Zoom

What Can I Use It For?

Zoom is a cloud-based video communications tool that allows you to set up virtual video and audio conferencing, webinars, live chats, screen-sharing, and other collaborative capabilities. University of Toronto Licensed Zoom accounts are required to host and participate in Zoom-based classes, meetings, and webinar sessions. Zoom can be used for both synchronous (e.g., live webinar sessions, virtual meetings, and online office hours) and asynchronous teaching (e.g., pre-recorded teaching materials to share with your class).

This page refers to the Zoom Web Portal.
Consult Zoom – Quercus Integration documentation for instructions on using the integration.

Special Notes

Changes Coming to Zoom Recordings Protocol for Undergraduate Students

There will be an update to the recording protocol on Zoom’s video conferencing and webinar service that may affect undergraduate students’ existing recordings saved to the Zoom Cloud and how undergraduate students can save future recordings.

Effective May 1, undergraduate students will no longer be able to save their recordings to the Zoom cloud storage. Additionally, the 365-Day Retention Protocol will still be in effect for all recordings saved to the Zoom cloud prior to May 1, 2023. All recordings made prior to May 1, 2023 will only be held in the Zoom Cloud for 365 days starting from their recording date.

Undergraduate students will continue to be able to save their recordings to their local device (e.g. computer) but not to the Zoom cloud storage. For more information on how to record locally, visit the ‘Recording a Zoom Meeting’ section in this Zoom Tool Guide. 

Undergraduate students who want to preserve Zoom videos recorded prior to May 1 should download their content from the Zoom cloud onto alternate storage. This can include local or network storage, Microsoft OneDrive and MyMedia Hosting and Sharing. Visit the ‘Download and Host Zoom Recordings’ section of this Zoom Tool Guide page for instructions.

 

365-day Zoom Cloud Recordings Retention Protocol

U of T has implemented a 365-day retention protocol on Zoom recordings video-conferencing and webinar service that may affect your existing recordings saved to the Zoom cloud.

All recordings saved to the Zoom cloud prior to July 5, 2021, were automatically deleted on July 5, 2022. At the same time, an ongoing 365-day retention protocol will be implemented for new Zoom Cloud recordings. Recordings created after July 5, 2022, will only be held on the Zoom Cloud for 365 calendar days prior to subsequent deletion.

Current users who want to preserve older Zoom recordings for future use should download their content from the Zoom cloud onto alternate storage. This can include local or network storage, Microsoft (MS) OneDrive, MS Stream or MyMedia Hosting and Sharing. View the Download Zoom Recordings section of this page for instructions.

View the Academic, Research & Collaborative Technologies (ARC) Zoom Page for more information.


Long distance charges may apply if you are joining the session using a telephone and if you are using the Telephone Audio option. It is recommended that you only use computer audio for Zoom.


An Instructor/teaching assistant can host meetings with unlimited minutes for up to 300 participants.

This Academic Toolbox tool helps you...
Connect & communicate / Teach from a distance
Typical course activity format:
Synchronous
Quercus integration
Non-integrated tool

Where can I get more support?

Related resources / similar tools

Cost
Centrally funded

How to Get Started

Zoom is a cloud-based video communications tool that allows you to set up virtual video and audio conferencing, webinars, live chats, screen-sharing, and other collaborative capabilities.

How to Use This Tool

University of Toronto Licensed Zoom accounts are required to host and participate in Zoom-based classes, meetings, and webinar sessions. Zoom can be used for both synchronous (e.g., live webinar sessions, virtual meetings, and online office hours) and asynchronous teaching (e.g., pre-recorded teaching materials to share with your class).

Instructions

  • Downloading and Installing Zoom

  • Logging in to Zoom

  • Setting up a Meeting or Class

  • Joining a Meeting

  • Holding a Meeting

  • Captioning and Transcripts

  • Share a Whiteboard

  • Chat, Q&A, Nonverbal Feedback, Polls

  • Breakout Rooms

  • Recording a Meeting

  • Download and Host Zoom Recordings

Guides

Privacy Considerations

Private Chat Warning

Zoom’s private messages may show up in a downloaded copy of a chat, if saving is enabled. Before sharing a chat recording, please review what is included, as the person who receives the shared chat will see the private messages meant only for you.

  • If a person with recording privileges chooses to record a Zoom meeting to the cloud, in-meeting chats sent publicly (to everyone in the meeting) are saved.
  • If a person with recording privileges chooses to record a Zoom meeting locally, to a computer, then chats sent publicly, as well as any private chat exchanges that the person recording participated in during the session, are saved. That means if the person saving the chat sent or received a private message, their recording of the chat will include those messages.

As has always been the case, a person who opts to record a meeting does not receive chat transcripts from private conversations that they did not participate in.

It’s still best practice to avoid sending potentially sensitive private messages on Zoom .

Security Considerations

Some students who have temporary credentials (QQid) are reporting errors accessing Zoom meetings. Instructors have the discretion to set authentication in the web client in the security settings. If you implement this, turn on the waiting room or use a password for extra security. This setting can be found by selecting Settings > Meeting tab > Security > Only authenticated users can join meetings. Toggle to enable or disable.

 

Last Modified:

17 September, 2024

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