# How to set up waiting room in Zoom on Mac: host steps for Zoom Workplace

> Learn how to set up waiting room in Zoom on Mac, using browser settings or the in-meeting Security menu, plus who waits and how to admit.

URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/set-up-a-waiting-room-in-zoom
Updated: 2026-11-09

To set up a waiting room in Zoom on a Mac, turn it on in your account settings in a browser, which is the path Zoom documents. Some university guides also describe a Security menu inside a live meeting, but Zoom's own help does not confirm that menu for the Mac app.

## Quick answer

- Zoom documents the waiting room switch in your account settings at zoom.us, not in the Mac app's own Settings.
- Some university guides describe a Security menu inside a live meeting with a Waiting Room checkbox. Zoom's help doesn't confirm it for the Mac app.
- Pick who waits under Edit Options, then set the message under Customize Waiting Room.
- Admit people from the Participants panel, one at a time or with Admit All.
- Options and customization need a paid account, according to Zoom's KB0059359 article.

Applies to: Zoom Workplace on macOS, host or admin account. Time: 10 min. Difficulty: Easy.

## What you need

- A Zoom account where you are the host, or an admin account for account-wide settings
- Zoom Workplace for Mac installed. Version 6.7.0 or later shows the gear icon in Settings
- A web browser, signed in at zoom.us for account settings
- A paid plan if you want waiting room options and customization, per Zoom's KB0059359 article

## How to Turn on a waiting room in Zoom on Mac in Zoom on a Mac

1. **Start the meeting as host.** Open Zoom Workplace on your Mac and start the meeting you host. Keep the meeting window open while you check the settings you need. Tip: Settings opens from your profile picture in every version. The gear icon appears in version 6.7.0 and later.
2. **Look for the Security button.** (Security) In the meeting toolbar, click Security. If you don't see it, move your pointer over the meeting window so the toolbar appears. Tip: University IT guides describe this menu. It may not appear for your version, so use the browser path if it's missing.
3. **Check Waiting Room in the meeting.** (Security > Waiting Room) Check the Waiting Room box. New arrivals now wait in the room. Uncheck the box to turn the waiting room off. Tip: This switch can apply to a live meeting only. Guests see Zoom's default message, not your custom one.
4. **Open Settings in your browser.** (Profile picture > Settings) Sign in at zoom.us in Safari or Chrome. Click your profile picture, then click Settings. Tip: The Mac app's Settings does not hold the waiting room option, so do this step in the browser.
5. **Go to Meeting and Security.** (Settings > Meeting > Security) In Settings, click Meeting, then click Security. The waiting room options are on this page.
6. **Turn on Waiting Room.** (Settings > Meeting > Security > Waiting Room) Switch on the Waiting Room toggle. Meetings you start after this wait for you to admit each new arrival. Tip: A grayed-out toggle means an admin has locked it for your account.
7. **Choose who waits.** (Waiting Room Options > Edit Options) Open Edit Options and pick who should go into the waiting room. Five choices are available, from Everyone to Users not in your organization. Tip: Options need a paid account, according to Zoom's KB0059359 article.
8. **Customize the message.** (Waiting Room Options > Customize Waiting Room) Open Customize Waiting Room. Add a title of up to 64 characters. Then add an image, or a logo with a description of up to 400 characters, or a video. Tip: Keep the image or logo under 1 MB. Keep the video under 30 MB.
9. **Admins: enable it for the account.** (Admin Center > Settings > Meeting > Security) Account owners and admins open the Admin Center, then go to Settings, Meeting, and Security. Turn on Enable waiting room to set it for the whole account. Tip: The setting applies to the whole account, so tell your team before you switch it on.
10. **Mute yourself before admitting.** Shortcut: ⌘⇧A. Press Command, Shift, and A to mute yourself before you start admitting people. Press the same keys again to unmute. Tip: This shortcut controls your microphone, not the waiting room.
11. **Admit people from Participants.** (Participants > Admit All) Open the Participants panel to see who is waiting. Admit people one at a time, or click Admit All to let everyone in. Tip: If the Participants panel is closed, the Manage Participants icon flashes when someone enters the waiting room.
12. **Test before the real call.** Join from your phone or a second account. Confirm that you see the waiting room and your message, and that you can admit that person into the meeting.

