Many people are trying to find ways to participate in Zoom meetings With more and more home workers, students, teachers, and groups of family and friends learning about Zoom by word of mouth, it is no wonder that they are trying to find ways to use Zoom on both their desktop and mobile devices

Millions of people are using Zoom, one of the best video chat apps and teleconferencing software solutions, from the comfort of their homes Learn how you can join a Zoom meeting for work, an online class, or a conversation with family and friends

Zoom's popularity has skyrocketed, and according to the company, downloads of the app increased 1,270% between February 22 and March 22 So we've put together a guide on how to use Zoom and a step-by-step guide to participating in a Zoom meeting

If you want to start your own group chat, see How to Set Up a Zoom Meeting And Zoom isn't the only option; our Zoom vs Google Hangouts showdown has some good advice for those who can't decide which is right for them

To join a Zoom meeting, the host must first create a meeting and share the invitation URL or meeting ID No Zoom login is required to join the meeting, only the meeting URL or ID is needed

Once the host starts the meeting, participants can join the meeting unless the option to allow participants to join before the host arrives is enabled

Alternatively, if you sign up for Zoom with your contact information, as described below, fellow Zoom users can use that detail to "call" you without an invite URL

Depending on the setup of the meeting, you may be able to join the meeting immediately, or you may have to wait for the host to arrive first, or you may be taken to a waiting room controlled by the host

Once in the meeting, learn how to show everyone in Zoom's grid format

There is no need to install any special software to join or host a Zoom meeting Everything can be done from a web browser

Again, depending on the setup of the meeting, you may be able to join the meeting immediately, or you may have to wait for the host to arrive first, or you may be taken to a waiting room controlled by the host

Have you lost interest in Zoom? Here's how to remove Zoom from your device