Zoom for Remote Coaching

Install Zoom

Do you have the Zoom application yet? You can look in Applications on your Mac to find out, or you can search using Spotlight (the magnifying glass on the menu bar).

In iOS, you can use Spotlight by swiping down from the middle of any home screen or look for a Search button near the bottom. However, I recommend knowing where you’ve placed the app for easy access in the future.

If you’ve never used or installed Zoom before on your Mac, download it. Be sure to choose the version for your Mac’s processor type (Apple Silicon vs. Intel).

Open the downloaded package (Zoom.pkg) and proceed to install. The Zoom application will then open. In iOS, go to the App Store and get ZOOM Workplace.

Join a Meeting

There are a few ways to join a Zoom meeting. Every Zoom meeting has a 10- or 11-digit ID number. Thus, it’s possible to click Join a Meeting (or Join if you’re signed in) and enter the meeting ID. Usually, there’s no need to sign into a Zoom account before joining a meeting.

Alternatively, you might have been provided a “Zoom link.” Opening such a link usually loads a page in a web browser, which connects to the Zoom application to “launch a meeting.” Once you’re in the meeting, you can close the browser window or tab.

If a meeting has a passcode, joining via a link is usually a useful way to authenticate automatically, so you don’t have to enter the passcode manually.

If you’re in an active meeting, you can click the green shield at the top to see the Meeting ID and link.

Finally, your 10 most recent meeting IDs are stored in a history. These listings are device-specific. In the Join window, click the popup menu on the right side of the Meeting ID field to find them. Passcodes, however, are not stored in this history, so you may need to enter one manually to join a given meeting — or use the Zoom link you previously received.

Audio Options

When joining a meeting, Zoom may ask whether you want to use Computer/Internet Audio or dial in by phone. In most cases, computer audio is best.

However, it’s worth noting that two Mac models lack a built-in microphone: Mac mini and Mac Pro. If you’re calling for help with one of these, you have a number of choices:

• Both of these Macs have a headphone jack with headset support, as well as Bluetooth, so you can use a wired or wireless headset for audio. For video, you’ll need an external webcam.
• If you have a webcam, it probably has a built-in microphone
• If you have an iPhone, iPad, or a Mac with a webcam, you can join the meeting on that device (as well) and separately join on your other Mac for screen sharing purposes.
• If your Mac and iPhone support Continuity Camera, you can use your iPhone as a webcam
• You can join audio by phone, as described below, and skip video entirely but still share your Mac’s screen

When joining audio by phone, enter your Participant ID and Zoom will unify your audio and video streams into a single participant entity. As a result, other participants will see your mouth moving in alignment with your speech.

You can see your Participant ID on the start screen of a scheduled meeting, by clicking the green shield at the top of the Mac app window when in an active meeting, or on the dial-in page of the mobile app. If calling in directly via the mobile app, Zoom will enter the Meeting ID and Participant ID automatically.

Screen Sharing on macOS

Screen sharing in Zoom is what makes these meetings, by my estimation, nearly as effective as in-person technology coaching sessions. To begin, simply click the green Share button at the bottom of the Zoom window. (If you don’t see the button, click More.)

Zoom will show every window currently open on your Mac and you might be tempted to choose just one. However, for Mac coaching, it’s best for me to see everything, so we can explore your system freely. Therefore, I suggest just clicking Share; this shares the default selection of Desktop 1, which is the whole of your primary Mac display.

If you have more than one display, you may see Desktop 2, etc. If your main focus is on another screen, you may choose a different Desktop. It’s also possible to hold Shift and select more than one window or desktop to share.

During a screen share, Zoom highlights the shared window(s) or desktop(s) with a green border and moves all of its controls to a bar, usually at the top of the screen. If the bar gets in your way while you’re mousing around, you can hide it. Click More and choose Hide Floating Meeting Controls.

First Time Setup for Mac Screen Sharing

To share your screen the first time, you probably need to give Zoom permission to record its contents. That is, Zoom must continuously capture the image of your screen in order to share it with others and have it animate as you use your computer. This is safe and secure.

Since macOS 10.14, there are security and privacy settings that can make this initial setup a little challenging. (You will not be able to share your screen and/or give me control unless you have completed the appropriate steps below.) Fortunately, you only have to do this once.

