Just like any site, Zoom occasionally needs to be signed into in order to work at its full potential, sometimes more than once a day. Because of this, it's helpful to include logging into the Zoom app and Zoom.us when you start up your computer, and to know the signs when you need to do it again. Below are some signs that you're not logged into Zoom.
Logging into Zoom
How to log into Zoom.us
You can log into Zoom.us by going to the login page. While it's tempting to sign in in the top portion, your Zoom profile is connected to your Google account, and everything tends to work more efficiently when you sign in through your Google account as opposed to the regular sign-in fields above it.
Once you're signed into Zoom.us you can check out your settings and recordings, and you can edit your display name for when you're in a meeting. But most importantly, being signed in here makes it so you don't experience issues when starting your meeting from Canvas. We'll get into errors you might see if you aren't logged in here in the second half of this article.
How to log into the Zoom desktop client/application
To be clear, the Zoom desktop client/application/app/etc is the program that is downloaded on your computer. It's the one that you may see in your taskbar. This is the iteration of Zoom that you will need to sign in to most often, as it's the place where most issues will occur if you aren't fully signed in.
If you don't already have it installed, Zoom will give you the option to download it when you go to start or join a meeting. Just click Download Now, shown below.
Once it is installed, you'll need to sign in. To do that, you just need to click the icon in your device's taskbar or search for it wherever you keep your programs.
If it immediately opens your Zoom application, then you're already signed in. If not, it will pull up the login window below. Just as with Zoom.us, it's important and easier to sign in with your PLI Google account as opposed to typing your credentials out in the upper portion.
How to Join a Meeting through the Zoom Web Client
As a PLI instructor, it is required that you run your meetings using the Zoom application described above. The Zoom application offers far more options and capabilities to help you run your class smoothly and safely. However, on the off-chance that something makes that temporarily impossible, you are able to start or join a meeting through the Zoom web client. This should only be done if the Zoom application in your taskbar is unavailable; In situations like this, please submit a Solutions ticket so the Solutions team can support you in getting that application back up and running.
To sign into the Zoom web client, go to join or start a meeting as you normally would. In the browser window that appears, select Join from Your Browser at the bottom of the screen.
The Zoom web client will then open in a new browser tab. If you are already signed into Zoom.us, it will immediately open the meeting, along with your normal PLI information like your display name. If you are not currently signed into Zoom.us, it will open the tab below, where you can input your name and choose whether to join the meeting with your camera and microphone on or off before clicking Join.
Errors you may encounter if you aren't signed into Zoom.us and/or the Zoom application
Your PLI Zoom background is missing
If you are not signed into the Zoom application on your computer, you will probably notice it the moment your Zoom camera turns on. The background that you normally use will no longer be there. If you then open your settings to check your Zoom background, you will also notice that the PLI backgrounds and video filters that you normally have are not there. That is because they are tied to your PLI account.
If you have a video preview turned on in your Video settings, you can catch this before you start or join a meeting. This setting will cause a window to pop up every time before you join or start a meeting, showing you what your video looks like and asking whether you want to join with it on or off.
Regardless of whether you spot the missing background before or after you start the meeting, the fix is very quick. Just open your Zoom desktop application and sign in as described above (sometimes, just opening the application automatically achieves that after a second of loading). You might be able to do this without closing the preview/meeting by right-clicking the Zoom app icon in your taskbar (1) and then selecting Zoom in the resulting menu. Depending on your device, this may open the application for you to sign in. If not, you can just close the meeting briefly, login, and then restart or rejoin the meeting.
"Please wait for the host to start this meeting"
This means that you need to log into your Zoom application. Thankfully, the window pictured below has a link for you to do that at the bottom of the window: "If you are the host, please login to start this meeting." Clicking that will open your Zoom application's login window. Then you just need to follow the usual steps described in the first half of this article for signing into the Zoom application.
"Warning: The instructor's email is invalid"
If you see this error when starting your Zoom meeting in Canvas, this just means that it's having a hard time authenticating your account. To fix this, just go to Zoom.us and sign in, then refresh your Canvas page and try again. If that still doesn't resolve the issue, let the Solutions Team know in a Solutions ticket or chat, and they'll work to pinpoint the issue.