You can sign into the George Mason Licensed version of Zoom on the web or the app using “SSO” as described in this ITS article.

*If you are using your George Mason email to log into Zoom BUT ARE NOT USING SSO then you are NOT on a George Mason licensed account.

You can check your licensing status by logging in to gmu.zoom.us. Once logged in, click Profile in the left menu. Scroll down to the Account section, you will see the license type listed as “Basic” or “Licensed.”

A Zoom account will be provisioned and assigned a license automatically when you first log into Zoom at gmu.zoom.us with your Patriot Pass credentials.

• Employees (faculty, staff, student-employees/wages, GRA, etc.) are assigned a Licensed “Pro” account.
• Students with no employee affiliation are licensed as Basic. Students may request an upgrade to their license by contacting ITS.

Zoom recognizes the importance of providing accessible products for all users. For more information visit Accessibility Frequently Asked Questions.

Instructions for commonly used features are linked under the Key Features section on the Zoom Service page. More information can be found on the Zoom Support website, the Zoom YouTube page, and LinkedIn Learning. The Collaboration Collective is an excellent resource to engage George Mason peers using the same tools.

Yes, Zoom can be used for phone or web conference interviews. At least one George Mason host to schedule and start the meeting before callers may join. Please see Best Practices for Hosting Web Conference Interviews for additional guidance.

For George Mason-managed computers, the Zoom desktop app is available via Software Center (PC) and Self Service (Mac). For non-managed and personal computers, you may download and install the application directly from Zoom.

Updates are important for security and functionality. Zoom regularly provides new versions of the Zoom desktop client and mobile app to release new features and fix bugs. Updates are also important when using new features. Some new features require the meeting host and all attendees to have the most recent update to be able to use it.

Example: When breakout rooms were introduced, and students weren’t on the most recent version of Zoom, the professors couldn’t use the breakouts they had prepared and planned for.

ITS recommends upgrading to the latest version once it is available. You can also check which version you're currently running. You may be required to update your Zoom application before logging in or joining a Zoom meeting.

To update the application:

Sign in to your Zoom app via SSO (See: How to Sign in to the Zoom Desktop Application). Once signed in (or if you are already signed), you can check for updates. For troubleshooting tips, see the troubleshooting section below.

1. Open the Zoom application
2. Click your profile icon, then click “Check for Updates”
3. If there is a newer version, Zoom will download and install it

For more information on converting your Zoom account see: Joining the George Mason Zoom License.

See these instructions for requiring authentication to join a Zoom meeting or webinar.

NOTE: Notify your attendees of this meeting requirement in advance. This will help avoid delays in connecting to the meeting. Depending on how you configure authentication, attendees will need to log in and join from their Zoom account or their George Mason Zoom account.

To see both your scheduled Zoom meetings and meetings scheduled in Outlook you can use the Zoom Calendar and Contacts integration.

Follow these instructions for transferring ownership of meetings and webinars. This will allow others to continue using these Meetings and Webinars without any URL changes. This allows future recordings, transcripts, reports, registration, etc. to be associated with the new host’s account. Previous recordings and transcripts need to be downloaded and shared.

ITS suggests using the Zoom Add-in with Outlook. The following articles will help with installing, using, and troubleshooting the Zoom Add-in and Plug-in (Plug-in is for PC only)

• Installing the Zoom for Outlook add-in
• Scheduling meetings with the Outlook add-in
• Troubleshooting the Zoom for Outlook add-in
• Getting started with Outlook plugin and add-in
• Microsoft Outlook plugin (desktop)

See these Zoom instructions on changing your virtual background.

George Mason branded virtual backgrounds are available as part of the Brand Toolkit.

The Zoom Personal Meeting ID is a numeric string that is unique to every Zoom user. ITS cannot change this ID for users OR set the Personal Meeting link.

Zoom Instructions for scheduling an event with an alternate host are available at Zoom's Help Center. The host and alternate host need to both use George Mason-licensed Zoom accounts.

Breakout rooms are already enabled for all George Mason Pro licensed users. See Creating and Managing Breakouts in Zoom for more information.

Note: When using preassigned breakout rooms, it is suggested that authentication be required to ensure the user joins using the same email address.

In Zoom, there are two different types of meetings: Personal meetings and Scheduled meetings. Here is a comparison of the two meeting types.

Personal Meetings

Your Personal Meeting Room is a virtual meeting room permanently reserved for you to access with your Personal Meeting ID (PMI) or personal link, if applicable. You can start instant meetings with your PMI or you can schedule a meeting that uses your PMI.

