Settings in Zoom and select the Audio section in the left-hand navigation. Here, choose the correct microphone input and speaker output, then test to make sure they both work properly. (This is always a good idea with a new Zoom installation.)

Other key settings worth tweaking in this section: enable Removing zoom background noise with background noise suppression set to Car and enable the Mute my microphone when joining checkbox to ensure you don't accidentally interrupt a meeting when joining.

Zoom Change video settings

If you plan to show yourself on camera, it's worth tweaking your video settings to look your best and keep your privacy. Navigate to Settings > Video in the Zoom app and you can modify a variety of video settings.

Make sure your webcam is plugged in and turned on (assuming you're using an external webcam and not one that's, say, built into your laptop). Choose whether you want your webcam video to appear in its native aspect ratio, and whether it should be in HD (if your webcam is HD).

The mirroring setting can be convenient, but you may want to turn it off if you're frequently giving presentations or displaying text on the screen (otherwise the text will appear upside down).

Consider checking the Turn off my video when joining option so you can always double-check your surroundings before your webcam feed goes live. And if you're the kind of person who feels self-conscious and ends up staring at yourself during every meeting, you might want to consider toggling the Hide own view option.

Zoom settings change for screen sharing

I don't know about you, but I always get a little nervous when I need to share my screen on Zoom. Am I going to accidentally reveal sensitive or embarrassing information and not even realize it?

You can alleviate some of that anxiety by setting up your screen sharing settings correctly from the start. Settings > Screen Sharing.

Under the “When I share my screen in a meeting” label, make sure it is set to Show all sharing optionsThis way, the entire screen isn’t automatically shared and you can always choose what to show. Do the same for the “When I share directly in a Zoom Room” label.

Also, under the “Application Sharing” label, select the option Share individual window so you can be sure you are only sharing one window at a given time, not all of them.

Enable security features for Zoom meetings

“Zoom bombing” is a reality for some organizations and individuals, so locking down your meetings and calls is a great way to give you peace of mind against that, while also increasing the privacy of your data.

To do so, log in to the Zoom website and navigate until the Settings section in the left-hand navigation. On the Settings page, look for the Meeting tab (between General and Webinar). Within the Meeting tab, scroll down to the Security subsection.

Now, review all the options and modify them as appropriate. For example, set up a waiting room so you can admit participants one by one, require an access code for new meetings, limit meetings to authenticated accounts, etc.

Disable file sharing in Zoom meetings

You can trust that your meeting teams will not be sent malware nor unsafe files from each other. But can you be? completely sure? ?

Unless you are 100% sure that your meetings are locked and inaccessible to outside parties AND that every participant you meet with follows secure file sharing practices AND that they are free of virus and unauthorized access, then disabling file sharing in meetings is a good safeguard.

Log in to the Zoom website and navigate to Settings, so Meeting, then scroll down until you find Send files via meeting chat. Change that option to Off to turn off file sharing. (Alternatively, you can set limits on the file sizes and/or file types that can be shared.)

Zoom Settings Manage Meeting Recordings

Recording your meetings can be a great way to keep archived footage of important discussions or demonstrations. But before you start recording, make sure your settings are the way you need them.

First, adjust the recording settings in Settings > Recording to modify where footage is saved, whether or not you want audio to be separated, and whether you want shared screens to be recorded.

You can further adjust your recording options on the Zoom website by logging into your account and navigating to Settings > RecordingThere you can configure who can record within your meetings, who receives notifications when a recording is in progress, and other advanced settings.

Modify accessibility settings in Zoom settings

Zoom has some great accessibility settings that can help make text more readable, automatically enable captions in meetings, minimize flashing images and patterns, and customize screen reader alerts.

If any of this is helpful to you, be sure to head over to Settings > Accessibility and play with these options.

Zoom Settings Choose your emoji's skin color

The default yellow skin color for emojis is relatively harmless, but maybe you don't want to be represented by a Simpsons character. Zoom has several different skin color options to choose from, which will appear in chats and reactions during meetings.

To do so, navigate to Settings > General and scroll down to the Reactions section. There you will see several thumbs up emojis with different skin tones. Choose the one you want to use.

Improve your meetings with Zoom apps

Zoom apps are a great way to make meetings more dynamic and automated. It has Group Photo, Music, and Timer apps installed by default, which you can enable by navigating to Settings > Zoom Apps and alternating whichever ones you want.

To obtain a range For a much broader range of options, visit the Zoom App Marketplace to explore over 2,700 apps currently available to use on Zoom. Examples include AI-powered automated note-taking, interactive games, meeting enhancements, custom text overlays, built-in cloud storage, a way to enable easier remote support for your teams, and more.