Zoom FAQ

Zoom FAQ

Frequently asked questions for Zoom Recordings, Chats, Polling, Managing Participants, and Starting/joining & running meetings.

If you need general Zoom support not specifically using Canvas, such as account or licensing information, software updates, integrations with other software (Outlook), and using the HIPAA client please see these Information Services Zoom Pages

Related Topics: Zoom in Canvas, Canvas

Starting/joining & running a Zoom meeting

How do I join a meeting?

If the meeting was scheduled in Canvas, go to Zoom Meetings in Canvas and on the Upcoming Meetings tab, click on the Start button for the meeting.

How do I record a meeting?

During the meeting click on the Record button.  Select where to save the recording - Cloud or Computer.  Note that availability of Cloud Recordings right now is upwards of 24 hours or more. Use the Stop and/or Pause button to control the recording. Remember to stop the recording before exiting the meeting.

How do I share my screen

The Share Screen button is on the ribbon at the bottom of the meeting window. Click on the button and select which window to share - i.e. Chrome, Excel, etc. When finished click on the Stop Share button at the top of the screen. To allow others to share their screen, carrot pointing upwards, next to the Share button on the ribbon.  Click on Advanced Sharing Options and select Who can share? - All participants. It is a best practice to turn this off once others finish sharing. This prevents non-authorized sharing.  More on Screen Sharing

What are reactions?

Meeting reactions allow a participant to share a thumbs up or to clap to communicate without interrupting the meeting. Reactions will disappear after 5 seconds.  More on Non Verbal Feedback.

Is there a push-to-talk option?

Yes, make sure it is turned on in Settings for meetings at uoregon.zoom.us.  During a meeting it can be enabled by clicking on the Zoom.us menu and selecting Preferences. It is an option on the Audio screen. 

How can I test my audio/video?

A great way to test your audio, video and practice with Zoom is to join a test meeting at Zoom Test Meeting and check things out. This is a great option for those new to Zoom!

How do I send a file?

Sharing a file during a meeting is a setting that needs to be enabled in Settings at uoregon.zoom.us under "In meeting" settings before the meeting.  During the meeting, click on Chat on the ribbon.  At the bottom of the Chat panel where chat is entered, there is a File button.  More on In-meeting File Transfer.    

Can I have live captions?

Yes you can have live captions in your Zoom sessions. How to enable live transcription.

Can I invite a new participant to the meeting, during the meeting?

Yes, click on the Invite button and enter their UO email or copy the link to the meeting and email it to the person.  

Zoom Recordings

How do I record a Zoom meeting?

When you are ready to start the meeting/class, click on the Record button on the ribbon in Zoom.  Next select either Record to this computer or Record to the cloud. There will be a recording task bar that appears in the top-left of the Zoom window, with options to stop or pause the recording.  Note that pausing the recording and restarting will lead to multiple files for the recording.

Where can I find my recording?

If the recording is a cloud recording, you will receive an email from Zoom when the recording is available.  In Canvas, go to Zoom Meetings and select the Cloud Recordings tab.  Any cloud recordings made for Zoom meetings for this specific Canvas course will appear here.  If it wasn't a Canvas/Zoom recording, open the Zoom app or go to uoregon.zoom.us and log in.  Select Zoom Recordings.  If the recordings were saved to your computer, in the Zoom app, go to Meetings and select Recorded. Click on Open. This will open the file on your computer where the recording is stored. Find the zoom_0.mp4 file (and any subsequently named files - zoom_1, zoom_2 caused by pausing recording) to upload to Canvas.  If the recording is set up in Canvas/Zoom you will be prompted where to save the recording when the session/recording end. 

What is the file format for Zoom recordings?

Zoom recordings are Mp4 files.  

Should I record to the Cloud or to my computer?

If you record to the Cloud, those recordings could take up to 24 hours or more to be available to you and your students.  Recording to your computer gives you immediate access, and you can upload them to Panopto and have Panopto do the captioning. (this is a downloadable document)

What is the best practice for sharing with my students?

Recording to your computer and upload them to Panopto. Activate the captions for the recording in Panopto. Note that captions become available for import to the video approximately an hour after the upload completes.  The recordings can either be embedded in a Canvas page or announcement, or linked to from an announcement, page, discussion, module, etc. 

Zoom Chat

How do I view the Chat log?

When in a Zoom meeting, click on the Chat button on the ribbon. A panel will open showing the chat log.

How do I send a private message?

At the bottom of the Chat panel, click on the button that says Everyone. A dropdown of participants names allows you to select someone to chat with privately.  The meeting host can disable private chats, and then the other participants names will appear to you. 

Can I turn off private messaging for participants?

Yes, when in a meeting, the host can manage who can chat with whom.  In the Chat panel, at the bottom of the panel, click on the More button to select who participants can chat with.  One option is to Allow attendees to chat publicly with everyone.

Can I save the Chat log?

Yes, in the Chat panel, click on the More button.  Select Save chat.  This will create a text file of the chat that can be downloaded and saved.

Zoom Polling

Can I create a poll before a meeting?
Yes, creating a poll before a meeting begins is a good practice.  You can ask up to 25 questions during a meeting.
How do I create a poll before a meeting?

To set up a poll, you will need to work in Zoom in the browser. Instructions for creating a poll from Zoom, Inc. are available at the link provided

How do I create a poll during a meeting?

Click on the Polling button on the ribbon at the bottom of the screen. Select Add a question. This will open a browser with the Add a poll window. Enter the question and answers. Save the question.  You can then click on Polling in the meeting and Launch the Poll.

How do I administer a poll during a meeting?

To administer a poll during a meeting, click on the Polling button at the bottom of the screen. Select the correct Poll to administer and click on Launch.

How do I save and access poll responses?

The poll responses are saved when the meeting is ended.  After the meeting download the meeting report. To access the report go to the Zoom Web  Portal and sign in, if you are not already signed in. Click on Reports and then Meeting Reports. Select Registration Report and/or Poll Report for the meeting report needed.  For more information about these reports read - Generating Meeting Reports for Registration and Polling.

Can I upload the Poll responses to Canvas?

No, the Canvas/Zoom Integration does not allow this.

Managing participants during a meeting

How do I mute partipants?

Click on the Manage Participants button on the ribbon at the bottom of the screen.  On the Participants Panel hover over the participant's name and click the Mute button. To mute all participants, there is a button at the top of the participants list to Mute All.  Muting participants as they enter a meeting, and reminding participants to stay muted unless they are speaking are both good practices.

Can I remove a participant?

On the Participants Panel hover of the participant's name and click on More.  Select Remove on the menu.  Other best practices for Zoom sessions and how to manage unwanted participants  are outlined in this TEP blog post, Using Zoom for Teaching.

How do I allow participants to share their screen?

Click on the arrow to the right of the Share Screen button.  Next select Advanced Sharing Options. Under "Who can share?" select All participants.  As the meeting host you can always stop their sharing and if need be change the settings for sharing back to "Only the host."