## What a waiting room does in Zoom

A waiting room holds people before they join your meeting. You decide when each person comes in. It helps when a meeting is open to outside guests, when you don't know everyone on the invite, or when you want to check names before anyone sees the call.

On a Mac, there are two places to turn it on. The first is inside a live meeting, through a Security menu that some university guides describe. The second is your account settings, opened in a browser. A switch inside a live meeting changes that one meeting. The account setting becomes the default for meetings you start later.

![Person at a Mac laptop on a video call, waiting in a Zoom waiting room before the host admits them](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/set-up-a-waiting-room-in-zoom/how-to-set-up-waiting-room-in-1-947db2.jpg)

## Check your plan and app version first

Zoom's help article on enabling the waiting room says a paid account is required to set waiting room options and to customize it. Zoom's pricing page lists the waiting room as included on the Basic plan. Both statements can be true. The on or off switch may be free while the options need a paid plan. Zoom's docs do not settle that split, so check what your own account shows before you plan a big call.

Basic plans cap each meeting at 40 minutes and allow up to 100 participants. A one-hour call ends at 40 minutes on Basic, so plan around that limit. The cap affects your schedule more than the waiting room does.

> **Mac app versus browser:** The Zoom Workplace desktop app opens Settings from your profile picture, or from the gear icon in version 6.7.0 and later. Its Meetings and webinars tab has no waiting room setting, according to Zoom's KB0060612 article.

## Option 1: the Security menu inside a meeting

Start the meeting as host in Zoom Workplace. In the meeting toolbar, look for the Security button. University IT guides describe a Security menu with a Waiting Room checkbox. The University of Minnesota guide says you open Security during a meeting and check or uncheck Waiting Room. The same guide says it does not cover the Mac desktop app. Treat this path as reported, not confirmed for your version.

If the Security button is missing, don't keep hunting. Use the browser path in the next section. It is the one Zoom documents for the account setting.

The in-meeting switch has a catch. If you turn the waiting room on during a live meeting this way, people see Zoom's default waiting room, not the custom message you set. Zoom's KB0059359 article says so. Set your custom message in account settings before the meeting, so it is ready when you need it.

## Option 2: the account default in your browser

Open zoom.us in Safari or Chrome and sign in. Click your profile picture, then Settings. Click Meeting, then Security. Switch on Waiting Room. From then on, new arrivals wait in the room until you admit them. This is the personal account path in Zoom's KB0059359 article.

Admins use a different route. Open the Admin Center, then Settings, then Meeting, then Security. Turn on Enable waiting room. Zoom's article says account owners and admins can set this for the whole account.

If the toggle is grayed out, an admin has locked it. You can't change it from your own settings. Ask your admin to change it, or ask them what the policy is for your team.

## Choose who goes into the waiting room

Under Waiting Room Options, open Edit Options. Zoom asks who should go into the waiting room. The table below lists the five choices from Zoom's article. Pick the narrowest one that still lets your guests in.

| Choice in Edit Options | Who waits in the room |
| --- | --- |
| Everyone | Every participant, including people in your account |
| Users not in your account | Anyone not signed in to your Zoom account |
| Users not in your account and not on whitelisted domains | Outside users, unless their email domain is on your allowed list |
| Users not on the meeting invite | Anyone who was not on the meeting invite |
| Users not in your organization | Anyone outside your organization |

_The five Edit Options choices, from Zoom's KB0059359 article._

For a client call, the narrowest choice is usually users not on the meeting invite. Invited people go straight in, and everyone else waits for you. For a public session, Everyone is simpler. Expect a longer queue, because every person waits for you to admit them.

![Man at a desk with a laptop, setting up a Zoom meeting on a Mac before guests arrive](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/set-up-a-waiting-room-in-zoom/how-to-set-up-waiting-room-in-2-dd7ac7.jpg)

- **40 min** Cap on each meeting on the Basic plan, per Zoom's pricing page ([source](https://zoom.us/pricing))
- **$16.99** Pro per user per month when billed monthly, per Zoom's pricing page ([source](https://zoom.us/pricing))
- **64** Characters allowed in the waiting room title ([source](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0059359))
- **1 MB** Largest allowed image or logo file for the waiting room page ([source](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0059359))

## A worked example: a one-hour client call on Basic

Say you host a one-hour client call from your Mac. You sent the invite by email, and your account is on the Basic plan. You want invited guests in quickly. You don't want a stranger who forwards the link to walk in unseen.