Note: To avoid the hassle of interrupting a meeting to complete this setup process, you can open the setting screens that apply to your version of macOS, click the +, and add the zoom.us application in each area.

macOS 10.14

If your Mac is running macOS 10.14, the first time you try to share your screen, Zoom will present a dialog asking you to Open System Preferences. Click the button to do so and then:

1. In System Preferences, click the lock at the bottom and enter your computer password to unlock the preference pane
2. In the Accessibility section under Privacy, find zoom.us in the list and check the checkbox

macOS 10.15–12

If your Mac is running macOS 10.15–12, the first time you try to share your screen, Zoom will present a dialog asking you to Open System Preferences. Click the button to do so and then:

1. In System Preferences, click the lock at the bottom and enter your computer password to unlock the preference pane
2. In the Screen Recording section under Privacy, find zoom.us in the list and check the checkbox
3. The system will then indicate that Zoom cannot record your screen until it is quit. Click Quit or Quit & Reopen and leave the meeting when prompted.
4. Rejoin the meeting, using the History menu (mentioned above) or a Zoom link
5. If you subsequently want to give me control of your screen, Zoom will again prompt you to open System Preferences and you’ll need to check zoom.us in Accessibility, as described above

macOS 13+

If your Mac is running macOS 13 or later, the first time you try to share your screen, Zoom will present a dialog asking you to Open System Settings. Click the button to do so and then:

1. In System Settings, in the Screen & System Audio Recording section of Privacy & Security, find zoom.us in the list and enable the toggle on the right
2. Authenticate using Touch ID (if available) or your computer password
3. The system will then indicate that Zoom cannot record your screen until it is quit. Click Quit & Reopen and leave the meeting when prompted.
4. Rejoin the meeting, using the History menu (mentioned above) or a Zoom link
5. If you subsequently want to give me control of your screen, Zoom will again prompt you to open System Settings and you’ll need to toggle zoom in Privacy & Security > Accessibility.

We may deem it beneficial for me to control your screen to troubleshoot an issue or carry out a solution. If I request control, you’ll receive my request on the screen and can give me permission. You’ll still be able to control the cursor and I may sometimes need you to enter your password(s), but bear in mind that we can’t interact with the screen simultaneously.

Screen Sharing on iOS

Screen sharing of iOS devices is easily doable with any of a few methods:

Share via Mac (view only)

1. Using a charge/sync cable, connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac
2. If your Mac indicates you need to install a software update to connect with your device, do that first. You may also need to initiate a relationship of trust between the two devices. If so, navigate to your device via the Finder or iTunes, click Trust, and then click Trust on your device and enter its passcode.
3. Open QuickTime Player, which you can find via Spotlight or in your Applications folder
4. Go to the File menu and choose New Movie Recording
5. Click the popup menu to the right of the Record button. If your Mac is running macOS 12 or earlier, choose your iOS device from the Camera list. On macOS 13 or later, choose the device from the Screen list.

If all goes well, your iOS device screen will appear on your Mac. Remember that you can only interact with your device directly on its physical screen. This may take some getting used to.

Additionally, if you switch to other applications and the QuickTime Player window is no longer in view, I won’t be able to see your device interactions until you switch back to it.

Share & Interact (iPhone only)

In macOS 15 and iOS 18, Apple added the ability to wirelessly display and interact with an iPhone in a window on a Mac. Devices running these versions, respectively, must also be signed into the same Apple Account and meet a few other requirements.

See this Apple support article to learn how to set up this feature and/or review my post, iPhone Mirroring: A Boon for Apple Coaching.

Share via Zoom

When you’re in a Zoom meeting, tap the Share button at the bottom and choose Screen. Click Start Broadcast to initiate screen sharing.

On some older versions of iOS and/or Zoom, it may be necessary to add Screen Recording to Control Center. To do so on iOS 17 and earlier:

1. Open Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls
2. In More Controls, find Screen Recording and add it to the controls to include

In such cases, to initiate screen sharing, go to Control Center, long-press on Screen Recording, choose Zoom from the menu, and tap Start Broadcast.

Host a Meeting

In the beginning, all meetings on free Zoom accounts were limited to 40 minutes. Now, you can host a one-on-one meeting of any length for free. For folks offering services to individuals or talking to a friend or family member, that might be enough. If it’s not, a Pro license costs $15 per month.

One of the best Pro features in my opinion is a custom Personal Meeting ID. The generated IDs of instant and scheduled meetings are 11 digits whereas a Personal ID is 10. Thus, it’s common to use a U.S. phone number and that’s my top recommendation.

Either way, you can start a meeting instantly or put one on the calendar for later. Depending on your settings, you may be able to customize how attendees enter your meeting room, whether independently, after you arrive, or only with your approval. Your meeting must have a passcode to skip having a waiting room, including to permit “Join Before Host.”

When scheduling, the date and time are purely for your edification; you can actually run such a meeting at any time. From Zoom’s perspective, scheduling only accomplishes generating the meeting ID so you can share it with others.