As the host or co-host in a meeting, you can manage your participants, including muting and unmuting participants to manage background noise and distractions. All participants can also mute or unmute themselves, unless the host has prevented them from unmuting.

Due to privacy and security reasons, the host cannot unmute other participants without their consent. The host can either use the Ask All to Unmute option, which will prompt every user to unmute themselves, or can schedule the meeting with Request permission to unmute participants enabled, which will prompt the participants for pre-approval to be unmuted by the host. 

This article covers:

• Muting or unmuting a specific participant
• Muting all participants
• Asking all participants to unmute
• Enabling pre-approved consent to be unmute
  • Account
  • Group
  • User
• Using pre-approved consent to be unmute
• Revoking consent to be unmuted (participant)
  • Client settings
  • In-meeting controls

Prerequisites for muting/unmuting participants in a meeting

• Host permission in the meeting, or co-host permission (set by the host)
• Zoom desktop client for Windows, macOS, or Linux: Global minimum version or higher
• Zoom mobile app for Android or iOS: Global minimum version or higher

Muting/unmuting a specific participant

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
2. Start a meeting.
3. Click Participants  located in the meeting controls.
4. Hover a participant and click one of these options:
   • Ask to Unmute: Display a prompt for the participant that asks them to unmute. The participant can click Unmute in the prompt to unmute.
   • Unmute: Instantly unmute the participant without display a prompt. 
     Note: This option is only available if you enable pre-approved consent to be unmuted and the participant provided consent.
   • Mute: Mute the participant.

Muting all participants

The host or co-host can mute all participants that are already in the meeting, as well as new participants joining the meeting. 

1. Click Participants  located in the meeting controls.
2. Click Mute All.
   
   
3. Click Mute All to mute all current and new participants. 
4. (Optional) Check Allow participants to unmute themselves if you would like participants to be able to unmute at any time during the meeting.
   

   

Asking all participants to unmute

The host and co-host can also request everyone in the meeting to unmute themselves. This allows the participants to choose if they are ready to be unmuted or wish to remain muted. 

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
2. Start a meeting.
3. Click Participants  located in the meeting controls.
4. Click More, then click Ask All to Unmute from the list.
   
   All other participants will then be prompted to Unmute or Stay Muted.

Enabling pre-approved consent to be unmute

You can enable the Request permission to unmute participants option, which is displayed when scheduling a meeting. Selecting this option will display a prompt when participants join the meeting. The prompt will ask for permission to allow the host to mute or unmute them. Permissions, once given, will apply in all meetings scheduled by the same host. This setting is also available at the account or group.

Account

To enable the pre-approved consent to unmute feature for all users in the account:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an administrator with permission to edit account settings.
2. In the navigation menu, click Account Management then Account Settings.
3. In the Meeting tab, navigate to the Request permission to unmute option (under the In Meeting (Advanced) section) and verify that the setting is enabled.
   Note: If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, choose Turn On to verify the change.
4. (Optional) If you want to make this setting mandatory for all users in your account, click the lock icon, and then click Lock to confirm the setting.
   Note: Users must have client/app version 5.2.1 or higher to see the option when scheduling. 

Group

To enable the pre-approved consent to unmute feature for all members of a specific group:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an administrator with permission to edit user groups.
2. In the navigation menu, click User Management then Groups.
3. Click the name of the group, then click the Meeting tab to access settings.
4. In the Meeting tab, navigate to the Request permission to unmute option (under the In Meeting (Advanced) section) and verify that the setting is enabled.
   Notes:
   • If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, choose Turn On to verify the change.
   • If the setting is grayed out, it has been locked at the account level, and needs to be changed at that level.
5. (Optional) If you want to make this setting mandatory for all users in your account, click the lock icon, and then click Lock to confirm the setting.

User

To enable the pre-approved consent to unmute feature for your own use:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Settings.
3. In the Meeting tab, navigate to the Request permission to unmute option (under the In Meeting (Advanced) section) and verify that the setting is enabled.
   Notes:
   • If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, choose Turn On to verify the change.
   • If the setting is grayed out, it has been locked at either the group or account level, and needs to be changed at that level.

Using pre-approved consent to be unmute

1. Schedule a meeting.
2. Under Meeting Options, check the Request permission to unmute participants option.
   When the meeting starts, participants will be prompted to provide consent to be unmuted by the host:
    

If the participant provides consent to be unmuted, you will have the option to unmute each person individually as needed from the participants list. 

Note: Once consent has been given to a host, any future meetings with this host and this setting enabled will have the same pre-approved consent. Meetings without this setting will require the host to ask each participant to unmute themselves. 

If the participants doesn't provide consent, you will see the regular Ask to Unmute / Mute options in the participants list.

Revoking consent to be unmuted (participant)

Participants can revoke this consent at any time in the client settings or while in a meeting.