Start with the account setting in your browser. Choose users not on the meeting invite under Edit Options. Then set a short title, plus a logo and a description. Save, and test with a second account. That order puts the rules in place before any guest arrives.

The 40-minute cap still applies. Your one-hour call ends at 40 minutes on Basic. Either shorten the agenda, or check the pricing page to compare plans before the call.

## Customize the message people see

Under Waiting Room Options, choose Customize Waiting Room. Zoom gives you a title and a choice of layouts. Each layout has its own file size and dimension rules. Keep the message short, since people read it while they wait.

- Title: up to 64 characters.
- Image: GIF, JPG, or PNG, up to 1 MB, at least 400 by 200 pixels.
- Logo: up to 1 MB, between 60 by 60 and 400 by 400 pixels, plus a description of up to 400 characters.
- Video: MP4, MOV, or M4V, up to 30 MB. Video is muted by default.

Pick a video only if you have a short clip ready. The file limit is 30 MB, so trim before you upload. A logo and a short description is the simplest choice for most hosts, and it takes the least time to set up.

## Admit people without losing track

Open the Participants panel to see who is waiting. Admit people one at a time, or click Admit All. Cornell's IT guide says that when the panel is closed, the Manage Participants icon flashes as someone enters the waiting room. Watch for that flash during a busy start.

Mute yourself before you start admitting people. On a Mac, press ⌘⇧A. Zoom's participant controls article lists that shortcut for muting yourself, and it does not control the waiting room.

## Mistakes people make with a waiting room

- Looking for the setting in the Mac app's Settings. The Meetings and webinars tab has no waiting room option.
- Turning it on mid-meeting and expecting your custom message. People see the default.
- Assuming a university guide covers the Mac app. The Minnesota guide says it does not.
- Mistaking an admin lock for a broken switch. A grayed-out toggle is locked on purpose.
- Choosing Everyone for a private call, then spending the first minutes admitting people you don't know.

## Stuck participants and other edge cases

A known problem shows up in Zoom Community threads. Participants stay on 'Waiting for host to start the meeting' after the host starts. In one thread, the cause was join-before-host being off. The fixes reported there were to turn that setting on in account settings, or to end the meeting and restart it from the web portal.

> **Community reports are not official fixes:** The stuck-participant fixes come from user forums and university guides, not Zoom's troubleshooting pages. Run a test meeting before a big call.

Check the setting again whenever your plan or your admin changes. A change at the account level affects every meeting you start after it, so the default can shift without a new meeting setup.

## Pricing and recent Zoom Workplace changes

Zoom's pricing page lists Pro at $16.99 per user per month billed monthly, or $14.16 per user per month billed annually. Business is $21.99 monthly or $18.33 annually. Prices can change, so check the pricing page before you buy.

Releasebot, a third-party release tracker, lists Zoom Workplace for macOS 7.2.5, dated October 31, 2026. It mentions security changes and no waiting room changes. Its 7.2.0 entry from September 18, 2026 added a default that puts waiting room participants into their assigned breakout rooms. Releasebot is not Zoom, so confirm in Zoom's own release notes.

The app has a new name. Zoom's release note, quoted by SMU, says the Zoom app for desktop and mobile is now named Zoom Workplace. Older guides may use the old name, so match the menus you see on your screen rather than the name in the guide.

## What to do next

Run one test meeting before your next real call. Join from your phone or a second account. Confirm that you see the waiting room and your message, and that you can admit the guest. Then you know the setup works.

![Home office desk with a laptop open to a Zoom meeting, ready for the host to admit guests](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/set-up-a-waiting-room-in-zoom/how-to-set-up-waiting-room-in-3-68025f.jpg)

If you host often, read the guides for muting and joining next. They cover the other controls you touch in the same meeting. See [how to mute yourself in Zoom on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/mute-yourself-in-zoom) and [how to join a Zoom meeting on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/join-a-meeting-in-zoom).

