> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tightknit.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Zoom Meeting Templates
> A step-by-step guide for community managers to create and configure Zoom meeting templates for community events.
This guide walks you through creating a Zoom **admin meeting template**, a reusable set of meeting settings that you can apply every time you schedule a community event. Instead of configuring dozens of settings each time, you set it once and reuse it.
We'll use our own **Tightknit Tuesdays** template as the example, but the same approach works for any recurring community meeting.
You need a Zoom **Business**, **Education**, or **Enterprise** account with admin privileges to create admin meeting templates. If you only have a free or Pro account, you can still create personal templates, but they won't be available to other hosts in your organization.
## Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have:
* A Zoom Business, Education, or Enterprise account
* Account owner or admin privileges
* Meeting Templates enabled in your account settings ([Zoom's guide on enabling templates](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb\&sysparm_article=KB0065854))
## Creating Your Template
1. Sign in to the [Zoom web portal](https://zoom.us/signin) as an admin.
2. In the left sidebar under **Admin**, expand **Account Management** and click **Account Settings**.
3. Click the **Meeting** tab.
4. In the left sub-navigation, click **Schedule Meeting** and find **Meeting Templates**.
5. Click **Manage Templates** then **+ Add Template**.
Give your template a clear, descriptive name that tells hosts exactly what it's for.
| Field | What to enter |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Template Name** | The name of your recurring event (e.g., "Tightknit Tuesdays") |
| **Template Description** | A brief note on when to use this template (e.g., "This scheduled meeting template is used for our Tightknit Tuesdays recurring meetings") |
If you run multiple event types like office hours, workshops, or AMAs, create a separate template for each. The settings that work for a 200-person webinar are very different from a 15-person workshop.
These settings control Zoom's built-in AI features for catching up and summarizing.
### AI Companion Questions
**Recommendation: On, auto-start, all participants can ask from when they join**
If someone joins late, they can ask Zoom's AI companion what they missed. This is especially helpful for community events where people drop in at different times.
### Meeting Summary (AI Companion)
**Recommendation: On, auto-start when the meeting starts**
This generates an automatic summary of the meeting. Configure it to:
* **Auto-start when meeting starts**: Yes
* **Send an email notification when sharing to participants**: Yes
* **Include summary text in the email**: Yes, makes it easy for attendees to get the recap without logging into Zoom
* **Automatically share with**: All meeting invitees including those outside of our organization
* **Include meeting participants (not invited before the meeting)**: Yes
Start with full transparency and dial it back if needed. Sharing the summary broadly means fewer "what did I miss?" questions later.
**Recommendation: It depends**
The waiting room holds participants in a lobby until the host lets them in.
| Scenario | Recommendation |
| -------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| You have a co-host who can manage admissions | Turn it **on**, adds a layer of control |
| You're running the event solo | Turn it **off**, you won't have bandwidth to admit people while presenting |
If you leave the waiting room off, anyone with the meeting link can join immediately. Make sure you're comfortable with that for your event type.
These settings control what happens the moment someone joins your meeting.
### Host Video
**Recommendation: On**
As the host, your camera should almost always be on. You're the face of the event, and being visible builds trust with your community.
### Participant Video
**Recommendation: On (or Off depending on event type)**
For community events where you want to build intimacy and connection, leaving participant video on encourages face-to-face interaction. For larger webinar-style events, consider turning it off so participants aren't caught off guard.
### Mute Participants on Join
**Recommendation: On**
This is critical for any event with more than a handful of people. Without it, someone will inevitably join with background noise that disrupts the entire meeting. Participants can unmute themselves when they want to speak.
This is a meeting template, not a webinar. Participants *can* unmute and turn on video. If you need stricter control, consider Zoom's webinar product instead (that's a separate guide).
Recording your community events creates replay content, clips for social, and a reference for attendees who couldn't make it.
### Auto-Record
**Recommendation: On, record to the cloud**
Cloud recording is more reliable than local recording. If your internet hiccups or your laptop crashes, the cloud recording continues from Zoom's servers. It also makes sharing easier since the recording lives in Zoom's cloud rather than on your hard drive.
If you have a co-host, ask them to also record locally as a backup. Individual Zoom accounts can only select one default (cloud or local), so having a co-host record locally gives you a safety net.
### Cloud Recording Settings
Configure these for maximum flexibility when editing and repurposing content later:
| Setting | Recommendation | Why |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Record active speaker with shared screen** | On | The default combined view, good baseline |
| **Record gallery view with shared screen** | On | Captures the full room alongside any presentation |
| **Record active speaker, gallery view, and shared screen separately** | On | Gives you separate video files for higher-quality editing |
| **Record audio-only files** | On | Both combined and separate per-participant |
| **Record the Interpretation** | Off | Only needed for multilingual events with hired interpreters |
| **Save chat messages** | On | Captures links and resources shared during the event |
Separate video files means more post-production work. If you don't plan to edit recordings, you can leave the "separately" options off and let Zoom handle the combined view automatically.
