Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started with Zoom

Set up Your Account

How do I create a Zoom account using my lbl.gov email address?

All Lab staff are automatically provisioned a Zoom Pro account at no cost. To activate your account:

1. Go to zoom.lbl.gov and download ‘Zoom for Client Meetings’ from the Download Center.

2. Once the application is installed, open it on your computer and click Sign In.

3. Select Sign in with SSO from the right side menu. 

4. Enter LBNL under the "your company name" field. You will be redirected to the Berkeley Lab LDAP login page.

5. Enter your LDAP credentials and follow the prompts to complete the account activation.

If you are unable to complete the self-activation process, send an email (from your lbl.gov address) to the IT Help Desk with the subject “Zoom Pro account upgrade."

Install or Update Zoom

If you have the Zoom desktop application installed, you can check for new updates:

1. Sign in to Zoom desktop application (not the browser).

2. Click your profile picture in the upper right corner, scroll down to Check for Updates.

3. Zoom does not currently offer a way to automatically update the desktop application.

4. IT recommends checking for Zoom updates 2-3 times per month to ensure security, stability and the availability of new features.

5. An update requirement will be enforced at 6pm on the 3rd Thursday of each month. It applies to all lbl.gov users on all platforms.

Zoom will not update. It says Contact IT Administrator.  Help!

1. If your Zoom desktop client is below the current version, it cannot be updated by IT. 

2. Delete the desktop application from your computer and install the latest version from the Download Center. 

Learn the Basics

Ok, I have Zoom installed and updated. How do I use it? 

Visit the IT FAQ site for a detailed description of best practices for Remote Meetings with Zoom.

Sign In Before you Join

When scheduling a zoom meeting with doe.gov or science.doe.gov do not require authentication.  

Open the Zoom desktop application (not the browser). There are two options:

1. Join a Meeting

2. Sign In

If the host selects 'Only authenticated users can join' when scheduling, attendees MUST Sign In with Google or Sign In with SSO using one of two methods:

1. Sign into Zoom - Using any valid zoom account (do not use for DOE.gov or zoomgov.com accounts)

2. Sign into Zoom - Using lbl.gov account only

Clicking a Zoom invite link in Google Calendar will NOT automatically perform the Sign In process if authentication is required by the host. 

IMPORTANT:

Do not use the authentication option for external DOE.gov or zoomgov accounts.

Zoom Room Best Practices

All public conference rooms at the Lab are now Zoom Rooms.  Event hosts can start/join meetings directly from the iPad controller in the room.

1. For a list of all public conference rooms, features, calendar, and user guides, visit go.lbl.gov/cr.

2. Add the room to a Google Calendar invite on the day/time of your event.

3. Schedule a test run prior to the event date to review the room functions.

4. If a consult with IT is needed, enter an AV support request.

Zoom Authentication

More details on using the Only authenticated users can join feature.

Launching Zoom from a browser

1. Open Google Chrome or Firefox (not supported in Safari) 

2. Go to join.zoom.us

3. Enter your meeting ID provided by the host / organizer

For more details on using Zoom without the desktop application, click here.

Zoom Account Capacity

What is the maximum number of people that can join my zoom meetings.

1. To view license details, go to zoom.lbl.gov > My Account > Profile. 

2. The limit is 300 max concurrent participants (joined at the same time).

3. If you require a temporary upgrade to a large meeting license (500 or 1000) enter an AV support request.

AV Support for Events

I want to host a virtual event. How do I request real-time Audio Visual support? 

4. To start the process, enter an AV support request with details about your event. 

5. The IT AV Services team will respond via ASKUS to schedule a consultation.

Google Calendar Integration

Scheduling Zoom Meetings 

How do I schedule a Zoom meeting from Google Calendar?  

1. Download and configure the Zoom Extension for Browsers to add a Zoom meeting to calendar events. 

2. For detailed instructions: Using the Zoom Scheduler extension for Chrome

Meeting IDs

Can I use one Meeting ID and create separate calendar invites for different sessions? 

1. Use separate Meeting IDs for each Zoom session, create Recurring Meetings or try the Waiting Room feature to admit attendees at specified times.

2. Google Calendar is now synced with your Zoom account. 

3. If you copy/paste a Zoom meeting invitation with the link to join in Google Calendar from one calendar event "Test 1" to a second calendar event "Test 2" it will automatically update the meeting details to the "Test 2" calendar event and "Test 1" will cease to exist.

4. Click here for more on Updates to Zoom schedulers.

Can I use my Personal Meeting ID?

Yes. Since your Personal Meeting ID (PMI) is a known value, anyone can dial into any meeting (at any time) once they know the number. 

1. Use PMI for personal or 1:1 meetings with people you trust.

2. Turn off the 'Allow participants to join anytime' option for your Personal Meeting ID in Personal Meeting Room settings.

3. If it has been compromised, you can change your PMI within zoom.lbl.gov 'My Account' pages.

Zoom and Google Calendar Sync

Zoom is no longer synced with my Google Calendar. Help!

If your Google Calendar is out of sync with your zoom account. You can fix this by taking the following steps:

1. Go to zoom.lbl.gov click My Account (upper right corner).

2. Go to the Profile tab on the left navigation pane.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Configure Calendar and Contacts Service.

