Chatting in a Zoom meeting


The in-meeting Zoom chat feature allows you to send instant messages to other users within a meeting or a private message to an individual participant. As the host, you can choose who the participants can chat with or to disable chat entirely. Each user can choose in settings to view each participant's profile photo in chat, or their initials if they have no profile photo. 

When sending messages to an individual participant, private chats are never visible to the meeting's host. Additionally, if the host saves the chat, private messages between participants do not appear on the chat transcript.

Meeting chats can be saved manually or automatically to your desktop computer, as well as automatically with a cloud recording. The Auto Saving Chats setting will automatically save your meeting chats locally on your computer for meetings you host, or you can manually save your chat transcript. If recorded to the cloud, a transcript of public chat messages can also be saved on the cloud. Private messages between participants are not saved. 

For more advanced chat messaging, such as threaded replies, emoji reactions, screenshots, and inline image previews, use the new meeting chat experience.

Note: If you see a prompt that your message has triggered a Chat Etiquette policy, you are either warned or blocked from sending the message based on what your account admin has configured. The Chat Etiquette Tool does not send additional message information, like data, metadata and event information, to the account admin, to Zoom, or to any 3rd party services, whether the message triggers Chat Etiquette policies or not.

This article covers:

Prerequisites for using chat during Zoom meetings

How to chat in Zoom meetings on desktop

Chat with everyone

  1. While in a meeting, click Chat  in the meeting controls.
  2. In the To: drop-down menu, select Everyone.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Press Enter to send your message.

Send a private message

If the host has enabled private chat, participants can communicate with each other privately in the meeting. Hosts can't see private chats between participants. 

  1. While in a meeting, click Chat  in the meeting controls.
  2. In the To: drop-down menu, select the participant you want to chat with directly.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Press Enter to send your private message.
    Your message will appear in the chat window indicated by a (Direct Message) notification above the message.

Chat while screen sharing

While screen sharing in a meeting, click Chat in the meeting controls toolbar. A floating chat window will appear, which is not visible to other meeting participants.

If you receive new chat messages while screen sharing, a red icon will appear next to Chat  indicating the amount of unread messages. Click Chat to open the chat window.

Use emojis in meeting chat

  1. When entering your message in the chat window, click Emoji to open the emoji panel.
  2. Search for a specific emoji or scroll through the list.
    Note: You can also easily add emojis to the message by typing : and at least two characters to find matching emojis to be included. For example, :jo will provide the :joy:, :joy_cat:, and :joystick: emojis. This requires version 5.8.0 for macOS and Windows. 

Send a file in a message

If file transfer is enabled by the host, you can send files in chat, as well as send a file from a third-party file sharing service.
When entering your message in the chat window, click File to choose the file source and send the file.

Manage chat settings

If you're the meeting host, you can change the in-meeting chat settings.

  1. While in a meeting, click Chat in the meeting controls.
  2. Click the ellipses icon to display in-meeting chat settings.
  3. You can access the following options:
    • Save chat: Save all chat messages in a TXT file. Saved to the same location as local recording files. 
    • Participant can chat with: Control who participants can chat with.
      • No one: Disables in-meeting chat.
      • Host and co-hosts: Only the host and co-host can send messages to everyone. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
      • Everyone: Participants can only send public messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
      • Everyone and anyone directly: Participants can send public or private messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Private messages are sent to a specific participant and are not visible to the host.

How to chat in Zoom meetings on mobile

Android | iOS

Chat with everyone

  1. While in a meeting, tap More  and then tap Chat .
  2. In the Send to: drop-down menu, select Everyone.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Tap to send your message.

Send a private message

If the host has enabled private chat, participants can communicate with each other privately in the meeting. Hosts can't see private chats between participants.

  1. While in a meeting, tap More  and then tap Chat .
  2. In the Send to: drop-down menu, tap the name of the participant you want to chat with directly.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Tap to send your private message.
    Your message will appear in the chat window indicated by a (Direct Message) notification above the message.

