Installing the Zoom for Outlook Add-In

The following sections provide details on mass deployment, installation, and configuration options for the Zoom for Outlook add-in. Each section includes links to Zoom support articles that offer step-by-step instructions.

Using the legacy Zoom for Outlook Plugin

Organizations using the legacy Zoom for Outlook plugin should migrate to the Zoom for Outlook add-in for the best support and functionality.

To provide the best experience for our users while adhering to policies and guidelines set by Apple and Microsoft, Zoom is highly recommending the deployment and utilization of the Zoom for Outlook add-in. The add-in provides you with easier deployment and more robust administrative management solutions, is actively supported by Microsoft, and better meets the recently enhanced security requirements of vendors like Apple.

Warning

New feature enhancements will not be implemented for the Zoom for Outlook Plugin. It is highly advised to migrate to the Zoom for Outlook add-in.

Configuring the Zoom for Outlook add-in

The Zoom for Outlook add-in can be configured and mass-deployed by administrators and installed by individual users.

Administrators can enable features within the manifest file for the Zoom for Outlook add-in before deploying it through the Microsoft 365 admin portal. Depending on the settings selected by administrators when deploying the manifest file, individual users can then install the add-in as part of their desktop, mobile, or web-based Microsoft Outlook clients. See our Installing the Zoom for Outlook add-in support article for prerequisites and step-by-step instructions for mass-deploying and installing the add-in for Windows, macOS, Outlook on the web, Android, and iOS.

Installing the Zoom for Outlook add-in grants access to modify the content of your calendar events in Outlook, allowing users to easily add Zoom meeting information to events. The format and content of the meeting invite are determined by the meeting schedule template configured by your administrator.

Administrators have three options for how the Zoom for Outlook add-in is deployed and used in their organization.

The following options can be selected upon deployment of the add-in; either mandating the use of the add-in or allowing your users the option to install it.

Optional, enabled by default

• The Zoom for Outlook add-in will be added for all of your users, but they can remove it.

Optional, disabled by default

• All users will have the option to add Zoom for Outlook, but it will not be added to their Outlook by default.

Mandatory

• The Zoom for Outlook add-in will be added for all of your users and they will not be able to disable it.

Customizing the meeting email template

Administrators can customize the meeting email template to change the subject line and body of the email that is sent when an Outlook event is created.

A standard email with the meeting information is sent to meeting participants after a host schedules a meeting, but organizations can customize the meeting email template to change both the subject line and body of the email. See our Customizing the meeting email template support article for prerequisites for customizing the email template, instructions on how to access the template, and supported HTML and CSS properties.

Note

Account owners and admins can force sub-accounts to use the same branding settings as the parent account. These sub-accounts will not be able to change branding settings in their own account.

Configuring single sign-on or auto-login

Configuring single sign-on authentication or enabling auto-login will streamline the sign-in process for your users.

You must sign in to the Zoom for Outlook add-in before you can add or edit Zoom Meetings within Outlook calendar events. You can select between the following two options to increase ease of use when signing into the add-in:

1. Pre-configure the single sign-on URL

2. Enabling auto-login

Administrators can pre-configure their single sign-on URL into the add-in manifest file to authenticate automatically when using the Zoom for Outlook add-in.

Administrators can optionally deploy the Zoom Outlook add-in with the single sign-on (SSO) URL preconfigured. Performing this step enables users to automatically use SSO to authenticate when they interact with the add-in, such as by clicking the Add a Zoom Meeting or Settings options in the add-in.

Administrators can add the SSO authentication functions to Outlook calendar events by configuring the Zoom for Outlook add-in manifest file. See our Pre-configuring the Outlook add-in support article for prerequisites and instructions for downloading the Zoom for Outlook add-in manifest file and pre-configuring it for SSO authentication.

Enabling auto-login streamlines sign-in to the Zoom for Outlook add-in for Outlook desktop clients and Outlook web access.

Alternatively, the Zoom for Outlook add-in can link your Microsoft credentials and Zoom credentials as long as the email addresses used for both services are identical, making the sign-in process to the add-in appear automatic. See our Enabling auto-login support article for prerequisites, limitations, and instructions for how to associate your Microsoft sign-in type with your Zoom account for quicker authentication.

