12 Best Zoom Tips & Tricks for 2025 

Zoom meetings have made work seamless for remote and hybrid teams, but sometimes, they can be quite a headache. 

From desperately searching for the unmute button in the middle of a conversation, to forgetting to hit record, or dealing with unexpected background distractions (hello, pet cameo!), I've been through it all. And I’m sure you’ve experienced these too! 

But don’t you worry—these struggles don’t have to ruin your day. After dealing with my fair share of Zoom hiccups, I’ve found some workarounds. I’ve compiled the 12 best Zoom tips and tricks that have made virtual meetings smooth and stress-free for me, and hopefully will do the same for you. Let’s go!

‍

👉 Here’s a quick TL;DR: 

✅ Before the Meeting

1. Download a Zoom Meeting Note-Taker
2. Learn Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts
3. Give Attendees a Waiting Room
4. Keep Your Privacy in Check
5. Set a Virtual Background

✅ During the Meeting

6. Use Live Transcription and Translation for Multilingual Meetings
7. Turn on Gallery View
8. Enable Non-Verbal Feedback
9. Brainstorm and Ideate Using Whiteboards
10. Use Advanced Screen Sharing Options

✅ After the Meeting

11. Share Meeting Summary and Automate Follow-Up
12. Check Who Attended Your Meeting

Now, let’s go over each of the Zoom tips in detail!

‍

1. Download A Zoom Meeting Note-Taker

If you use Zoom for meetings, you probably already know that Zoom offers a built-in transcription feature and an AI Companion to summarize discussions. 

These tools are useful to a certain extent but they come with serious limitations. The transcriptions are often inaccurate, summaries miss key details, and finding the right information later becomes frustrating. On top of that, the transcription feature is paywalled. 

That’s where Jamie comes to the rescue. Jamie is an AI-powered meeting assistant that works seamlessly with Zoom. It provides highly accurate transcription, structured summaries, and automatically extracts action items from meetings. 

Let’s see how you can make your Zoom meetings more productive with Jamie: 

a. Get Accurate Transcription and Detailed Summaries

Jamie transcribes your meetings with precision and generates a human-like summary from it. You don’t have to go through a giant block of text—Jamie organizes everything into clear sections: executive summary, meeting notes, tasks, and decisions. 

The smart speaker recognition feature aptly distinguishes between different speakers, be it a one-on-one or a group meeting, so it’s easier to keep track of who said what. 

‍

‍

b. Find Past Meeting Notes in Seconds with Jamie’s Sidebar

Instead of scrolling through old docs, Jamie’s Sidebar lets you search and retrieve meeting insights instantly. Need to know what was decided in the last meeting or something from six months back? Press CTRL+J (or Command+J on Mac), type your query, and Jamie will give you the answer in seconds! 

Jamie’s Sidebar isn’t just for meetings—it doubles up as your executive assistant and generates new ideas for campaigns, writes emails for you, and performs any other task you'd want ChatGPT to do for you. With multiple AI models at your fingertips (Jamie’s own AI, Claude 3 Opus, and GPT-4), you get quick answers whenever you need them.

‍

c. Work Offline or Online

With Jamie, you can transcribe and summarize your meetings even when you’re offline. 

The tool is GDPR-compliant and hosted in the EU, ensuring top-tier data security. All processing happens locally on your device, and meeting recordings are automatically deleted after transcription—no cloud storage, no risks. Your data stays private, just as it should.

‍

‍

d. Enjoy Bot-free Meetings

No one wants an annoying bot to show up on their Zoom call. Jamie is completely bot-free, which means it records and transcribes in the background without joining as a participant. 

Your meetings stay smooth, secure, and distraction-free.

‍

Want Reliable Zoom Notes?

Jamie captures every detail.

Try Jamie for Free

2. Learn Zoom keyboard shortcuts 

Zoom has plenty of shortcuts, but you don't necessarily need to learn all of them. These are the ones I rely on to avoid scrambling for buttons during a meeting:

• Pause/Resume Recording: Alt + R (Windows) or Command + Shift + R (Mac)
• Mute/Unmute: Alt + A (Windows) or Command + Shift + A (Mac)
• Share Screen: Alt + Shift + S (Windows) or Command + Shift + S (Mac)
• Take a Screenshot: Alt + Shift + T (Windows) or Command + T (Mac)
• Raise/Lower Hand: Alt + Y (Windows) or Option + Y (Mac)

Start using them for your upcoming meetings and you’ll memorize them in no time! 

