If you are a scheduler/host or an alternative host that accidentally joined the Zoom meeting as a “guest” and you need to claim the Host role so that you can manage the meeting, do the following:

1. Go to the Participant Panel and click the Claim Host button.
2. A window will appear where you can click Login to Claim Host.
3. The Zoom application window will appear. Select SSO.
4. In the “company domain” field, enter “tufts” so the full domain reads as “tufts.zoom.us”. Then click Continue.
5. A Tufts authentication window will load. Log in with your Tufts username (e.g. jjumbo01) and password.

During the meeting, click the More button next to a participant’s name in the Participants Panel and select Make Host or Make Co-Host.

If you made someone else a co-host, you can withdraw their co-host permissions the same way.

If you made someone else the host, you can click the Reclaim Host button at the bottom of the Participants Panel to take the host role back.

After a meeting has started, it is possible for the host to change participants’ privileges.

Using the Host Tools Button

During a meeting, a Host Tools button will be present in the host’s and co-host's toolbars. It provides access to some features for managing meeting attendance and privileges, including the ability to:

• Lock/unlock the meeting.
• Enable/Disable the waiting room.
• Hide participants' profile pictures
• Participants options – Allow participants to chat, rename themselves, enable audio/video, and more. Also contains an option to Suspend participant activities.
• Advanced options – Enable Focus mode and advanced options for AI Companion, sharing, captions, and more.

NOTE: The "Suspend Participant Activities" option is like an emergency brake for your meeting. If enabled, the meeting will be locked, screen sharing will stop, and all participant audio and video will be turned off (including hosts and cohosts).

Managing Sharing Settings

During a meeting, hosts and co-hosts toolbars can manage sharing privileges by clicking on the up arrow next to Share (bottom toolbar), selecting Host tools for share, and managing settings as needed.

Managing Chat Settings

During a meeting, hosts and co-hosts toolbars can manage chat privileges by opening the Chat panel, clicking the options button, and selecting who participants can send messages to.

• For minor disruptions, mute a participant’s audio or turn off their video. By default, a muted participant will be able to unmute their own audio whenever they want unless this ability has been disabled by a host/co-host.
  • If the participant is sharing screen content, an option will also be available to stop it.
• Move more troublesome participants to the Waiting Room or remove them from the meeting completely.
  • Participants who have been put in the Waiting Room will not be able to re-enter unless admitted by a host/co-host.
  • Participants who have been Removed will not be able to re-join the meeting on that same device.
• In extreme cases, you can suspend all participant activities while you figure out how to move forward with your meeting. (Host tools > Participants > Suspend participant activities)
  • Everything will get turned off/disabled (e.g. audio, video, screen sharing, etc.), including the host’s and co-hosts’, and the meeting will be locked.
  • A host/co-host can then unmute their own audio, explain to the rest of the meeting what is happening, and proceed however they feel comfortable.

Co-hosts have elevated privileges in several areas that can make them very helpful during meetings. They can:

• Manage participant audio and video.
• Use the Security button to manage settings and privileges.
• Manage the Waiting Room.
• Share content even when sharing is restricted to the Host.
• Record meeting content.
• Launch polls that were previously created by the scheduler.
• Help create and manage breakout rooms.

Overview

Zoom’s Focus Mode is a feature that makes it easier for the Host of a meeting to reduce distractions and keep everyone’s attention on them. Learn more on the Zoom Help Center page about Focus Mode.

More about Focus Mode:

• Once the meeting begins, a Host or Co-host can turn Focus Mode on/off and manage additional settings from the meeting room toolbar.
• How does Focus Mode affect attendee videos?
  • Host and Co-host videos will be spotlighted automatically and visible to everyone.
    • Hosts/Co-hosts can spotlight additional participant video feeds for a total of 9 spotlights (Host, Co-hosts, and participants).
  • Host/Co-hosts will be able to see everyone else’s video feeds and profile pictures. Participants will only be able to see Host/Co-hosts’ videos and any other spotlighted videos.
• How does Focus Mode affect screen sharing?
  • As usual, only Hosts and Co-hosts can share content by default.
    • If the Host or a Co-host shares content, it will be seen by ALL PARTICIPANTS.

Using Focus Mode

A Host or Co-host can turn on Focus Mode by clicking Host tools > Advanced > Focus mode.

The Waiting Room is a useful tool for controlling who can get into your meeting and when. As with many other Zoom features, it can be managed by the Host or a Co-host!

For more information, see the page on Waiting Rooms. 

When you are ready to leave a Zoom meeting, click the End button in the bottom toolbar. Depending on the type of meeting and your role, a window will appear with options.

Note: If you are the host of the meeting and want the meeting to continue without you, use the Participants Panel to assign someone else the host role before you leave!