Breakout rooms split one Zoom meeting into smaller rooms for class work, team discussion, interviews, or workshops. The control only appears after breakout rooms are enabled for the account, group, or user. Start with the web portal setting, then create rooms from the desktop app or Zoom Web App.
Turn On Breakout Rooms First
Enable the meeting feature before you look for the in-meeting button.
- 1.Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
- 2.Open Settings and choose the Meeting tab.
- 3.Go to In Meeting (Advanced) and turn on Breakout room - Meetings.
- 4.Select options such as Assign participants to breakout rooms when scheduling, Broadcast message to participants, or Set default breakout room behaviors. Turn on Assign participants to breakout rooms when scheduling if you plan to pre-assign rooms. Set default breakout room behaviors requires version 6.0.10 or later.
- 5.Choose Save.
Create Rooms During a Zoom Meeting
Use this when the meeting has already started and you want to split people on the spot. A host or co-host creates meeting breakout rooms from the Zoom desktop app on Windows, macOS, or Linux, or from the Zoom Web App.
Start an instant or scheduled meeting, then click Breakout Rooms in the meeting controls.
Choose the number of rooms Zoom will create.
Select Assign automatically, Assign manually, or Let participants choose room. On the Windows and macOS desktop app, Zoom also lists Load pre-assigned rooms.
Click Create.
Open Options or the gear icon to adjust room settings.
Click Assign beside a room if you chose manual assignment.
Click Open All Rooms.
Pre Assign People Before the Meeting
For planned classes, workshops, or recurring group discussions, schedule rooms from the Zoom web portal before the meeting starts. Open Meetings, choose Schedule a Meeting, then use the Options section to select Breakout Room pre-assign. Pre-assignment requires Assign participants to breakout rooms when scheduling to be turned on in your settings and end-to-end encryption disabled for that meeting.
Choose Create Rooms, use the plus button to add rooms, and use the pencil button to rename them. In Add participants, enter each person's name or email address, press Enter, and select Save.
For a larger participant list, choose Import from CSV, download Zoom's sample CSV, fill in Pre-assign Room Name and Email Address, then drag and drop the saved file into the import window.
To edit assignments later, open Meetings, click the meeting, find the Breakout Room section, choose View detail, make your changes, and select Save.
Find a Missing Breakout Rooms Button
The most common cause is that Breakout room - Meetings is turned off in the Zoom web portal.
Sign in to the Zoom web portal, open Settings, choose the Meeting tab, and turn on Breakout room - Meetings under In Meeting (Advanced).
Return to the meeting and use the Breakout Rooms button from the Zoom desktop app or Zoom Web App.
If the setting is grayed out, it is locked at the group or account level, and a Zoom admin has to unlock it at the level where it is set. For an account-level lock, the admin opens Account Management, chooses Account Settings, opens the Meeting tab, goes to In Meeting (Advanced), and enables Breakout room - Meetings. For a group-level lock, the admin opens User Management, chooses Groups, selects the group, opens the Meeting tab, goes to In Meeting (Advanced), and enables Breakout room - Meetings.
Open Pre Assigned Rooms in the Live Meeting
Pre-assigned rooms still need the host to open them after the meeting begins. Start the meeting with the assigned participants, click Breakout Rooms, and choose Open All Rooms.
Use the in-meeting breakout room controls to manually assign anyone who joined with a different account or arrived after the rooms were created.
If the assignments do not appear or the room setup was changed, close the rooms, select Recreate, then choose Recover to pre-assigned rooms.
If this method fails, create the rooms manually during the meeting and assign the remaining participants from the Breakout Rooms window.
Let Participants Choose Their Own Room
The most common cause of self-selection problems is that the host has not allowed participants to choose a room.
When creating rooms, choose Let participants choose room.
If the rooms already exist, open Options or the gear icon and select Allow participants to choose room.
Participants on the Zoom desktop app click Breakout Rooms, expand the room list, hover over the number to the right of a room, and choose Join.
Participants on the Zoom mobile app tap Breakout Rooms, tap the room they want, and tap Join.
Zoom limits self-selection to participants using the desktop or mobile app. Assign web, phone, H.323/SIP, and Zoom Rooms participants manually.
Join a Breakout Room as a Participant
Use the prompt first; use the breakout room control only after dismissing it.
- 1.On desktop, click Join when the host invites you, or click Breakout Rooms and Join Breakout Room after choosing Later.
- 2.On mobile, tap Join, or tap Join Breakout Room and then Join after tapping Later.
- 3.In the Zoom Web App, click Join in the notification pop-up, or click Breakout Rooms after choosing Later.
- 4.By telephone, stay connected after the host starts breakout rooms and use *6 to mute or unmute.
- 5.On Zoom Rooms hardware, tap Join on the breakout-room notification, or use the breakout rooms icon on the room controller after dismissing the prompt.
Use Mobile the Right Way
For regular Zoom Meetings, the mobile app participates in breakout rooms, but it does not create or manage meeting breakout rooms. Use the Zoom desktop app or Zoom Web App when you host or manage rooms.
Mobile users join assigned rooms from the Join prompt. When the host allows self-selection, they tap Breakout Rooms, tap a room, and tap Join.
Mobile management belongs to Zoom's webinar breakout room workflow, not the regular Zoom Meetings workflow. For meeting breakout rooms, use desktop or web controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a co-host create breakout rooms in Zoom?
Yes. A host or co-host can create Zoom meeting breakout rooms from the desktop app or Zoom Web App.
Can I set up Zoom breakout rooms before the meeting?
Yes. Schedule the meeting in the Zoom web portal, turn on Breakout Room pre-assign in Options, then create rooms manually or import a CSV file.
Why can’t my participants choose their own breakout room?
The host must choose Let participants choose room or enable Allow participants to choose room in Options. Self-selection works for participants using the desktop or mobile app.
Can I use a keyboard shortcut to open breakout rooms?
Zoom does not list a dedicated keyboard shortcut for breakout room setup. Use the Breakout Rooms button or menu.