How do I get rid of flipping Fathom? | Community
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Newcomer
June 22, 2023
Question

How do I get rid of flipping Fathom?

  • June 22, 2023
  • 21 replies
  • 15 views

How do I kill Fathom. I have uninstalled it restarted my computer and it is still asking to load Fathom as I am trying to join a zoom call.

It is iritating to say the least.

It is like a cockroach infesting zoom.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

21 replies

Ray_Harwood
Community Super Champion | Customer
Community Super Champion | Customer
June 23, 2023

Hey, @JEFFWEST63.

 

Remove it from your approved Apps. Here’s the page in the Zoom Marketplace:

https://marketplace.zoom.us/apps/JgSwuY4ZSGim6_OPRZV0Ig

You should be able to remove permission there. 

Newcomer
July 5, 2023

I did not find information to uninstall fathom at that link, Ray. I clicked every link in the margin.

Ray_Harwood
Community Super Champion | Customer
Community Super Champion | Customer
July 6, 2023

Hi Again, Ray,

 

Well, Best Buy Geek Squad did uninstall the Fathom files from my computer, but still zoom links are not linking and opening.  This is a BIG problem as my business is 100% online via zoom.

 


Thanks, @PeggyS.  Zoom not opening the Zoom Client when you click links is a separate problem entirely from Fathom- especially now that Fathom is de-installed... so let's see if we can figure out what can fix that.

 

Can you provide some information about your situation?

  • What type of device, operating system and version are to using?
  • What type of Zoom account do you have: Basic, Pro, Business, Enterprise, etc. 
  • Are you just using a web browser, or do you have the Zoom App installed? If so, what version of the Zoom App?
  • Are you able to see Meetings in your Zoom desktop app?  If you click those meetings, what happens?
  • When you say "zoom links are not linking and opening", links where?  (In an email?  Copied and pasted from somewhere?)  And what does happen (it's really rare that nothing happens -- something usually happens that you don't expect)?  If there's an error message, or some window that opens, or any other indication of something unusual, please try to get a screen shot and paste here.

Your answers will give me some idea of how to help you. 

Newcomer
July 17, 2023

From Fathom's help/faq's, it is easy to end recording or remove it from a Zoom call per this link:

https://fathom-video.notion.site/Remove-the-notetaker-from-a-call-e69a5f3206a04f9ca492333ea6058986

Newcomer
August 20, 2025

that is not what we are asking. We are trying to prevent it auto starting with every meeting.💜

Newcomer
August 9, 2023

I have this same problem, and it is ridiculous that Zoom would approve this app without a way to uninstall or stop it from intruding on meetings.  Other notetaking apps are using Calendar settings and intruding on Zoom meetings without an invitation. The only solution they have is to use a Waiting Room or to remove the app from the participant list in the room.

I want a way to stop the app from joining completely, but it seems to have found a way to come into Zoom meetings just by tracking the calendar.  I hope they have a solution to this problem, but until they do, I am reporting the app each and every time that it enters my meeting. It is SPAM if I have ever seen it.

Ray_Harwood
Community Super Champion | Customer
Community Super Champion | Customer
August 10, 2023

Sorry, but in my opinion it's not really Zoom's fault that your attendees have authorized an app to impersonate them in order to get into the meetings they are attending.  It's like inviting their twin brother with a pocket recorder to class.

 

Tell people at the beginning of the meeting that they'll be booted if they bring their apps in.  Boot the offending app instances and their owners out, and they'll get the hint.

 

FYI, I've written to the Fathom help desk regarding this statement on their FAQ page:

(Don't you just hate dark grey text on black background?)

 

Newcomer
January 7, 2026

Ray FWIW, I originally tried Fathom and have followed every step that's been mentioned above and it's still wanting to join. No matter how many times I type LEAVE it continues to pop up. It's crazy that zoom doesn't have a way to stop this spam from happening. 

Newcomer
August 10, 2023

I appreciate all the comments here. My situation is that I have removed the app from my zoom account and have deleted anything related to fathom from my computer and still - four months later I have people reporting to me that fathom sends them an email the day before meetings asking them to agree to the meeting being recorded. Frustration is too mild to describe how I feel by now. 

Ray_Harwood
Community Super Champion | Customer
Community Super Champion | Customer
August 10, 2023

Welcome to the Zoom Community, @suew2.

 

I'd like to suggest that it's not Zoom that is doing this -- it is Fathom.  Your agreement with Fathom authorized them to have access and notifications of your meetings.  Zoom has no process that would do this sort of notification.

 

I've recently contacted Fathom customer service and they were very helpful and courteous (and I don't even have an account!).  Their customer service email address is buried in their Terms of Service document online-- you can find it easily.

Ray_Harwood
Community Super Champion | Customer
Community Super Champion | Customer
August 11, 2023

For everyone else who has written: @JEFFWEST63@RhineZoom@kjsmith2000, and @PeggyS.

 

I reached out to Fathom customer service.  They were very helpful.  I'll include the relevant portions of the email thread here for your reference.  **Spoiler alert** I hope you'll find it very helpful!!  Read on...

