Zoom allows you to virtually meetwith friends, family members, and co-workers. With just a few clicks, people you want to see pop up on your screen, ready to collaborate or just enjoy a nice chat.

Remote workers often use Zoom, but now it’s also known for connecting students, families, and offices. If you have never used Zoom before, here are a few tips and tricks to make using the videoconferencing app a lot easier.

How to apply a background or filter in Zoom

If your workspace at home isn’t quite so tidy,you can apply a backgroundto virtually clean up the real clutter. It’s like being a news anchor with a faux background. Zoom’s selection of landscapes can add a bit of whimsy to your meetings, too. The feature is simple to use, and the camera on your computer can apply the background even if you’re not sitting in front of a green screen. Here’s how to get started:

Step 1:Launch Zoom on your computer.

Step 2:Go to the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner of your display to launch theSettingsmenu.

Step 3:SelectBackground & Filtersin the left menu pane.

Step 4:After you do that, under theVirtual Backgroundstab, you may choose from a number of built-in backgrounds, like a scene from the beach, a view of San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge, or even aurora borealis. A live preview will show how you will look in front of the background (provided that your webcam is turned on while you try on different backgrounds).

Step 5:To choose your own custom background, click on the plus (+) icon next toVideo Filters. The option will let you upload your own custom video or photo for use as a virtual background. If you have a video of an aquarium, you can conduct your meeting in front of what would appear as a live fish tank, for example.

Using a live background will reveal some artifacts (distortions) around the edges, which can look choppy if you’re moving around a lot during video calls. Additionally, virtual backgrounds shouldn’t be used if you’re planning on demonstrating or pointing to things with your hands — hands can look a bit distorted with theuse of virtual backgrounds. The background will appear more smooth if you’re sitting in front of a green screen.

Step 6:If your video looks a little weird, you should try adjusting the brightness in the video settings. This can help your backgrounds look a little more natural and it can be done by opening theSettingsmenu, selectingVideo, and then ticking the box next toAdjust for Low Light. A drop-down menu will appear. From the menu, selectManual. A slider will appear next to the drop-down menu, and you can drag it in either direction to increase or decrease the brightness of your video.

Step 7:You can also add fun filters to your video. Here’s how: Open theSettingsmenu, selectBackground & Filters, and then select theVideo Filterstab. Within this tab, you can choose from a wide variety of image and color filters to add to your video. Certain filters, like the ones that can add fun effects to your face, will only appear if your webcam is on and enabled.

How to use shortcuts in Zoom

From years of experience using a computer, we all knowpopular keyboard shortcutsfor copy, paste, and undo. Zoom has its own set of popular shortcuts that help you quickly mute and unmute the microphone, start or stop your camera, and more. There are a number of shortcuts that you can enable and use, but here are some of the most popular shortcuts to get you started in Zoom.

The shortcut commands above are listed for Windows PC and Mac users.Mac users will want to use the onesin bold parentheses.

A full list of keyboard shortcuts can be found by navigating to the ZoomSettingsmenu and choosingKeyboard Shortcutson the left pane.

Touch up your appearance in Zoom

You may not be a newscaster on the evening news, but you’ll still want to look your best during your virtual meetings with colleagues. A feature borrowed from beauty mode in selfie cameras on many popular Android smartphones, Zoom’s “Touch Up My Appearance” helps to smooth out your skin, remove the dark bags under your eyes, and help you look your best.

Best of all, the results look fairly natural, so you don’t look like an over-sharpened blob of pixels when viewed on the screens of fellow collaborators.

Step 1: Go to Zoom’sSettingsmenu.

Step 2: Click on theVideooption in the left panel.

Step 3: UnderMy Video, select the option forTouch Up My Appearance. A slider bar will appear next to this option, and you can further customize the feature by sliding the bar left or right to increase or decrease its use in your video.