### Advanced Cloud Recording Settings
| Setting | Recommendation | Why |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Add timestamp** | Off | Adds unnecessary clutter, doesn't look professional |
| **Display participant names** | On | Helps viewers identify speakers |
| **Record thumbnails when sharing screen** | On | Shows who's presenting alongside shared content |
| **Optimize for third-party video editor** | Off (or On if you edit) | Larger files but better for tools like Premiere, Final Cut, or Descript |
| **Create audio transcript** | On | Generates a searchable text transcript |
| **Save panelist chat to recording** | Off (or On if needed) | Captures chat in the recording file itself |
| **Save poll results** | Off (or On if needed) | Useful for follow-ups |
| **Save closed caption as a VTT file** | On | Creates subtitle files for publishing |
| **Participants can request recording** | On | Lets attendees nudge you if you forget |
Chat settings control how participants communicate during the event.
### Chat Permissions
**Recommendation: Everyone and anyone directly (or Host only for large events)**
For community events where interaction is the goal, allowing everyone to chat creates a more engaging experience. For very large or formal events, restrict to host-only.
### Continuous Meeting Chat
**Recommendation: On for recurring meetings, Off for one-offs**
Continuous meeting chat lets the conversation persist before, during, and after the meeting in Zoom's Team Chat.
### Other Chat Settings
| Setting | Recommendation | Why |
| --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| **Allow direct messages** | On (for community events) | Lets participants connect, great for networking |
| **Meeting chat auto-save** | Off | Cloud recording saves chat separately |
| **Sound notification when someone joins or leaves** | Off | Avoids constant disruptions |
| **Send files via meeting chat** | On | Lets participants share resources |
### Feedback to Zoom
**Recommendation: On (low impact)**
Zoom's own satisfaction prompt. Unobtrusive, leave it on or off, it won't affect your attendees.
### Co-host
**Recommendation: On**
Always leave co-host enabled so you can promote someone during the meeting if needed.
### Meeting Polls/Quizzes
**Recommendation: On**
Polls are great for icebreakers, topic voting, or quick feedback during events.
### Meeting Survey
**Recommendation: On, create a custom survey**
Check "Add specified participant survey to all meetings scheduled with this template" and create your survey in Survey Management.
You'll see "No data. Create a survey in Survey Management" until you set one up. Creating the survey is covered in [Next Steps](#next-steps).
### End-of-Meeting Experience Survey
**Recommendation: Off**
This is Zoom's generic quality survey, not your community feedback survey. Skip it to avoid survey fatigue.
### Who Can Share & How Many
**Recommendation: One participant at a time, Host only**
Prevents participants from hijacking the presentation. You can promote someone to co-host during the meeting.
### Annotation & Whiteboard Classic
**Recommendation: Off for both**
Annotation and Classic Whiteboards add noise and disruption potential for community webinars.
### Disable Desktop Screen Sharing
**Recommendation: Off (keep desktop sharing enabled)**
You want the option to share your full desktop when presenting.
### Remote Control & Slide Control
**Recommendation: Off for both**
Remote control is a security risk. Slide control causes confusion, most people don't know how to use it.
### Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin
**Recommendation: Off**
If you remove someone, it's for a good reason. Don't let them back in.
### Allow Participants to Rename Themselves
**Recommendation: Off**
Prevents trolling and maintains professionalism.
### Host/Co-host Rename in Waiting Room
**Recommendation: On**
Hosts can rename participants in the waiting room even with self-renaming disabled. Participants get notified.
### Hide Participant Profile Pictures
**Recommendation: Off**
Let people show their pictures, it adds personality to community events.
### Default Meeting Wallpaper
**Recommendation: Set up later**
A branded wallpaper is a nice touch but not required for launch.
**Recommendation: On, but don't pre-assign**
Breakout rooms are great for workshops, cohort discussions, or small-group conversations. Leave enabled but assign live.
| Setting | Recommendation |
| ------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------- |
| **Allow breakout rooms** | On |
| **Assign participants when scheduling** | Off (unless very structured) |
| **Broadcast message to participants** | On |
| **Broadcast voice to breakout rooms** | On |
| **Create, rename, delete rooms when open** | On |
| **Allow host to view activity statuses** | Off |
### Remote Support
**Recommendation: Off.** IT support only, not needed for community events.
### Manual Captions
**Recommendation: Off.** Unless you have a live captioner.
### Automated Captions
**Recommendation: On**
A huge accessibility win. Makes your event accessible to deaf/hard-of-hearing members, non-native speakers, and anyone in a noisy environment.
