Zoom guide
By
Elias Brandt
Elias Brandt writes about marketing, email and analytics tools for Appcyclopedia, working on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 and a Galaxy S25.
- Windows
- macOS
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Short answer
In the Zoom desktop app, go to the Home tab and click Schedule. Add a topic, the date, time and duration, then click Save. Open the meeting from the Meetings tab and click Copy invitation to paste the link into an email or chat.
On the free plan: a meeting can run for up to 40 minutes with up to 100 people. Scheduling a longer meeting does not lift that limit.
Below: the steps in the desktop app, on the website and on a phone, what each scheduling option does, and where to find the meeting afterwards.
Schedule the meeting, then send the invitation
To schedule a Zoom meeting, use whichever Zoom you have open. The first group covers the desktop app, the second the website and the phone, and the last sending the invitation, which is the same for all.
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In the Zoom desktop app
Click Schedule on the Home tab
Open the Zoom desktop app and sign in. On the Home tab, click Schedule. The scheduler window opens with the meeting details ready to fill in.
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Fill in the topic, date, time and duration
Type a topic your guests will recognise, such as “Project kickoff”. Set the date, start time and duration, and check the time zone if anyone is joining from another country. Tick Recurring meeting if it repeats every week.
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Check the security options and click Save
Leave the passcode and the waiting room on unless you have a reason to turn them off: they stop people who only guess the meeting ID from walking in. Choose a calendar if you want Zoom to add the meeting to Google Calendar or Outlook. Click Save.
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On the website or a phone
On zoom.us, go to Meetings and Schedule a Meeting
Sign in at zoom.us and click Meetings in the menu on the left, then Schedule a Meeting. Fill in the same details and click Save at the bottom. The website is also where recurring meetings with no fixed time can still be scheduled.
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In the phone app, tap Schedule on the Home tab
Open the Zoom app on your iPhone or Android phone and tap Schedule on the Home tab. Set the topic, date, time and duration, then tap Done or Save.
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Send the invitation
Copy the invitation and send it to your guests
Find the meeting on the Meetings tab in the desktop app, or under Meetings, then Upcoming on zoom.us. Click Copy invitation. The text includes the link, the meeting ID and the passcode. Paste it into an email, a chat or a calendar invite.
Say you are planning a Thursday call with three clients. You schedule it for 10:00 for 30 minutes, keep the waiting room on, copy the invitation and paste it into one email to all three.
The meeting only exists for your guests once they have the link, so sending the invitation is part of scheduling, not an extra.
More about Zoom
Video meetings and calls, free for meetings of up to 40 minutes.
Why a scheduled Zoom meeting goes wrong
- The meeting ended after 40 minutes
That is the free Basic plan’s limit, whatever duration you scheduled. Start a new meeting to carry on, or use a paid plan for longer meetings.
- There is no No fixed time option in the desktop app
Zoom removed it from the desktop app in April 2023. Schedule recurring meetings with no fixed time on the website at zoom.us instead.
- Guests are stuck in the waiting room
You have to let them in. Click Participants during the meeting and choose Admit next to each name, or Admit all.
- You cannot find the meeting you scheduled
Check the Home tab, which shows today’s meetings, then the Meetings tab or Meetings, Upcoming on the website. Use the forward arrow to look at later days.
What each scheduling option does
The scheduler window has more options than a first meeting needs. These are the ones that change what your guests experience.
| Option | What it does | Leave it as |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Sets the calendar slot; it does not end the meeting | Your best guess |
| Time zone | Shows the right time to people abroad | Your own, unless guests are elsewhere |
| Recurring meeting | Uses one link for a repeating meeting | Off for a one-off call |
| Passcode | Asks for a code before joining; the link includes it | On |
| Waiting room | Holds guests until you let them in | On for outside guests |
| Calendar | Adds the meeting to Google Calendar or Outlook | The calendar you use |
Duration is the one people misread. It only blocks time in calendars. On a paid plan, the meeting carries on past it; on the free plan, the 40-minute limit applies whatever you set.
Where the scheduled meeting lives
Once saved, the meeting appears in three places, and any of them can start it.
- Home tab in the desktop or phone app, which shows today’s meetings.
- Meetings tab in the desktop app, which lists upcoming meetings.
- Meetings, then Upcoming on zoom.us, where you can also edit or delete it.
If you chose a calendar, the meeting is in Google Calendar or Outlook too, with the link in the event.
A recurring meeting keeps one link
For a weekly team call, tick Recurring meeting and choose how often it repeats. Every session uses the same link, so guests can save it once. On the desktop app you pick a fixed schedule; a recurring meeting with no fixed time can only be set up on the website.
Use one recurring meeting for a regular call, so nobody has to hunt for this week’s link.
The meeting is booked
Scheduling takes a couple of minutes. The steps people forget are sending the invitation and checking the 40-minute limit before a long free call.
Schedule it, copy the invitation into an email, and start it from the Home tab when it is time. For more on planning messages ahead, the guide to scheduling an email in Outlook works the same way for the follow-up.
Before you schedule your first Zoom call
- Can I schedule a Zoom meeting on a free account?
- Yes. Free Basic accounts can schedule as many meetings as they like, each with up to 100 people and a limit of 40 minutes.
- Do my guests need a Zoom account?
- No. Anyone with the link can join from the Zoom app or a web browser, and they do not have to sign in to do it.
- Can I change the time after sending the invitation?
- Yes. Edit the meeting in Zoom and save it; the link stays the same. Send your guests a short note with the new time, because Zoom does not always tell them for you.
- How do I start the meeting when it is time?
- Open the meeting on the Home or Meetings tab and click Start. You can also open the link from the invitation while signed in as the host.
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Test log
Followed the steps? Tell us how it went on your device. Entries appear here after we check them.
- Worked Every step, start to finish · Elias Brandt and Daniel Okonkwo Team
I tested this
Steps performed and confirmed 14 days ago
Changed since publishing
Correction: Corrected the test record to name who performed the steps, with each tester’s platform and device.
Before: Steps performed by Marta Kowalczyk, Daniel Okonkwo and Elias Brandt: Marta and Daniel on a computer, the website and the phone app, Elias in the Zoom app on Windows.
Now: Steps performed by Elias Brandt and Daniel Okonkwo. The earlier record did not match who ran which steps: Daniel ran the Mac, iPhone and Android steps and Elias the Windows and web steps. Marta Kowalczyk is no longer listed.
When you need this
To set up a video call for next week with people outside your office, schedule a Zoom meeting and send them the link. Joining other people’s meetings uses the same app, but hosting starts from the Schedule button.
- Describes
- Zoom Workplace desktop app for Windows and Mac · Zoom web portal at zoom.us · Zoom Workplace app for iPhone and Android
- Takes
- Two or three minutes
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · Web · iOS · Android
- Published
- 8 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 7 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Elias Brandt and 
Daniel Okonkwo
on
- Elias Brandt: the Windows and web steps on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 11 Pro).
- Daniel Okonkwo: the Mac steps on a MacBook Pro (macOS 27.0.1), the iPhone steps on an iPhone 15 (iOS 27.0.1) and the Android steps on a Pixel 9 Pro (Android 17).
Part of How to schedule and run an online meeting .
Zoom 
Outlook