Alternative host being asked to register (and unable to enter)

[zoomuser22]

Hi Zoom community, 

I'm hoping you can help me with an issue we're experiencing lately. When we set meetings with an alternative host (in the same organization), they use their unique link to enter the meeting. However on doing so they are asked to register and then being told the host cannot register. They are then unable to enter the meeting at all unless using a different email address. Any advice in relation to this issue would be appreciated. 

Many thanks

[dpwit]

We are having the same issue as well, but it's been forever with no resolved issue.

[singhpds25]

Hi all, 

Was there any fix to this?

[dpwit]

Not yet it hasn't. we're still having the issue, but it's becoming more of a problem

[zoomuser22]

An update to my initial post/question - to those that are interested, I have been using a work around solution which seems to be working. 

• The organizer goes to their zoom meeting page.
• Clicks on the meeting
• At the top right there is the "Start this Meeting" button.  Do not click on it, but right click.  It will bring up a drop down list.  I click on "Copy link" and email this to the alternative host.  The link is the same as they receive from zoom when they are allocated as an alternative host EXCEPT there is the letter "s" instead of "j" in the middle of it.  Presumably this is for start instead of join.  Not sure why but it seems to allow alternative hosts into the meeting without the registration issue.

[agreen1232]

I'm having this same issue. My alt host ended up just joining with his personal email because he couldn't get in. 

[heath84]

I am also having this issue. My workaround has been to send the alternative hosts the meeting ID - they can join directly from their Zoom client if they type the ID in directly. 

It is definitely annoying. They can't use the link Zoom provides, and the meeting doesn't show up on their Zoom client either. 

[EH2]

We have Alternative Hosts assigned to many meetings. In the last couple of meetings those Alternative Hosts have not been able to join the meeting.  They were only able to join by registering using their personal e-mail address.  This is new behavior for the software and looks like a bug.

[BethFell]

This just happened to one of my hosts.  In this case, entering the meeting ID from the desktop app did not work to get the alternate host in.  The host was able to copy the link from the security shield and that worked, but it shouldn't be this difficult!  I've opened a ticket with support it will be interesting to see what they say.

@zoomuser22  You are onto something with the flags in the links (/s/, /j/, /w/) 

/s/ links are always the links that hosts and alt hosts get, and anyone else who tries to use these links cannot get in (Note: you must sign in with your company login to be recognized by Zoom and given host/alt host privileges.)
/j/ links are participant/attendee links
/w/ links are webinar panelist links (webinar only)

Example

Host/Alt host has an /s/

https://<domain>.zoom.us/s/93469324056

Of course the link in email sent to the alt host has the /s/ flag so I don't know why that didn't work.

[hsiddiqi]

Unfortunately still experiencing this issue in Jan 2023. Any help would be appreciated.

Alternative host is assigned, can't join meeting, is asked to register.

[BethFell]

What I discovered recently is that if the alt host signs into Zoom on the web portal they will be able to join the meeting using either the /j/ link (for attendees) or the /s/ link (for hosts).

The /s/ link will allow the alt host to join, without registering, if the alt host is logged into the Zoom desktop client or the web portal.

The /j/ link will only allow the alt host to join, without registering, if the alt host is logged into the web portal.

This doesn't make sense to me, I always tell people with issues joining a meeting to log into the desktop app so Zoom recognizes them and their role in the meeting. The desktop app should be the gold standard of how you join a meeting and how Zoom recognizes you. Zoom Support, however, tells me that this is the expected behavior. They expect the alt host to always use the /s/ link to join a meeting, but we all know the email sent to the alt host is often lost and they often join a meeting using the regular attendee /j/ link.  I expressed my frustration via the feature request site www.zoom.us/feed.

[Susan_Assadi]

Thank you so much for explaining! My team has countless spent hours trying to figure this out. 

[brendatonn]

What is the j link and s link - where do I find the different ones?

[BethFell]

@brendatonnin the email that goes to an alternate host look closely at the join link. You will notice an /s/ after the domain, as in this example from a recent meeting:
https://xxxxxx.zoom.us/s/98765149332 

Hosts and Alt Hosts typically use the /s/ link to join a meeting.

Attendees to this same meeting used a link with a /j/ after the domain:
https://xxxxxx.zoom.us/j/98765149332?pwd=STlvVUw2VVpQSDJjYmFCL3JnQ1k2QT09

[brendatonn]

Ok, I'm still a little confused.   So what do I send to my cohost so that they are able to join the meeting as they are not able to register and receive the join link.  We ran into difficulties again this morning. 

B

[heath84]

You need to send them the meeting ID. When they open their Zoom app, they will click "Join" and enter the meeting ID. That will allow them to access the meeting. 

[brendatonn]

Ok great - thanks for this.   I know people sometimes want to join day of when it's too late to register, so if I send the ID they will be able to use it then as well.  

[lynn895]

Correct, you need to ensure they have the meeting id. You can copy it into an email and send it to them. Alternatively there is a Zoom marketplace app, Salepager, that lets you automatically share the meeting ID.

[AMYDELEON8003]

Still having alt host logging in issues. Will try other work arounds.

I didn't realize there was a difference between the  app and the website ... I've been telling my team to always use the app - apparently I was wrong? So now I should advise them to log into our account through the website?

[BethFell]

@AMYDELEON8003I would say this is an edge case where logging into the app doesn't help you as it should.  In every other case I've encountered the advice to login to the app solves Alt Host/Host issues.

Also note, if the alt host is logged into the app and uses the link they were sent in email (the /s/ link) they do not need to login to the web portal. It's only when the alt host is using the regular attendee link (the  /j/ link) that they need to be logged into the web portal. And only if the meeting requires registration.

[AMYDELEON80031]

Thanks! It is entirely possible that I do not know what I am doing!! lol - I took over this account in March ... will read through the Getting Started newbie stuff! I see I have much to learn!

[BethFell]

You're doing fine. This just happens to be a really odd problem. 🙃

[Portland]

I'm having the same problem. It also asks me, as host, to register. I have to go in through the app to open the meeting. Even through I have designated the co-hosts ahead of time, they cannot get in. They are told to register, and then told that hosts cannot register. They are unable to get into the meeting. I need guests to register. Any simple solutions for this issue yet?