Your Personal Meeting Room is ideal for use with people you meet with regularly. However, because it is always accessible with the same meeting ID and personal Zoom link, it should not be used for back-to-back meetings or people you do not meet with regularly. Once a participant has the link to your PMI, they can join it any time the meeting is in use, unless you lock the meeting or use the Waiting Room feature to admit participants individually. DO NOT ADVERTISE YOUR PERSONAL MEETING ID or ROOM LINK.

Scheduled Meetings

Scheduled meetings are planned for a future date, either as one-time or recurring events, and can be integrated with your Outlook calendar. These meetings are ideal for weekly team meetings, project meetings, larger group meetings, and instances where you want a unique meeting ID and passcode.

Find more information about scheduling meetings and scheduling recurring meetings on Zoom’s Support site.

Yes, your personally identifiable information (PII) is protected when using a George Mason-licensed Zoom account.

Upon implementation, Zoom was reviewed by the Architecture Standards Review Board (ASRB), which includes a check for security and accessibility. The IT Security Office participates in the ASRB process.

Zoom uses: Information about computers, phones, and other devices students and teachers use when joining meetings or webinars or sending messages using Zoom Products, including device features (like microphone or camera versions and IDs), IP addresses (which may be used to infer general location at a city or country level) and Wi-Fi information.
Zoom does not disclose student’s data to third parties, except for:

Service providers who help us provide Zoom products and technical infrastructure;

Where required for legal, security, or safety reasons;

• Or to other Zoom affiliates (such as Zoom Voice Communications, Inc., which provides Zoom Phone) to enable additional products and features used schools and educational organizations.

The following support article provides additional information about Trust & Privacy.

The End User License Agreement can be reviewed here: Zoom Terms of Service.

George Mason’s Zoom environment is locked to U.S. data centers only.

The main George Mason Zoom license is not HIPAA compliant. There is a HIPAA-compliant version of Zoom at George Mason, called Zoom Secure. Your George Mason-licensed Zoom account can be in the Production account or the HIPAA account, it cannot be in both environments. For more information, contact ITS.

George Mason’s Zoom environment is configured with some security measures already in place. However, in instances where additional security measures are needed, please review: Securing Your Web Conference Meeting,  Securing Zoom Meetings and Classes, and Zoom’s Best Practices for Securing your Virtual Classroom.

DO NOT PUBLISH LINKS TO ZOOM MEETINGS ON WEBPAGES OR SOCIAL MEDIA.

This setting is available; however, it is not turned on globally by default. Hosts will need to enable sound notifications using the instructions here.

Zoom-Licensed (Pro) users can record locally and to the Zoom cloud. The Zoom cloud recordings are automatically added to Kaltura (coursemedia.gmu.edu). Zoom-licensed accounts are provisioned automatically for employees upon logging into Zoom at gmu.zoom.us. Students may request an account upgrade from the Zoom service catalog.

*Zoom-licensed accounts on Zoom Secure (HIPAA-compliant version of Zoom) are not able to record to the cloud.

Account owners can watch the content of recordings of meetings and webinars hosted on their account (cloud recordings). They can also view, share, and enable advanced features for transcripts of meeting audio. ITS employees do not access recordings or features without explicit consent from the owners (hosts).

Recordings are not accessible by Zoom or their employees.

The following support article provides additional information via the Zoom Privacy Statement.

Zoom cloud recordings are deleted from the Zoom cloud after 120 days. You may save your recordings by downloading them from the Zoom cloud and saving them in an alternate location. If Zoom recordings are deleted from the Zoom cloud, they will still exist in Kaltura according to the Kaltura Retention Guidelines.

Hosts can share cloud recordings via email or instant messaging via sharing links via Zoom or by integrations such as Blackboard and Kaltura.

Per Zoom Support, it typically takes double the time of the meeting to process the recording (i.e., if the meeting was two hours it may take 4 hours or more). In some instances, recordings may take up to 24 hours to complete. If the recording has been processing for more than 24 hours please contact ITS.

Yes, please see Audio transcription for cloud recordings.

There are several options for managing access to your cloud recordings see these knowledge articles for more information:

• Enabling authentication for cloud recordings
• Managing Cloud Recording Settings

Zoom add-ons are tools built by third-party developers that provide extra features and enhancements. While add-ons are convenient, they pose privacy and security concerns because they are not supported or covered by the core services agreement between George Mason University and Zoom.