### Save Captions
**Recommendation: On**
Creates a text record participants can reference later.
### Immersive View
**Recommendation: Off.** Novelty feature, not useful for professional events.
### Focus Mode
**Recommendation: Off**
Hides participants from each other. Not needed for community events where interaction matters.
### Custom Disclaimer
**Recommendation: Off (unless regulated)**
Only for highly regulated industries.
Once you've configured all settings, click **Add** to save.
Your template is now available in the template dropdown when any host schedules a meeting.
## Scheduling a Meeting with Your Template
Now that your template exists, here's how to use it.
1. Sign in to the [Zoom web portal](https://zoom.us/signin).
2. Click **Schedule** in the top navigation bar.
| Field | What to enter | Notes |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Topic** | Your event name (e.g., "CLG - AMA") | Shows up in calendar invites |
| **Description** | Short summary | Appears on registration page and emails |
| **When** | Date and start time | Double-check timezone |
| **Duration** | Expected length | Informational only, Zoom won't cut you off |
| **Time Zone** | Your local timezone | Note it in the description for global communities |
| **Recurring meeting** | Check if repeats | Set recurrence pattern for weekly events |
**Recommendation: Required**
Gives you an attendee list, enables reminder emails, and provides data for follow-up.
Registration is essential if you plan to connect this event to Tightknit for one-click Slack registration. Without it, there's no registration for Tightknit to sync to.
**Recommendation: Generate Automatically**
Don't use your Personal Meeting ID, it's a static link anyone can reuse.
In the **Template** dropdown, select your template (e.g., "Tightknit Tuesdays"). You'll see a blue banner confirming all template settings were applied.
The template sets defaults. You can still override individual settings for this specific meeting.
Click **Save**. Zoom generates the join link, registration page, and calendar invite. Done!
## Next Steps
Each of these builds on what you've set up in this guide. Tackle them in order, or jump to whichever is most relevant for your next event.
Build a custom survey in **Survey Management**, then link it to your template. Ask about content quality, format preferences, and what topics to cover next. This is one of the most valuable feedback loops for community events.
Add community branding for a polished look when participants join. This is a quick win that makes your events feel intentional and on-brand.
Let community members register with one click from Slack. Tightknit syncs registrations to Zoom, sends confirmations, and posts events in your Slack channel.
**What the Tightknit integration gives you:**
* One-click registration from Slack, no forms, no friction
* Automatic sync of registrations to your Zoom meeting
* Event reminders sent to registered attendees in Slack
* A central place to post recordings and follow-ups in the event thread
To set this up: [Hosting Events on Tightknit with Slack One-Click Registration](https://docs.tightknit.ai/events/tutorials/webhook-make-zoom)
Schedule a test meeting with your template. Walk through as both host and attendee. Verify recording, survey, and registration flow. Catching issues in a dry run is much better than discovering them live.
## Quick Reference
| Category | Setting | Recommended |
| ----------------- | ------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| AI Companion | Allow questions | On (auto-start) |
| AI Companion | Meeting summary | On (auto-start, share broadly) |
| Waiting Room | | Off (solo) / On (co-host) |
| Video | Host video | On |
| Video | Participant video | On |
| Audio | Mute on join | On |
| Whiteboard | Standalone | On |
| Recording | Auto-record | Cloud |
| Recording | Separate files | On |
| Recording | Audio transcript | On |
| Recording | Save captions as VTT | On |
| Chat | Permissions | Everyone (or Host only for large) |
| Chat | DMs | On |
| Chat | Join/leave sound | Off |
| Chat | File sharing | On |
| Feedback | Co-host | On |
| Feedback | Polls/Quizzes | On |
| Feedback | Meeting survey | On |
| Feedback | End-of-meeting survey | Off |
| Screen Sharing | Who can share | Host only |
| Screen Sharing | Annotations | Off |
| Screen Sharing | Remote control | Off |
| Participants | Rejoin after removal | Off |
| Participants | Rename | Off |
| Breakout Rooms | Enabled | On |
| Breakout Rooms | Pre-assign | Off |
| Breakout Rooms | Broadcast message & voice | On |
| Captions | Automated | On |
| Captions | Save | On |
| Immersive View | | Off |
| Focus Mode | | Off |
| Custom Disclaimer | | Off |
| Wallpaper | | Set up later |
## Related Resources
* [Zoom: Configuring Admin Meeting Templates](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb\&sysparm_article=KB0065854)
* [Tightknit: Hosting Events with Slack One-Click Registration](https://docs.tightknit.ai/events/tutorials/webhook-make-zoom)