Breakout Rooms

[D_Branco]

For the past few days, we've had quite a few participants being randomly kicked out of breakout rooms. Does anyone know if there is an issue or have suggestions on how to stop this?

[iambobsat]

Hi D_Branco, 

Suggestions to mitigate/fix

Here are actionable suggestions you can implement in your next meeting to address and prevent this issue.

1. Ask all participants to update their Zoom client ahead of time

   • Send a pre-meeting email: “Please update your Zoom app to the latest version. If using a browser join, consider using the Zoom desktop client for best breakout room stability.”

   • If you have recurring participants, consider locking version compatibility or specifying minimum version.

2. Prefer using the Zoom desktop client over browser

   • If possible, recommend participants use Zoom’s installed app rather than joining via browser only, especially if they will go into breakout rooms.

3. Check network conditions and reduce load

   • Encourage participants to join from a stable WiFi / wired network if possible.

   • Ask them to turn off video (or at least high-resolution) or screen sharing until after breakout rooms, to reduce bandwidth load.

   • If the host sees repeated drop-outs in the same group of participants, check whether that group has a common network issue (e.g., same ISP, VPN, firewall).

4. Carefully plan pre-assignment and when you open breakout rooms

   • If you use pre-assigned breakout rooms, ensure everyone logged into Zoom with the correct email/account that matches the assignment. Otherwise, they may be treated as “unassigned”. 

   • Wait until all participants have joined (or at least the bulk) before opening breakout rooms. If participants join after rooms are open, they may not transition properly.

5. Limit complexity if possible

   • If you have many breakout rooms or many participants, simplify the design: fewer rooms, simpler assignments, less switching.

   • For example, avoid having extremely large numbers of breakout rooms with only few participants each if that’s not necessary.

6. Set clear instructions for participants

   • Before sending into breakout rooms, tell them: “You will be moved into breakout rooms. If you get taken back to the main room, please re-join the breakout room request when prompted or notify a host/co-host.”

   • Have a co-host or facilitator monitoring the main room to help participants who got returned or were unassigned.

7. Have a backup plan for problem participants

   • If certain participants keep getting kicked out, you might manually assign them to a breakout room using the host controls, or temporarily keep them in the main session for their portion.

   • Consider staging a test or smaller run-through with those participants beforehand.

8. Contact Zoom Support if needed

   • If you’ve done all the above and still see consistent drop-outs, it may be a bug or environment-specific issue (especially if it happens with Web SDK or older OS). Gather logs, participant device info, meeting ID, times, etc.

   • The Zoom community forum shows others encountering “Participants returned immediately to main session”.