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Home > Help & Support > Knowledge Base > Email & Collaboration > Zoom > Creating & Managing Breakouts in Zoom

Creating & Managing Breakouts in Zoom

Zoom Security Measures Update

On Friday, May 16, 2025, Information Technology Services (ITS) implemented a new security measure requiring all Zoom meetings to use a waiting room, passcode, or authentication for entry. If you have a Zoom meeting scheduled before May 16th with no security measures, a waiting room will automatically be added to your meeting.

Breakout rooms are already enabled for all Mason Pro licensed users. To check your license type you can log in to the app; instructions are available in the  How to Sign in to the Zoom Desktop Application knowledge base article. Once logged in, click on your profile icon and you should see the word “Licensed.” If you see “Basic,” you can submit a ticket to request an upgrade.Hosts may configure breakout rooms during the meeting event and prior to the meeting event if the participants are known. See the following Zoom articles:

  • Participating in breakout rooms (participant)
  • Managing breakout rooms (host)
  • Pre-assigning participants to breakout rooms (host)

Recording Breakout Rooms

If the main meeting is being cloud recorded, it will only record the main room, regardless of what room the meeting host is in. If local recording is being used, the host can allow a participant to record their breakout room. It will be a “local” recording (recorded to the device they are using, not recorded in the cloud and on their Zoom account). It is only recording the break-out room that person is in. Additionally, multiple participants can record locally, in multiple rooms. The host can allow a participant in each of the breakout rooms to record. Each of those participants will have the local record of their own breakout room.

Prior to the meeting:

If the main room is being recorded, it is best to set up permission for the participants to record before starting the breakouts. This will prevent any breaks in the main room recording and also allow participants to know each other’s expectations while still in the main room. You will want to work with the locally recording participant(s) to upload their local recording files to you via OneDrive or Blackboard, etc.

The host needs to enable local recording on their Zoom account. After enabling, they must select (enable) the option “Hosts can give meeting participants permission to record locally” at https://gmu.zoom.us/profile/setting >Recording tab as described in the User section in this Zoom Help article Enabling and starting local recordings

Once the meeting or breakout has started:

The host must allow particular individuals to record locally. In the participants menu, navigate to the participant to whom you want to grant recording privileges and click More next to their name. Click Allow Record. The participant will receive a notification about recording privileges. When a participant is recording, the participant menu will display a recording icon next to the participant’s name. To disable the participant’s ability to record, click More next to the name, then click Forbid Record.

The participant will receive a notification that they no longer have recording privileges. This is also described in the Zoom Help article How to assign recording privileges to a participant.

IMPORTANT

Zoom Webinar does not currently support breakouts. See Meeting and Webinar Comparison.

Last modified: June 23, 2025

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