Host Can't Click Link and Immediately Start Meeting! Help!

[Lisakae828]

Host should just be able to click the link and start the meeting; however, when host does, it says “waiting for the host to start the meeting” and she has to log in to Zoom to start the meeting.  Help!  Nothing is working.

[Ray_Harwood]

Hey, @Lisakae828,

In most meetings (without special security settings enabled), anyone with the meeting link can join the meeting.  If the host is not logged in -- this normally means to the Zoom web site at zoom.us -- then the link acts as if "just any random person with the link" clicked it.  The host does need to be logged into the Zoom web site to join as host from a clicked link.

If your host has the Zoom desktop (or phone or tablet) Zoom client app installed, they can start the meeting by being logged into the Zoom client app and clicking the start button in the app.

For most active Zoom hosts, I recommend being logged into both the Zoom web site and the Zoom client app.  That way, no matter how you try starting your meeting... Zoom will know it's your meeting and let you in as host.

[crushworth]

Hi there,

I was having the same problem today, but I am logged into the client app. I have three options on my university's log in page: "Host (start a meeting), "Join (connect to a meeting in progress)", and "Log in". I am already logged in. Clicking "Host", because I am the host,  brings me to the same screen that says "Waiting for host to start meeting". Clicking "Join" asks for my meeting room, and entering my meeting room name allows me in as host.

It seems a bit strange I can't just click on my link to host a meeting, like I have for several years with my previous institution's Zoom account. Are there any ideas for getting this to work easily, like it has in the past?

[Ray_Harwood]

If you are logged into the Zoom client app, you should be starting meetings from within the app.  This approach bypasses the web browser credential checking process, and uses the credentials stored in and logged into the Zoom client app.

Clicking on ANY link outside of the client app will launch the browser-based meeting initiation process, and this process DOES NOT use your credentials in the Zoom client app... it uses the credentials from your zoom.us web login. 

If you are not logged into the web and you click on a URL, you will be prompted to log into the web.