Pro tip: If you have the internet bandwidth at home, increase your stream by also selecting theHDoption within theCamerasection of theVideosettings page. Additionally, if you’re meeting with a large team, you can increase the gallery view of your videoconferencing session by choosing the49 Participantsoption underneath the phraseMaximum Participants Displayed per Screen in Gallery View.You’ll find this option within theVideosettings page as well.

How to record and transcribe your Zoom call

When you review your meeting video, there’s even an option to display the transcription directly within the video, making it look like closed captioning.

Step 1:Open the Zoom web portal andsign in. Then select theSettingstab on the left side of the screen.

Step 3:EnableAudio TranscriptwithinAdvancedCloud Recording Settings, and save your changes.

Step 4:When you start a meeting, be sure to hit theRecordbutton, and chooseRecord to the Cloud.

Step 5:After the conclusion of the meeting, you’ll receive emails alerting you that your cloud recording and your transcript are ready.

How to share your screen on Zoom

Even though you may not have access to a projector, you can still make presentations and show meeting attendees what’s on your screen. You can start a screen-share by hitting theAlt + Skeyboard shortcut (orCommand + Shift + Sfor Macs), which will cut from your webcam feed to display to all meeting participants what you see on your screen.

This is useful if you’re trying to show an important graphic in a meeting or want to display a PowerPoint deck. If you’re the speaker, you can enable additional settings to give an even more polished presentation.

Step 1: From the ZoomSettingsmenu, navigate toShare Screen.

Step 2: EnableFull Screen Mode.

Step 3: If you want to show the video feeds of the meeting participants along with the shared screen, you may also enableSide-by-Side Mode.

Step 4: Be sure to select theSilence System Notifications When Sharing Desktopoption. This way, your presentation will not get interrupted by all your alerts and system chimes. Pro presenters may also want to enable Windows 10’s Focus Assist feature, which will help hide notification sounds and pop-ups from the system or from your email and calendar apps.

If you’re collaborating on a project, you can also use a digital whiteboard to work together. Once you’re in a meeting, you can click theShare Screenbutton and then chooseWhiteboardand selectShare. After that, annotation tools will appear, allowing you to draw and plan ideas and projects with collaborators. Whiteboard sessions can be saved as separate images or compiled into a single PDF. In the Whiteboard screen’s toolbar, hit the drop-down arrow within theSavebutton, and you can choose the format you desire.

Make sure to have what you’re trying to present queued up and ready to go before the meeting starts. This way, you’re able to jump into the PowerPoint presentation, Excel spreadsheet, or web document immediately when you hit theShare Screenbutton.

And if you’re anything like us and have a cluttered desktop, you may want to use Windows 10’s Desktop feature (within Task View) to launch Zoom in a new, clean, clutter-free desktop space. This way, you’ll look more professional while presenting.

How to schedule meetings in Zoom

While impromptu meetings are sometimes needed for big changes, if you’re working on long-term projects, it may be useful to reserve some virtual time to have regular Zoom check-ins. This way, everyone will have a set time and virtual place to convene on a weekly basis. Here’show to schedule meetingsin advance:

Step 1: From the Zoom home screen, clickSchedule.

Step 2: Fill in the meeting details, including time, topic, and duration. You can also set this as a recurring meeting.

Step 3: If you’re creating the meeting, you may also want to explore theAdvanced Options. This way, you can do things likeMute Participants Upon EntryorAllow Participants to Join Anytime.Mute Participants Upon Entrycan be particularly helpful in minimizing distracting background noise. When you’re happy with everything, clickSaveto schedule your meeting.

How to set up breakout rooms in Zoom

Useful for managing larger groups, breakout rooms let you split a team into smaller ones to tackle different areas of a big project simultaneously. For example, if you’re working on a new product launch, you can schedule a product launch meeting and then create a breakout room for the marketing team to come up with a marketing plan, a room for the finance team to run models and make sales projections, and a third room for sales to come up with a sales strategy.