3. Give Attendees a Waiting Room 

Ever had someone join your Zoom meeting before you were ready? Or worse, had an uninvited guest show up? Zoom’s Waiting Room feature gives you full control over who enters and when, offering a more secure meeting experience.

With this feature, you can screen attendees before they join, and decide whether to admit them individually or all at once. The ones to arrive early are kept in a virtual lobby until you're ready to begin. If an uninvited guest tries to enter, you can simply deny them access. 

‍

‍

Here’s how you can enable the Waiting Room: 

• Go to your Zoom web portal and navigate to Settings
• Under Security, toggle on Waiting Room
• Customize it. You can allow certain users (e.g., those from your organization) to bypass the waiting room and hold others for manual approval

‍

4. Keep your privacy in check

Take care of these privacy measures for all of your meetings:  

• Keep personal and professional meetings separate: Using the same Zoom account for both personal and professional meetings can be a security risk. Keep them separate to prevent accidental access to private meeting rooms and to keep the professional sessions secure

• Use a dedicated email for public events: When hosting a webinar or public meeting, avoid using your personal email address. Instead, use a work or event-specific email to protect your privacy and reduce the risk of unwanted messages or security breaches
  

• Lock the meeting once it starts: After all expected participants have joined, lock the meeting. It prevents uninvited guests from entering and safeguards the conversation from disruptions or security threats
  

• Manage participants proactively: As the host, you have full control over attendees. Remove anyone who shouldn’t be there, mute disruptive participants, and disable chat or screen share if necessary to maintain a smooth and focused meeting
  

• Restrict recording to maintain confidentiality: Disable automatic recording (unless necessary) and limit participant recording permissions. It’ll make sure no one can record sensitive discussions or share them without proper authorization
  

‍

5. Set a Virtual Background

Whether you're working from home or on the go, a cluttered or distracting background can pull attention away from you in a meeting. Zoom’s virtual background feature allows you to replace your real surroundings with a clean, professional backdrop, or a branded image that aligns with your company.

To enable a virtual background:

• Go to Settings > Background & Effects 
• Click the Virtual backgrounds tab
• Click None to remove your virtual background or Blur to soften it
• To upload your own media, click the add icon, choose image or video, and upload a file from your device. 
• To generate with AI Companion, enter a description into the text box and click Generate. If you want a different result, click Try Again for a new version

‍

‍

6. Use Live Transcription and Translation for Multilingual Meetings 

If you're hosting a meeting with attendees who speak different languages, Zoom’s live transcription and translation features will be helpful. The AI-powered translated captions let participants see real-time subtitles in their preferred language and make it easier to follow along. 

Even if translation isn’t needed, live transcription (even though not fully accurate) ensures accessibility for those who are hard of hearing or find it difficult to follow fast conversations.

Here’s how you can enable translated captions: 

• Go to Account Management > Account Settings
• Click the Meeting tab
• Toggle Translated Captions under In Meeting (Advanced)

‍

‍

7. Turn on Gallery View 

Want to make your meetings feel more close-knit? Gallery View in Zoom lets you see up to 49 participants on one screen. It’s especially useful for team discussions, brainstorming sessions, and panel-style meetings where seeing reactions in real time makes a difference.

To enable it, go to the top-right corner of your Zoom window and switch from Speaker View to Gallery View.

If it’s a large meeting with more than 49 attendees, Zoom organizes  the participants into multiple pages. You can use the arrow keys to flip through them and see everyone (up to 1,000 thumbnails).

‍

‍

8. Enable Non-Verbal Feedback in Your Zoom Settings

Sometimes during a meeting, you want to react but don't want to interrupt the flow of the speaker. That’s when non-verbal feedback comes in handy. Zoom allows participants to use icons like raised hands, thumbs up/down, clapping, or a coffee cup (to request a break!). 

As the host, go to Settings > Meeting > Non-verbal feedback and toggle it on, and the feature will be enabled for all participants. 

Encourage your team to use non-verbal reactions to keep meetings more organized. For example, ask participants to raise their hands before speaking or give a thumbs up to show agreement. 

‍

9. Brainstorm and Ideate Using Whiteboards

I love Zoom’s Whiteboard feature—it’s ideal for collaborative brainstorming for remote teams like ours. You can map out a strategy, sketch diagrams, draw flow charts, and collaborate with teammates in real time using a virtual canvas. 

To start sharing your Whiteboard, go to Share Screen, then click Whiteboard during your meeting. A blank canvas will come up. After the session, export the whiteboard as a PDF or PNG so no ideas are lost.