Before pre-approving and/or installing any app in the Zoom App Marketplace, ITS requires that the add-on be reviewed by the Architectural Standards Review Board (ASRB) via the intake process.

For more information, please visit our How do I install an add-on from the Zoom App Marketplace page.

Currently, only Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars are covered by our current enterprise agreement. For more information, please contact ITS.

Third-party and Zoom-developed apps must be reviewed for security, accessibility, etc. For more information, visit the ITS article regarding the Zoom App Marketplace.

ITS suggests interested faculty look to the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning for information about technology and teaching.

If a course requires preassigned Zoom breakout rooms reflecting groups created in Blackboard, ITS suggests that faculty utilize Class Collaborate (formerly Blackboard Collaborate Ultra).

The use of ad hoc Zoom breakout rooms is described in Creating and Managing Breakouts in Zoom.

Zoom offers several best practices for securing a meeting when used for remote learning. Please see Best Practices for Securing Your Virtual Classroom.

Visit the Educating Over Zoom for additional resources.

You can share a link to the recordings on gmu.zoom.us. Zoom cloud recordings are accessible in the Zoom cloud for 120 days and will be automatically deleted after this time. The videos remain accessible in Kaltura/MyMedia after being deleted from the Zoom cloud. Links to the Kaltura copies may be shared from coursemedia.gmu.edu.

• See instructions on how to acquire the Zoom sharing link for up to 120 days
• See instructions for sharing Kaltura videos to Blackboard courses

Please see this Zoom article for information on the difference between Meetings and Webinars.

Requests for Zoom Webinar can be made by visiting the Zoom service page and using the Zoom Support button. Because limited licenses are available, access is granted temporarily.  You will receive an email once access is granted and again when the privileges are about to expire.

Once your Webinar license has been activated your access is granted for 6 months. Shortly before the deadline, you will receive an email that will let you renew or relinquish your access. If you do not respond your access will be removed.

Schedule a new Webinar using these instructions OR if you want to use an existing meeting, you can learn to convert a prescheduled meeting to a Webinar via these instructions.

See Zoom Webinar for more information.

Alternate hosts do not need similar special privileges. Licensed (Pro) users can be assigned the Alternate Host role during scheduling (or editing the event). These alternate hosts can start the event. Additionally, once a host has started an event, the host (or co-host) can promote other people without accounts to the co-host or host role.

See Zoom Webinar for more information.

What happens when my Zoom Webinar license is removed from my account?

When the license is removed:

• You will no longer be able to access any reports associated with the Webinars you hosted
• You won’t be able to schedule a Webinar
• You will be able to access cloud recordings from your Webinars
• You can be an alternate host of other Webinars
• You can request Webinar access again

Zoom AI Companion is a generative AI digital assistant, delivering powerful, real-time capabilities to help users improve productivity and work together more effectively. The AI Companion currently works with Zoom Meetings, Recordings, and Whiteboards.

Generative AI is a type of AI that can create new content, such as text, images, videos, and audio based on training data.

For information, see Zoom’s article on How Zoom AI Companion features handle your data.

To enable the Zoom AI companion features in your account, log in via the web browser at https://gmu.zoom.us/ and click on Settings. At the top of the page will be the new AI Companion settings. There you can choose which features to enable and configure your experience.

For more information on how to set up Zoom AI Companion, please review the Getting Started guide on the Zoom support site.

To learn more about which Zoom AI Companion features are available to use at George Mason please review the following knowledge articles:

• Getting Started with Zoom AI Companion
• About Zoom AI Companion 

Meeting hosts using Zoom AI companion have several responsibilities. For more information see Getting Started with Zoom AI Companion.

Meetings hosted by someone who has Zoom AI companion enabled will see the following disclaimers:

Zoom Disclaimer: This meeting is being transcribed for Zoom AI Companion.

George Mason Disclaimer: Use of Zoom and its associated utilities, including AI Companion, at George Mason University are subject to university policies, standards, guidelines, and Zoom's Acceptable Use Guidelines.

The AI Companion page in the Zoom web portal allows meeting hosts to view, edit, and share the summaries of meetings you hosted. To access your meeting summaries, see How to access transcripts for Meeting Summary with AI Companion.

Meeting summaries can also be viewed in the meeting card or your calendar within the Zoom app.

If you were not the meeting host, you must request the summary from the host.