4. Select Google Calendar and follow prompts to complete integration.

Schedule Privilege and Zoom Reports

How do I schedule Zoom meetings on behalf of my supervisor? 

To schedule a calendar event with a Zoom meeting that comes from someone else:

1. Make sure you have Google Calendar scheduling permissions.

2. Ask the person you're scheduling for to grant schedule privileges in their Zoom account.

3. Go to zoom.lbl.gov click ‘My Account’ and go to the ‘Settings’ tab on the left navigation pane. 

4. At the bottom of the list, the person you're scheduling for can add your email address to assign scheduling privileges.

5. To allow access to cloud recordings and reports, check the two boxes at the bottom of the section "allow access to the following data for scheduled meetings"

6. Once the person you're scheduling for has completed the steps, close your browser completely and open a new Google Calendar window.

7. You will now see a "Schedule For" pull down menu when creating new meetings using zoom.lbl.gov.

8. To see this in Google Calendar, click Allow me to Specify Each Time  in the settings of your Zoom Scheduler extension.

Zoom AI Companion

Do the Lab have access to the Zoom AI companion?

No. The Zoom AI companion feature is currently under review by IT Policy. The feature is currently disabled and will remain locked until the review is complete. 

As an alternative, try searching the Zoom App Marketplace for the term "ai note" to download Zoom apps that offer similar functionality.

Passwords and Security

Zoom Security Options

Is security required when scheduling Zoom meetings and webinars? 

No. The requirement to enable a security option for lbl.gov Zoom meetings and webinars is postponed until further notice. IT is working with Zoom to determine the current number of unsecured meetings and assess the impact on Lab users, in particular for staff who manage meetings for their supervisors. For more on Zoom security options, click here.

Zoom Bombing

How do I prevent Zoom bombing? 

There are several steps you can take when scheduling your meeting to prevent Zoom bombing.

1. 1. Generate random meeting IDs.

   2. Enable passwords (also known as passcodes).

   3. Select the 'Only authenticated users can join' option.

   4. Visit the Zoom Security Settings resource for a security checklist recommended by IT.

In-Meeting Security Options

Hosts can enable security when scheduling or use the in-meeting security icon to enable/disable options during a meeting to minimize disruptions.

1. Lock Meeting

2. Enable Waiting Room

3. Remove and/or Report a Participant

Using Breakout Rooms

How do I add breakout sessions to my Zoom meeting?

1. Go to zoom.lbl.gov click ‘My Account’ then ‘Settings’ to make sure the breakout rooms feature is enabled within your account.

2. When scheduling a Zoom meeting, click the Breakout Room pre-assign checkbox

3. The host can now create breakout rooms with the option for participants to self-select which breakout room they would like to join. If enabled, participants can move freely between breakout rooms without the host’s help.  Hooray!

4. Both the host and participants must have Client 5.3.0 or later to self-select Breakout Rooms.

Zoom Recording Policy

How do I set meetings to automatically record?  In my account, it says this option is locked by your admin. 

1. The automatic recording feature is disabled per IT policy.  

2. The host or co-host(s) must join the meeting and click the record button.

3. To view local or cloud recordings go to zoom.lbl.gov > My Account > Recordings.

Can I save cloud recordings indefinitely or will they be deleted after a set number of days? 

1. The lbl.gov Zoom account has an overall cloud storage limit that is shared across the organization. To ensure that the cloud recording feature remains available to everyone, cloud recordings will be deleted automatically after they have been stored for 30 days.

2. To store cloud recordings longer than 30 days, download and save them to Google Drive using a lbl.gov Google Workspace account.

3. For more about IT policy on cloud recording in Zoom, click here.

4. How to record HD quality videos in Zoom

Generating Attendee Reports

1. Go to zoom.lbl.gov and click 'My Account' upper right corner.

2. On the next page, select the 'Reports' tab.

3. Select a date range to find the meeting ID in question.

4. Click 'Generate CSV' to download a copy of the attendee report.

5. For detailed instructions on generating attendee reports, click here. 

Virtual Backgrounds

1. All lbl.gov authenticated users will see virtual backgrounds pre-loaded into their account by the Berkeley Lab IT/AV Services team.

2. You can download pre-approved zoom backgrounds on the Berkeley Lab social media page.

3. For more information and troubleshooting tips, click here.

Advanced Options

I'm good with the basics. What else is new? 

Zoom offers a variety of advanced options including: 

1. Sharing content or 2nd camera

2. Chat and File Sharing

3. Dialing out from Zoom app (Call Out)

4. Whiteboard and Annotation

5. Enable Live Transcription (Closed Captions) 

6. How to Host Concurrent Zoom Meetings

7. Live Streaming to YouTube

8. Using Immersive View

9. How to Use Zoom on a Chromebook

What’s the Big Picture?

Zoom is a great tool for remote collaboration. To avoid mishaps, pay attention to your account settings and scheduling options. 

1. Visit zoom.lbl.gov website ‘My Account’ pages to review your account settings.

2. Verify that the Zoom for Client Meetings desktop application is installed (Sign in with Google).

3. Install the Zoom Scheduler for Google Calendar (Make it a Zoom Meeting) to start scheduling Zoom meetings.

Still Need Help?

1. Scan the QR code below with the camera of a smart phone or tablet for more useful tips. 

2. Contact the IT Help Desk 510-486-4357 (HELP) or email help@lbl.gov.