‍

‍

10. Use Advanced Screen Sharing Options

Beyond sharing your entire screen, you can take advantage of these advanced screen-sharing features in your meeting settings:

• Share a portion of your screen: Select only a specific area to share with your audience, and keep private notes or other confidential content hidden
• Share computer audio: Play high-quality sound directly from your computer—ideal for sharing audio content such as podcasts or voice recordings 
• Use PowerPoint as a virtual background: Place yourself in front of your slides (like weather reporting) and make your presentations more engaging
• Share a second camera feed: Add another camera source for physical product demos 

Click Share Screen > Advanced to access these additional options.

‍

‍

‍11. Share Meeting Summary and Automate Follow-Up 

Once your meeting ends, the real work begins—following up on key discussion points and action items.

This is when you can use Jamie again. 

After a meeting is transcribed and summarized, you can instantly send the notes to colleagues via email, through simple copy-paste, or by generating a shareable link. It’s a quick and easy way to send a follow-up message to participants (and those who couldn’t attend the meeting) and keep them updated on the to-dos. 

‍

Streamline post-meeting follow-up with Jamie

12. Check Who Attended Your Meeting

If you’re hosting a mandatory Zoom session (e.g. a corporate training program or a town hall meeting), you may need to track attendance. Zoom allows you to generate a detailed attendee report after the meeting. 

Here’s how you can access the meeting attendance report for meetings you’ve hosted as a licensed (paid) user:

• In to your Zoom web portal, navigate to Reports > Usage Reports > Meeting
• Set the date range or search for your meeting using the Meeting ID
• Locate your meeting and click the participant count under the Participants Source column
• A list of internal and external meeting participants will appear, showing their join and leave times

Attendance reports are only available on Pro, API Partner, Business, Education, or Enterprise Zoom plans. 

‍

Wrapping Up

Over the years, I've found that these small tweaks can make a big difference in my Zoom meetings. Using interactive features, collaborating with teammates, and staying vigilant with privacy settings help me run my calls hassle-free. 

Whether it’s a team huddle, client pitch, or a full-blown virtual event, I finally feel like I have figured out Zoom.

But if you ask me for one hack I swear by, it’s using Jamie as an AI note-taker for Zoom. I used to waste so much time scribbling meeting minutes, cleaning them up, and digging for action items. Then Jamie came along and changed the game—it gives me structured and searchable notes, with complete privacy and zero interruptions. No more frantic note-taking or lost tasks. 

That’s how meetings should be!

Download Jamie for free today (no credit card details needed)!

Or if you’d like to see the tool in action before making a move, book a free demo.

Want a Zoom Note-Taker?

Jamie transcribes seamlessly.

Try Jamie for Free

FAQs

How can I improve my video quality on Zoom?

Ensure you have good lighting, a high-quality webcam, and a stable internet connection. Go to Settings > Video and enable HD Video if available.

How do I reduce background noise during Zoom calls?

Go to Settings > Audio, enable Noise Suppression, and use headphones with a built-in mic. Zoom also has a Suppress Background Noise setting that you can set to High.

How do I prevent Zoom bombing?

Use a waiting room, require a passcode for entry, and restrict screen sharing to the meeting host. Go to Security > Lock Meeting once all participants have joined.

How can I remove unwanted participants from a Zoom call?

Click on Participants, find the person, click More, and select Remove. You can also enable the Suspend Participant Activities option in Security.

How do I record a Zoom meeting?

Click Record during the meeting and the recording will begin instantly. Free accounts can opt for local recording, while paid accounts can save to the cloud. 

How can I schedule Zoom meetings efficiently?

Integrate the Zoom app with Google Calendar or Outlook. Go to Meetings > Schedule, add Topic, Attendees, Date and Time, select a calendar service (Google Calendar, Outlook, etc.), and send out invites. 

Can I set up recurring Zoom meetings?

Yes. When scheduling a meeting, you can select the Recurring meeting option and set the frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).

What is a Personal Meeting ID (PMI) in Zoom?

A Personal Meeting ID (PMI) is a unique meeting number assigned to your Zoom account that remains the same for every meeting you host using it. It creates a virtual meeting room that you can use repeatedly.

Read More:

• Zoom Review: Evaluate Zoom’s features, pricing, security, user reviews, and more 
• How to Transcribe A Zoom Meeting: Learn how to transcribe Zoom meetings for free using Jamie
• How to Record a Zoom Meeting: Follow this guide to record zoom meetings seamlessly 
• Zoom Meeting Summary: Summarize your Zoom video calls with Jamie
• How to Share a Screen on Zoom: Explore the ins and outs of Zoom screen sharing