## Shortcuts

- Mute or unmute yourself in a Zoom meeting on Mac: ⌘⇧A

## If it does not work

- **The Security button is not in the meeting toolbar** Use the browser path: zoom.us, profile picture, Settings, Meeting, Security. Then update Zoom Workplace and check the toolbar again.
- **The Waiting Room toggle is grayed out** An admin has locked the setting for your account. Ask an admin to change it in the Admin Center under Settings, Meeting, Security.
- **Guests see the default message, not mine** The waiting room was turned on during a live meeting, which shows Zoom's default. Set the custom message in account settings and turn the setting on before the meeting.
- **Participants stay on the waiting room screen after the host starts** Turn on join-before-host in account settings, or end the meeting and restart it from the web portal. These are user-reported fixes from Zoom Community.
- **Options or customization are missing** Zoom's KB0059359 article says a paid account is needed for these. Compare plans on zoom.us/pricing before you change anything else.
- **Guests are waiting but you can't see them** Open the Participants panel. If the panel is closed, watch for the flashing Manage Participants icon, as Cornell's IT guide describes.

## With Lazur

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download

- “Hold Option and Command, then ask: where's the Security button?”: Lazur draws a circle and a label around the Security button on your screen, then answers out loud. You still click it yourself. (Points at it)

## FAQ

### Can I turn on the waiting room in the Zoom Mac app's Settings?

Not in the Meetings and webinars tab. Zoom's KB0060612 article says that tab has no waiting room setting. Use the Security menu during a meeting if it appears for you, or sign in at zoom.us in a browser and go to Settings, Meeting, Security.

### Do I need a paid plan to use a waiting room?

Zoom's KB0059359 article says a paid account is required for waiting room options and customization. Zoom's pricing page lists the waiting room as included on Basic. The on and off switch and the options may differ, so check what your own account shows.

### Why do guests see the default message instead of mine?

If you turn the waiting room on during a live meeting through the in-meeting security controls, people see the default waiting room. Set your custom message in account settings, and turn the setting on before the meeting starts.

### Can I admit everyone at once?

Yes. Open the Participants panel and click Admit All. Admit people one at a time when guests arrive in small groups and you want to check each name first.

### What is the difference between Everyone and Users not on the meeting invite?

Everyone sends every participant to the waiting room. Users not on the meeting invite sends only people who were not invited, so invited guests join directly. The second choice suits client calls and invite-only meetings.

### Is there a keyboard shortcut for the waiting room?

Zoom's documents do not list one. The shortcut Command, Shift, A mutes or unmutes you on Mac. It does not control the waiting room, so use the Security menu or the browser setting instead.

### Why are participants stuck after I start the meeting?

Zoom Community users report this when join-before-host is off in account settings. Turn that setting on, or end the meeting and restart it from the web portal. These are user-reported fixes, not official Zoom steps.

## Sources

1. [Zoom Support: Enabling and customizing the waiting room (KB0059359)](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0059359), Zoom, checked 2026-11-09
2. [Zoom Support: Changing settings in the Zoom Workplace desktop and mobile app (KB0060612)](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0060612), Zoom, checked 2026-11-09
3. [Zoom Support: Participant controls in a meeting (KB0062674)](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0062674), Zoom, checked 2026-11-09
4. [Zoom Pricing](https://zoom.us/pricing), Zoom, checked 2026-11-09
5. [Releasebot: Zoom Workplace updates and release notes](https://releasebot.io/updates/zoom/zoom-workplace), Releasebot (third-party aggregator), checked 2026-11-09
6. [SMU ITConnect: The Zoom App is Now Zoom Workplace](https://blog.smu.edu/itconnect/2024/04/18/zoom-app-now-zoom-workplace/), Southern Methodist University, checked 2026-11-09
7. [University of Minnesota IT: Zoom: Waiting Rooms](https://it.umn.edu/services-technologies/how-tos/zoom-waiting-rooms), University of Minnesota, checked 2026-11-09
8. [Cornell IT: Admit Zoom attendees from the waiting room](https://it.cornell.edu/zoom/admit-zoom-attendees-waiting-room), Cornell University, checked 2026-11-09
9. [Zoom Community: Waiting for host to start the meeting](https://community.zoom.com/meetings-2/waiting-for-host-to-start-the-meeting-i-have-started-it-what-do-20198), Zoom Community (user forum), checked 2026-11-09