Up to 50 separate breakout rooms can be created, and the host can pre-assign attendees to specific rooms. A total of 200 participants can be assigned during a meeting — between 50 rooms — and each room will function like a stand-alone Zoom meeting. Thecap on the total number of participants assigned during a meeting can be increased beyond 200, but only if you create the breakout rooms during the meeting, create fewer breakout rooms,andhave a large meeting add-on foryour Zoom account. If you don’t have the add-on, your maximum number of participants is determined by your account’s usual meeting capacity, which may also be less than 200. Cloud recording, however, is limited to the main room.

Step 1: Sign in to the Zoom web portal.

Step 2: Click onSettings.

Step 3: Under theMeetingtab, selectIn Meeting (Advanced)and then make sure that theBreakout Roomoption is enabled. You may want to select theAllow Host to Assign Participants to Breakout Rooms When Schedulingoption as well to let meeting hosts have the ability to pre-assign participants to specific rooms before the meeting starts. Then click theSavebutton that appears.

Step 4:To create breakout rooms, first you’ll need to start either a scheduled meeting or an instant one. Once the meeting has started, click on theBreakout Roomsicon on the bottom of your screen.

Step 5:In the window that appears, enter the number of desired breakout rooms in the phraseCreate[number of rooms]Breakout Room(s)and then select from three room assignment options for your participants:Assign Automatically,Assign Manually, orLet Participants Choose Room.

Step 6:Once you’ve selected your options, click theCreatebutton to create your rooms.

In a Zoom session, the host will have access to the Breakout Rooms in their videoconferencing menu. The host will be able to jump between the different rooms to talk to the participants.

Whichever advanced features you enable in Zoom, remember to always followcommon best practices for videoconferencingto ensure all your team meetings run smoothly.

How to always start a meeting with a muted mic

Zoom also allows you to change settings so that you always enter a meeting with a muted mic. This is a good protocol to follow and it’s polite to other users since entering with a live mic can cause sudden noises or bursts of static that can be disruptive.

Step 1: If you’re in a meeting, select the upward-facing arrow within yourMicrophonebutton, and chooseAudio Settingsfrom the pop-up menu. Alternatively, if you’re not in a meeting, navigate to your ZoomSettingsmenu and then chooseAudiofrom the left pane.

Step 2: In theAudio Settingswindow that opens, scroll to the bottom, where you will find several features that can be enabled or disabled. Make sure that the option toMute My Microphone When Joining a Meetingis enabled.

How to hold larger Zoom meetings

A typical freeZoom meetingcan hold up to 100 participants. However, for certain organizations or situations, this may not be enough. If your web conferencing group is larger than 100 and you still want to use Zoom for your meetings, then you need to increase the meeting cap. There are several ways that you can do this, depending on your circumstances — and how much you want to pay.

Upgrade to a(small) Business account: These accounts cost $20 per month per license, but one of the features is upgrading your cap to 300 participants.

Upgrade to 500 participants with the Large Meetings add-on: This costs $50 per month per host (when billed monthly), and you can greatly expand the number of participants that can join. Browse all add-ons in the billing section of your Zoom account after you sign in. You can also upgrade to the Enterprise account tier to unlock this option.

Upgrade to 1,000 participants: An alternative add-on lets you have meetings with up to 1,000 people for particularly large events. This increases the price to $90 per month per host when billed monthly.

How to set up a workstation for frequent Zoom meetings

Are you looking at a future filled with Zoom meetings? If they are becoming a regular feature in your work life and aren’t going away any time soon, you should consider customizing a workspace specifically for these meetings.

Zoom has a product to help with that: TheDTEN Me from Zoom for Home.Available to buy for $599 in the U.S., it’s a super-thin, 27-inch computer monitor that comes with a three-camera array, an eight-microphone array to pick up sound as accurately as possible, and a touchscreen with built-in whiteboard and annotation capabilities that are built to work seamlessly with Zoom.

You may also want to check out our guide on how to work from home for more ideas about how to set up the right remote workstation.