Note

Auto-login is not supported for the Zoom for Outlook add-in for iOS and Android.

Adding and updating Zoom Meetings

The following sections explain how to use the Zoom for Outlook add-in to add Zoom Meeting invitations to newly-created Outlook calendar events and how to update Zoom Meeting invitations when an existing Outlook calendar event is edited or updated.

Adding or updating Zoom Meeting information in Outlook calendar events is a manual process unless you are using the Send auto-sync feature.

The Zoom for Outlook add-in must be opened and specific control buttons must be clicked to add or update Zoom Meetings that are part of Outlook calendar events. These manual steps are described in the following sections.

Users who are on supported versions of Microsoft Outlook may have the option to use the Send auto-sync feature that automatically updates Zoom Meeting information by clicking the Send button in the Outlook calendar events.

Note

Send auto-sync is only supported by specific versions of Outlook and must be enabled and deployed by your organization’s Outlook administrator. Please see the Send auto-sync section for more information.

After creating a new Outlook calendar event, add a Zoom Meeting using the Zoom for Outlook add-in

Once you have created a new event in your Outlook calendar and filled in all the necessary details like time, date, attendees, and recurrence, use the Zoom for Outlook add-in to create a Zoom Meeting invitation that will automatically populate the existing event details from your Outlook event.

Note

Set the meeting recurrence, date, and time for your Outlook calendar event before adding a Zoom Meeting to the event. If you add the Zoom Meeting before setting the correct event date and time, the Zoom Meeting will get scheduled for the default date/time when the event was created, which can inadvertently cause the meeting to expire before the intended start date.

For the Outlook desktop client, you will need to open the Zoom for Outlook add-in by selecting the Zoom icon located in the controls at the top menu bar of the Outlook calendar event, then select the Add Zoom Meeting button as shown in the screenshot below. The calendar invite will populate the subject, location, and body of the message with your Zoom Meeting information.

See our Scheduling meetings with the Outlook add-in support article for additional steps on how to add Zoom Meetings using the Zoom for Outlook add-in for Android, iOS, and Outlook on the web.

If details are changed in an Outlook calendar event after a Zoom Meeting has been added to it, click the Update button in the Zoom for Outlook add-in to sync the changes.

Warning

If you change items such as meeting recurrence, date, time, or other details in an Outlook calendar event that already has a Zoom Meeting added to it, the updated information is not automatically reflected in the Zoom Meeting details.

To update the Zoom Meeting information in an edited calendar event on the Outlook desktop client, you will need to open the Zoom for Outlook add-in settings by selecting the Settings option located in the controls at the top of the Outlook calendar event. Then click the Update button as shown in the screenshot.

Additionally, if you delete an Outlook calendar event, the Remove button needs to be clicked in the add-in to manually delete the Zoom Meeting that was associated with the deleted Outlook calendar event. Zoom Meetings that are not manually removed will still be listed as upcoming meetings in your Zoom applications.

Adding a Zoom Meeting to calendar events automatically

Outlook can be configured to automatically add Zoom Meetings to all newly-created Outlook events, but the Zoom Meeting details must be updated manually.

Outlook settings can be configured to automatically add a Zoom Meeting to every Outlook calendar event when they are created. Event details such as meeting recurrence, date, time, and participants must be added to the Outlook calendar event and then the automatically added Zoom Meeting must be updated using the Zoom for Outlook add-in.

Warning

If the user changes Outlook calendar event properties like date, time, or recurrence without pressing the Update button in the Zoom for Outlook add-in afterward, the automatically added Zoom Meeting remains scheduled for the original date/time when the Outlook calendar event was created, which can inadvertently cause the Zoom Meeting to expire before the intended start date.

See the previous section for instructions on how to update a Zoom Meeting using the add-in.

Zoom for Outlook add-ins that have been deployed using a custom manifest file will not have the option to automatically add Zoom Meetings to Outlook calendar events.

Only the Zoom for Outlook add-in from the Microsoft Entra (formerly Azure) application gallery provides the option to add Zoom Meetings automatically. If your add-in was deployed by administrators using a custom manifest file the option will not be available.