Getting Started with Zoom

This article includes information that is specific to NC State.

For more information on getting started with Zoom specifically, see the article on Zoom's website, "Getting Started On PC and Mac".

To Start

The Zoom application will need to be installed in order to access Zoom meetings.  Download the Zoom application from the NC State Zoom Download Center, choosing the "Zoom Desktop Client" option.

When you launch the application, there are three options.

• Select "Join a Meeting" if you want to join an existing meeting.
• Select "Sign In" for all other functions.
• Do not select "Sign Up".  Accounts are automatically created with a Unity ID.

Proceed with signing in when Zoom is installed.

Signing Into Zoom

Zoom is integrated with NC State’s Single Sign On (SSO) system. 

Signing into the Zoom Application

To sign into the Zoom application:

1. Launch the Zoom desktop application.
2. Select "Sign In".
3. In the Sign in menu, below "or sign in with", choose "SSO" (which looks like a key).
4. In the "Company Domain" field, type "ncsu" without any punctuation.
5. Click the "Continue" button.
6. In the browser window that pops up, sign in with a Unity ID.

Following this, the Zoom application will reopen with a new menu and functionality, described in the the "Using the Zoom Application" section of this article.

Signing into the NC State Zoom Portal

To sign in to the web portal:

1. Go to the NC State Zoom portal.
2. Click the "Use NC State Login" button.
3. Sign in with a Unity ID.

The browser will then redirect to the Zoom web portal, where meetings can be scheduled and more can be accessed.

Without being signed in, some links to Zoom meetings or recordings may redirect to the main Zoom login page (not NC State’s Zoom page). In this case, sign into an NC State account with these steps:

1. In the Sign in menu, below "or sign in with", choose "SSO" (which looks like a key).
2. In the "Company Domain" field, type "ncsu" without any punctuation.
3. Click the "Continue" button.
4. In the browser window that pops up, sign in with a Unity ID.

Check the URL bar in the browser for "ncsu.zoom.us".  If "ncsu" is not available in the URL, then it is not the NC State Zoom portal.

Using the Zoom Application

For the best experience using Zoom, download the Zoom application from the NC State Zoom Download Center, choosing the "Zoom Desktop Client" option. For mobile devices (iOS and Android), visit the app store and search for "zoom" to find the Zoom mobile app.

The Zoom app is updated frequently with new features, and so it should be updated regularly to maintain the most recent version. To update, see Zoom's "Upgrading Zoom to the Latest Version" help article.

After signing into the application, the home screen is displayed.  There are a few tabs at the top of the Zoom application to highlight:

• Home
• Meetings

Using the Home Screen

The home screen is displayed after signing in.  The default tab is "Home", and some actions available are:

• Click the user icon in the upper right corner to access settings, view user profile, check for updates, sign out, etc.
• Click the "New Meeting" button to immediately start a new Zoom meeting.
• Click "Schedule" to set up a future meeting.
• Click "Join" to join a meeting that has already been started.

Using the Meetings Screen

On the Meetings tab, some of the actions available are:

• On the left-hand side, click "Upcoming" to view upcoming meetings.
  • Click on any meeting in this list to view, start, edit, or delete it.
• On the left-hand side, click "Recorded" to view previously recorded meetings.
  • Click on any recording in this list to view or share it.
• Click "My Personal Meeting ID (PMI) to edit it.
  • See the "Using a Personal Meeting ID (PMI) or Personal Link in Zoom" article for more details.
• Click the "Schedule Meeting" (which looks like a plus icon in the left-hand menu) to schedule a new meeting for the future.

Integrate Zoom with Google Calendar & Gmail

It's recommended to install the Zoom for Google Workspace add-on, rather than a browser extension.

1. Log into Google Calendar with an NC State email address. 
2. In the top right corner of the page, click the "Settings" button (which looks like a gear).
3. Click "Get add-ons" from the list that appears.
4. In the "Search apps" field, type "Zoom for Google Workspace".
5. Click "Zoom for Google Workspace" in the menu when it appears.
6. On the Zoom for Google Workspace page, click the "Install" button.
7. Click "Continue" button when the new window appears.
8. When prompted to select an account to install this add-on, use that same NC State email address.
9. Select "Allow" when prompted to allow Zoom to access that Google account.

After this, a "Zoom for Google Workspace has been installed!" message should appear, and this menu can be safely exited.  After refreshing the page, Zoom will enable features such as meeting scheduling and more in Gmail and Calendar.

Meeting Features

Once you have started or joined a meeting, there are a variety of actions from the menu bar located at the bottom of the meeting window, such as:

• Invite more people to join by email, IM, SMS (mobile users) or meeting ID
• Screen share your desktop or specific application window
• Group or private chat
• Record your meeting
• Manage participants
• Mute and unmute your audio, and select audio options
• Stop and start your video
• Configure settings
• Leave or end the meeting

Additional Resources

Teaching with Zoom (DELTA LearnTech YouTube playlist)

Overview of Zoom at NC State (DELTA Knowledge Base)

For additional assistance, please contact the LearnTech Help Desk at learntech@ncsu.edu or (919) 513-7094, or via the Get Help form on the DELTA Knowledge Base.