Welcome to the Zoom Community, @Kathleen Morgan! We’re glad to have you here!
A Zoom host key is a 6-digit PIN that allows another participant to claim host privileges in a meeting.
The important thing to know is that the host key does not come from the meeting itself. It is associated with the Zoom account of the person who scheduled the meeting.
So, if you were trying to get the host tools working the night before the actual host arrived, someone would first need to get the 6-digit host key from the meeting host.
The host can find their host key in their Zoom account under their profile settings. They can view the existing key or change it, then share it with the participant they trust to manage the meeting.
Once they have the key, the participant can select 'Claim Host' from the Participants panel and enter the 6-digit host key. If it’s correct, they’ll become the host and have access to the host controls.
And no worries, using the host key won’t crash or end the meeting. It simply gives the participant host controls, and the original host can reclaim the host role when they join.
If you’d like to learn more about how the host key works, including how to ‘claim host’ during a meeting, our Using your host key article walks through the process.