You can find AI Companion by looking for the sparkle icon which you can click to interact with AI Companion features. Note that certain AI Companion features can be enabled or disabled by the meeting host using the instructions on Getting Started with Zoom AI Companion.

Zoom Meetings summaries are initially available ONLY to the meeting host. It is the responsibility of the meeting host to review all content generated by Zoom AI Companion prior to sharing it with others (See Getting Started with Zoom AI Companion). After reviewing the content, the meeting summary can be shared via email or can be downloaded and then uploaded to a Team chat or shared document library.

By default, George Mason will have Zoom AI Companion features “off”. You can use the instructions in the Getting Started guide to review your settings and ensure Zoom AI features are disabled.

If you are participating in a meeting utilizing Zoom AI Companion, you will need to reach out to the meeting host to request that the features be turned off.

Similar to Zoom meeting recordings, meeting summaries are retained in your George Mason Zoom account for 120 days. After 120 days the meeting summaries will be deleted and placed in the Meeting Summary Trash. The summaries will remain in the meeting summary trash for 30 days. During those 30 days, it is possible to restore the summary. After 30 days in the trash, the meeting summary will be permanently deleted. See this article for more information on recovering deleted items.

For optimal quality, make sure the audio and microphone used are going through the same device. This limits the echo or feedback that can be created from separate devices.

Zoom has an option to suppress background noise. On the desktop application, go to settings, then click the “Suppress background noise” option under the “Audio” tab. For additional information, please see Zoom support's  Background Noise Suppression article.

1. Begin by clearing cache & cookies
2. Next, uninstall and reinstall the Zoom application
3. If the issue persists PC users may also try Clean Zoom

If the steps above have been taken and there is still an issue contact ITS Support.

If you have a George Mason Zoom account (you are logging into your Zoom account at gmu.zoom.us or using SSO and your George Mason email and Patriot Password, contact ITS Support.

If you have an account directly from Zoom (you log in at zoom.us or log into the Zoom application without using SSO) you can review information on the Zoom Support page.

The following link provides instructions on clearing the cache from the most used web browsers: https://kinsta.com/knowledgebase/how-to-clear-browser-cache/  After clearing the cache and cookies, log out of Zoom (either the web, the desktop client (app), or both). Once you have logged out, log back into your account and see if the issue has been corrected. If the issue persists, move forward to the next troubleshooting step.

For Windows users: Click the Windows icon. Windows 10 users will find the icon in the bottom left corner. Windows 11 users will find the icon toward the middle of the screen in the taskbar.

• Windows 10: Has three methods to uninstall an application/program. The three methods are available in this Microsoft support article.
• Windows 11: Has three methods to uninstall an application/program. The three methods are available in this Microsoft support article. Once Zoom has been uninstalled, visit zoom.us/download. This will automatically determine the operating system your computer has installed and will download the correct version. Once the download has been completed, click it to begin the installation process. After the installation is complete, open Zoom and log back into your account. If the issue persists, move to Step 3.

Please visit the Zoom Support Center for more information on Uninstalling and reinstalling the Zoom application.

With the app open, click on zoom.us to the right of the apple icon in the upper left corner. A drop-down menu will open. Select Uninstall Zoom and confirm you would like to uninstall.

Note: This is the way to correctly uninstall Zoom. You may also move the Zoom icon to the recycle bin (trash can) and Zoom will be removed. Visit zoom.us/download to reinstall Zoom. Note: that if you are running a Mac that has an Apple Silicon processor, the link will be under the download for the Intel version.

Please visit the Zoom Support Center for more information on Uninstalling and reinstalling the Zoom application.

If neither clearing the cache and cookies nor uninstalling and reinstalling Zoom on your Windows PC worked, there is one additional step that may be taken. See instructions for running CleanZoom.

When scheduling a Zoom Meeting, a host or professor may choose to require authentication to further protect the integrity of the meeting. Unauthenticated attendees may receive the error, “This meeting is for authorized attendees only.” This is received because the meeting host chose one of two authentication options:

• Require authentication to join: Zoom account must be a George Mason email
• Require authentication to join: Sign in to Zoom

To correct both of these requirements, log in to your Zoom application via SSO to view the instructions. If you are already signed into Zoom with a 3rd party email address, select sign out (or switch account) and complete the proceeding instructions.

Attendees should notify their host if this requirement was unexpected or previously uncommunicated to them.

If you are told that auto-update has been disabled, you are likely using an ITS-managed computer.