Incoming chats are displayed at the bottom of your screen. Tap More and then tap Chat  to view them.

Manage chat settings

If you're the meeting host, you can change the in-meeting chat settings.

  1. While in a meeting, tap More and then tap Security .
  2. Under Allow Participants to:, tap Chat with.
  3. Choose from the following options:
    • No one: Disables in-meeting chat.
    • Host Only: Only the host and co-host can send messages to everyone. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
    • Everyone Publicly: Participants can only send public messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
    • Everyone: Participants can send public or private messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Private messages are sent to a specific participant, and are not visible to the host.

How to chat in Zoom meetings on the web client

Web client

Chat with everyone

  1. While in a meeting, click Chat  in the meeting controls.
  2. In the To: drop-down menu, select Everyone in Meeting.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Press Enter to send your message.

Send a private message

If the host has enabled private chat, participants can communicate with each other privately in the meeting. Hosts can't see private chats between participants. 

  1. While in a meeting, click Chat  in the meeting controls.
  2. In the To: drop-down menu, select the participant you want to chat with directly.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Press Enter to send your private message.
    Your message will appear in the chat window indicated by a (Direct Message) notification above the message.

Manage chat settings

If you're the meeting host, you can change the in-meeting chat settings.

  1. While in a meeting, click Chat in the meeting controls.
  2. Click the ellipses icon to display in-meeting chat settings.
  3. You can access the following options:
    • Participant can chat with: Control who participants can chat with.
      • No one: Disables in-meeting chat.
      • Host and co-hosts: Only the host and co-host can send messages to everyone. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
      • Everyone: Participants can only send public messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
      • Everyone and anyone directly: Participants can send public or private messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Private messages are sent to a specific participant, and are not visible to the host.

How to chat in Zoom meetings on Zoom Web App

How to chat in Zoom meetings on Zoom Web App

Zoom Web APP

Chat with everyone

  1. While in a meeting, click Chat  in the meeting controls.
  2. In the To: drop-down menu, select Everyone.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Press Enter to send your message.

Send a private message

If the host has enabled private chat, participants can communicate with each other privately in the meeting. Hosts can't see private chats between participants. 

  1. While in a meeting, click Chat  in the meeting controls.
  2. In the To: drop-down menu, select the participant you want to chat with directly.
  3. Enter your message in the chat window.
  4. Press Enter to send your private message.
    Your message will appear in the chat window indicated by a (Direct Message) notification above the message.

Chat while screen sharing

While screen sharing in a meeting, click Chat in the meeting controls toolbar. A floating chat window will appear, which is not visible to other meeting participants.

If you receive new chat messages while screen sharing, a red icon will appear next to Chat  indicating the amount of unread messages. Click Chat to open the chat window.

Use emojis in meeting chat

  1. When entering your message in the chat window, click Emoji to open the emoji panel.
  2. Search for a specific emoji or scroll through the list.
    Note: You can also easily add emojis to the message by typing : and at least two characters to find matching emojis to be included. For example, :jo will provide the :joy:, :joy_cat:, and :joystick: emojis. This requires version 5.8.0 for macOS and Windows. 

Send a file in a message

If file transfer is enabled by the host, you can send files in chat, as well as send a file from a third-party file sharing service.
When entering your message in the chat window, click File to choose the file source and send the file.

Manage chat settings

If you're the meeting host, you can change the in-meeting chat settings.

  1. While in a meeting, click Chat in the meeting controls.
  2. Click the ellipses icon to display in-meeting chat settings.
  3. You can access the following options:
    • Save chat: Save all chat messages in a TXT file. Saved to the same location as local recording files. 
    • Participant can chat with: Control who participants can chat with.
      • No one: Disables in-meeting chat.
      • Host and co-hosts: Only the host and co-host can send messages to everyone. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
      • Everyone: Participants can only send public messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Participants can still send private messages to the host.
      • Everyone and anyone directly: Participants can send public or private messages. Public messages are visible to all participants. Private messages are sent to a specific participant, and are not visible to the host.