 

Message #1 from me:

I’m a Zoom Community Champion, and I’ve been fielding (well, “avoiding” is probably a better term) a number of posts about how a meeting host can stop Fathom from entering their meeting.  See this most recent thread:

https://community.zoom.com/t5/Meetings/How-do-I-get-rid-of-flipping-Fathom/m-p/133119#M76166

 

In perusing your public web site (I’m not a user), I saw this at the bottom of your FAQ page:

How exactly does a host pause Fathom’s ability to record?  I was hoping to find an answer here (https://fathom.video/quick-start), but didn’t see anything.

 

I’d appreciate your help, so I can pass this along to interested Zoom Community members.

 

Fathom's #1 Response:

Thank you for reaching out! 🙂

 

Once you're on a call, you will see your desktop app(screenshot below). You will have the option to End or Pause the recording.

 

You can find answers to all of our frequently asked questions here! 

 

Message #2 From Me:

I think the situation is that Fathom users are logging into a meeting, and the Zoom host is not a Fathom user, and wishes to halt Fathom recording or prevent Fathom from running in their meetings. What level of control does the meeting host have, other than to force them out and report them to Zoom?

 

I’ve not personally seen Fathom in a meeting, but I’m trying to help Zoom Hosts gain control of their meetings and material when perhaps in a proprietary session. 

Fathom's #2 Response:

The host of the call can hover over the 3 dots "..." on the attendee's video screen, they can then see the option to remove the participant(bot).

 

You can also check this blog by Zoom on how to do so.

My Summary

At this point I reviewed the blog referenced in their response.  While I don't use Fathom and to my knowledge have never had a "Fathom incursion into a meeting", I think this probably gives everyone a way to deal with it, if you're willing to put in a little more reading.

 

If anyone has the opportunity to test this out, please post the results of your experience here.

 

If what you really want is for Zoom to turn off Fathom entirely... it's probably not going to happen.  You can always move to Teams... according to what I read, Fathom only works on Zoom. 😎 

Oh wait... looks like they've now infiltrated there too:

(Image from https://fathom.video/ on August 10, 2023 at 4:58MST).

Newcomer
September 8, 2023

Hi Ray,

 

Thank you for all you are trying to do but I think you don't get the point the OP is trying to make. Each time Zoom link is clicked, Zoom icon pops up with Fathom is looking to be turned on but because it's uninstalled,  it can't find the disk image. Despite Mac uninstall this "thing" pops up, and PREVENTS Zoom to open up. I hear that this is not Zoom's issue but this app that was approved by Zoom can not be properly uninstalled and does not allow Zoom to be used upon uninstallation! Could you share the Fathom's email address so I can perhaps explain the issue and learn what causes this to help you close this thread?

Thank you,

Matt

Ray_Harwood
Community Super Champion | Customer
Community Super Champion | Customer
September 8, 2023

Fathom's Customer Service can be reached at the email address contained in their Terms of Service document.

Newcomer
September 25, 2023

I installed this insidious program called Fathom because a friend said it was great to record Zoom calls and play them back. But it just wouldn't go away. I did go through the steps to take it out of Zoom per the instructions given in this thread, but it continued to be part of every Zoom call...and some of those calls it wasn't appropriate and once there, you can't just remove it. So I finally figured out that I had to uninstall it completely from my computer apps. I googled how to do that. It worked! Good luck.

 

Newcomer
October 11, 2023

Facing the same problem.. bad part is , fathom is interfereing zoom start. I cant start zoom straight without Fathom starts first on it own. Zoom app is taking more time to launch now. I contacted Fathom and they replied like this, "Oh !, this shouldnt happen, this is highly unlikely. Please restart the system"

Newcomer
October 11, 2023

The solution is:

  • Check first whether you may still have Fathom on your computer somewhere. Search for fathom via Finder?
  • If you find anything "eject" if you are using Mac or delete/uninstall Windows or Mac.
  • Then, uninstall Zoom.
  • Restart computer.
  • Then, reinstall Zoom.

That should do.

Newcomer
October 13, 2023

If you are running MacOS, you can remove any application using this method:

 

  1. Open Activity Monitor.
  2. Select the application from the list.
  3. Click on the X in the upper left corner of the window.
  4. Click Force Quit to confirm that you want to quit the process.
  5. Now open Finder and go to the Applications directory.
  6. Select the application from the list.
  7. Right click and press Move to Trash.

Hope this helps.

 

 

Newcomer
October 14, 2023
Thank you. This won’t work for “Fanthom Helper” you can close it the way you described and it will close in toolbar on top in Mac but it’s not under Applications to be removed. Hence, everyone is complaining about the app, and why in a way they have this “shady” uninstall. 
 
What users want is to be applied to Fanthom app, then that removal should do the job for main app and any of its branches running in the background but it didn’t in these cases. Hence the questions 👍
Newcomer
November 1, 2023

Like most of you, I tried everything listed to remove Fathom. I finally reported it to Zoom as spam while inside my meeting, similar to booting an uninvited participant. It worked! Fathom no longer pops up when I launch. Geez - I just lost an hour of my life on this! Hope others can shortcut the chaos.

Newcomer
November 2, 2023

so the thing is, after deleting the permission for fathom, if ur on Mac then select the fathom icon in the top bar, click on the bold fathom icon besides the apple logo and then finally click quit fathom, click on finder, click view and then go to applications in the top bar in view finder and find fathom and then do the right click and click delete I just did it, if ur not on Mac then sorry if I cant help