Hiding the option to join a Zoom call in a browser is suboptimal to say the least, given many home workers will be using corporate laptops that lock down app downloads to shrink security risks. Like literally hidden until after you’ve clicked to join a meeting - when the option to join via a browser appears in tiny text underneath a more prominent link to “download & run Zoom”.Įither it’s really terrible UX or a dark pattern intended to drive app downloads. The option for joining a Zoom meeting in a browser is just really well hidden unless the meeting host has tweaked default settings. Beat Zoom’s dark pattern - join from your browser Thing is, you don’t actually have to download Zoom’s app to use the videoconferencing tool it can work in a browser. In total, they estimated Zoom had 12.92M MAUs, up 21% since the end of 2019. It research suggests Zoom had added 2.22 million monthly active users by the end of February vs onboarding 1.99 million in the whole of 2019. Zoom, which offers a range of slick features like auto-transcription and virtual backgrounds, has been a key beneficiary of this viral boom.īack in February, research analysts Bernstein estimated the company had pulled in more active users in two months of 2020 than in the whole of 2019, citing data from Apptopia, which builds models fed by an SDK that tracks downloads across a large network of third party apps. Sign in with your name to join the meeting.Work in the time of COVID-19, a disease caused by the coronavirus, is driving huge growth in videoconferencing as scores of office workers go remote and log on to meetings from home.Click the highlighted text in 'join from your browser'.Ignore that and skip down to the small print: 'If you cannot download or run the application, join from your browser.'.If you don't have the Zoom desktop app installed, the page will urge you to download the app. A new tab will open on your preferred web browser.You don't need to install any extra software to join or even host a Zoom meeting. How to join a Zoom meeting through a web browser Once you're in the meeting, learn how to see everyone on Zoom in the grid format. Approve the request for permission to use your computer's audio and camera.ĭepending on the meeting's set-up, you may enter the meeting right away, you may need to wait for the host to arrive first or you may be placed into a waiting room that the host controls.Click on the meeting invite URL that the host shared via email or text.

How to join a Zoom meeting on desktop via meeting invite link Enter the meeting ID and your name, and set audio/video permissions.Download the Zoom desktop app on your Mac or PC.

How to join a Zoom meeting on desktop by downloading the app Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Īlternatively, as we note below, you can sign up for Zoom with your contact info, and then your fellow Zoom users can use those details to 'call' you without an invite URL. Be the first to know about cutting-edge gadgets and the hottest deals. Upgrade your life with a daily dose of the biggest tech news, lifestyle hacks and our curated analysis. Sign up to get the BEST of Tom’s Guide direct to your inbox.

Join zoom meeting from web browser