Use the Waiting Room or other features to effectively manage your Zoom meeting or class and prevent uninvited intruders from disrupting your session. Check out the NYU Zoom page for more information and best practices.

Best Practices and General Settings

  • Ensure that you are using the latest version of the Zoom desktop client.
  • Log into nyu.zoom.us to adjust your default security settings. In the "Personal" menu on the left, open "Settings" and update your settings to match the recommendations from this guide that suit your meeting needs. Some settings can also be adjusted when scheduling a meeting or while it’s in progress.
    • NYU has disabled some University-wide Zoom security settings such as file sharing, local recording (e.g., saving recordings to your device), and auto-saving of chat. In addition, screen sharing and saving of chat transcripts is limited to the host by default, with an in-meeting option for the host to share access to attendees if they wish.
    • If you never plan to use the Annotation feature, it’s best to disable it in your default settings. This prevents unwanted notes/comments from being placed on the screen. Otherwise, the feature can be left on by default, but turned off at the start of a meeting when not needed by using the host tools.
    • Disable “Allow participants to rename themselves” in your settings. This discourages participants from negative behaviors since their names can be readily “seen.”
  • Create, join, and/or start Zoom meetings the recommended way:
    • Faculty who use NYU Brightspace should create and start Zoom class meetings through their course site.
      • Staff should always log in at nyu.zoom.us before scheduling a meeting or clicking a link to host or join a meeting.
      • Students should always log in at nyu.zoom.us first.
        If they are joining a class meeting, they should then open NYU Brightspace in a new tab or window and click the Zoom link in their course site.
    • Don’t publicly publish or share the link to your meeting, if possible.
    • Use a randomly-generated meeting ID with an embedded password for one-click join (see instructions below). Avoid using a Personal Meeting ID (PID), which is like a link to one continuous meeting that anyone can join anytime (unless you activate security controls described below). By default, the PID feature is not turned on for NYU community members.

When Scheduling Your Meeting

Zoom Meeting Security and the Waiting Room Feature

NYU Zoom meetings now have the Waiting Room feature activated by default. Familiarize yourself with how to use the Waiting Room prior to hosting a meeting or class.

 Notes:

  • To admit late attendees or those who are disconnected during the meeting, be sure to inform your invitees of how to contact you or a designated co-host after the meeting starts.
  • Use of the Waiting Room may not be practical for large classes or meetings, but you can choose to "Admit All" with one click if you are comfortable with approving all of the attendees in the Waiting Room.
  • Set a password for your meeting and select "Embed password in meeting link for one-click join" to add a layer of security.
  • Disable “Join Before Host” in the Meeting Options. This prevents possible disruption to the meeting before the host joins.
  • Enable “Only authenticated users can join” in the Meeting Options. This requires participants to log into a Zoom account before they can join the meeting.
  • If you use a Zoom browser extension we recommend using the Google Add-On instead of the Chrome extension, should you choose to use the Google Add-On then make sure to schedule Zoom meetings through NYU Calendar (Google), please ensure the settings for the Zoom browser extension match the settings of your account profile at nyu.zoom.us. Note that if you update the settings in your browser extension, it will automatically update your NYU Zoom account settings at nyu.zoom.us, but not the other way around, so you would need to update your browser extension manually. Be sure to keep browser extensions up to date as new versions are released.

During the Meeting

  • Only approve trusted attendees in your Waiting Room, if using that option.
  • Check your participants list: If you see the word “Guest” next to someone’s name in the Manage Participant’s list, it may be because they are logged into their private Zoom account, not NYU Zoom. To resolve this, ask the participant to log out and log back into nyu.zoom.us before rejoining the meeting.
  • Lock your meeting or class once it’s started: Click “Manage Participants,” open the “More” drop-down menu, then select “Lock Meeting.” (See note above about late/disconnected participants.)
  • Know how to remove an unwanted attendee: Click “Manage Participants,” hover over the intruder's name, select "More,” then click “Remove”. Note: This will remove the participant for the duration of the meeting, but not for future meetings.
  • Use host tools to control the meeting, including who is muted, who can join by video, and who can share and/or annotate screens. By default, only the host can share their screen unless they choose to grant this control to others.
  • Make use of the Security icon in the meeting toolbar to manage the waiting room and lock the meeting room. Additionally, you can control the participants’ ability to share screen, chat, annotate, and/or rename themselves directly from here. This icon is visible to only the host and the co-host of the meeting.

After the Meeting

  • If you recorded your meeting, you can set a password and/or expiration (expiry) date on your cloud recording link within your account profile at nyu.zoom.us in the Recordings section when you select and share a recording. Be sure to share the password and expiration date with intended viewers when distributing.

Additional Information