Roles in a meeting in zoom App
Overview
Participants, alternative hosts, co-hosts, and hosts can all participate in a meeting. You are assigned a role at the beginning of the meeting.
- Host:
- A user who schedules a meeting. Users with this permission can manage the meeting. Every meeting has a single host.
- Co-hosts:
- The co-host has access to most of the meeting’s controls, and has the ability to handle the meeting’s administrative functions, such as managing attendees. During the meeting, the host has to assign the co-host. During the meeting, the co-host cannot start. The host can assign another person to start the meeting if he or she needs help.
- Alternative hosts:
- Having the same control capabilities as the co-host, but the ability to start the meeting. Meeting hosts can designate alternative hosts when scheduling meetings.
Note:
Utilize scheduling privileges when scheduling a meeting for another user.
Comparison
This table compares the control options available to the host, co-hosts, alternate hosts, and participants during an online meeting.
Notes:
- The host can disable features marked with an asterisk (*).
- Some features require certain prerequisites to be met. To find out if you meet the prerequisites, review the article.
Feature | Host | Co-host / alternative host |
Participants |
Participating in the meeting |
|||
Start the meeting | ✔ | see note | |
Mute/unmute themselves* | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Start/stop their own video | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
View participants list | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Share screen | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
Request or give remote control | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Chat with participants (in-meeting chat) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Save in-meeting chat | ✔ | ✔ | |
Create or edit polls | ✔ | ✔ (see note) | |
Start polling | ✔ | ✔ | |
Answer polls | ✔ | ||
Assign someone to enter closed captions | ✔ | ||
Enter closed captions | ✔ | ✔* | ✔* |
Use call-out to join audio by phone | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
End meeting | ✔ | ||
Reactions and nonverbal feedback | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Reorder video | ✔ | ||
Managing participants |
|||
Mute or unmute participants | ✔ | ✔ | |
Stop participant’s video | ✔ | ✔ | |
Ask participant to start video | ✔ | ✔ | |
Spotlight a video | ✔ | ✔ | |
Promote participant to host or co-host | ✔ | ||
Change who attendees can chat with | ✔ | ✔ | |
Remove attendees | ✔ | ✔ | |
Put participants on hold | ✔ | ✔ | |
Rename participants | ✔ | ✔ | |
Invite others to join | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Mute controls for participants (ask to mute, mute all, mute on entry) | ✔ | ✔ | |
Assign participants to breakout rooms | ✔ | ✔ | |
Recording |
|||
Start cloud recording | ✔ | ✔ | |
Start local recording | ✔ | ✔ | ✔* |
Allow or forbid a participant to start local recording | ✔ | ✔ | |
Live streaming |
|||
Live stream on Facebook | ✔ | ||
Live stream on Workplace | ✔ | ||
Live stream on YouTube | ✔ | ||
Custom live stream | ✔ |
Notes:
- The meeting ID or meeting link can be used by alternative hosts to start the meeting. There will be no mention of the meeting in the list of upcoming meetings in the mobile app or desktop client.
- Meetings cannot be started by co-hosts. You cannot assign co-hosts in advance. A participant must be promoted to co-host. An alternative host can be assigned by the host.
- Cloud recording and local recording cannot be started simultaneously by hosts and co-hosts. Local recording cannot be started after cloud recording is initiated by the host or cohost. Furthermore, a cohost cannot control both local and cloud recording simultaneously.
- In this scenario, local recording is first started, then cloud recording follows. Both local and cloud recording stop when the host or co-host stops recording. Cloud recording can’t be stopped without stopping local recording.
- Unless you check the option to allow alternative hosts to add or edit polls, alternative hosts cannot add or edit polls.