1. Connect to the VPN (Cisco Secure Client)
2. Windows: Open Software Center on your computer
   Macs: Open Self-Service on your computer
3. Install the latest version of the Zoom application from the Software Center or Self-Service; See How to Install Software via the Software Center or contact ITS Support for more information or further support.

If, during sign-in, you are told that you require a higher version of Zoom and to “please contact your IT team to update your app,” try the following:

• If you are on an ITS-managed computer: Follow the directions from “auto-update disabled” above
• If you are on a personal or non-ITS managed device: Download and install the latest version of the Zoom application from the Zoom website. If this does not correctly install the Zoom application and you receive the same error again,
  • Uninstall Zoom; See: Instructions on uninstalling Zoom
  • Then attempt to install your download again from zoom.us/download

If you are asked to update your Zoom application and are given an Update button to use, press Update to install the latest version of Zoom.

For advanced users and/or workstation administrator accounts, you may also run CleanZoom.exe from Zoom’s website. Then install the latest version of the Zoom application from zoom.us/download.

There are several reasons you may be unable to log into your account:

Receiving an error similar to “WEB_4do77p3l4xrrw5ks8h2h21vcu2ksunby”

• Try clearing cache and cookies
• Use an Incognito/Private web browser window to log into gmu.zoom.us > Sign Into Your Account. (If this is successful, clear your browser’s cookies and cache from all times)

Logging in via the wrong method
To access your George Mason-licensed Zoom account, you must log in via the web browser at gmu.zoom.us/signin or the Zoom application using SSO and your George Mason Net ID and Patriot Pass password. Follow these instructions carefully to sign into the Zoom application.

Locked out of your account by Zoom
See the FAQ for “Why is my Zoom account locked?” for more information.

Required to enroll in two-factor authentication (2FA)
If you are attempting to log in/authenticate via a George Mason webpage and receive a message that you are "not enrolled," you must enroll in Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for George Mason services. Please visit Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for more information and to enroll in 2FA at George Mason.

Using an outdated version of Zoom
Effective March 17, 2021, you may be required to update your Zoom application before logging in or joining a meeting. Please see the FAQ “How do I update to the latest version of the Zoom application?” in the Manage My Zoom Account section for more information.

If the options above do not work, contact ITS Support.

If a user attempts to log into Zoom too many times, Zoom proactively locks their account to prevent abuse. These users will need to successfully authenticate at gmu.zoom.us with their NetID and Patriot Pass Password to unlock their account. They may also:

• Contact ITS via the Zoom Support button on the Zoom service page
• Contact ITS Support
• Or wait 30 minutes

Users who are locked out usually attempt to log in via an incorrect method, or they are attempting to enter their Patriot Pass credentials at a Zoom-branded login page. Instead, users should click the SSO button and type "gmu" to be redirected to a George Mason authentication page or directly access the Zoom website from gmu.zoom.us. More details about logging in via the Zoom desktop application can be found here.

If your computer audio is not working properly, you may continue to use it for video and screen sharing and connect audio via phone.

To use your phone for audio:

1. Select the arrow next to the Mute/Unmute button. Select Switch to Phone Audio… to show the Zoom call-in numbers.
2. Call one of the call-in numbers listed. Enter your Meeting ID, Participant ID, and Passcode (if prompted). Participant ID is what will link your name/webcam/call controls/chat to your phone audio, so do not skip this step.

Additional details are available from Zoom.

Basic Zoom accounts are limited to 40-minute meetings, can host up to 100 people per meeting, and can have 3 editable whiteboards. Basic accounts are the default account type for students.

If you are not a student and have a Basic Zoom account, you may not be using Zoom through George Mason’s Zoom license.

For more information, please see the FAQ section “Zoom Basics” and review the information for checking your Zoom license type, logging in to the George Mason-licensed version of Zoom, and upgrading your license.

Uninstall the Plug-in Manually (Mac)

1. Close all Office applications.
2. Open Finder.
3. Click Applications.
4. Control-click Zoom Plug-in for Outlook and click b, or drag it to the Trash. (Be sure not to inadvertently trash Zoom.us!)

Uninstall the Plug-in Manually (Windows)

1. Close all Office applications.
2. Click the Start menu.
3. Start typing Apps and features, then click Apps & features when it shows up in the results.
4. In the list of Apps & features, find Zoom Plug-in for Outlook. (The name may be followed by a version number.)
5. Click Zoom Plug-in for Outlook, then click Uninstall. (This may require administrative privileges.)