Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts: Speed Up Your Workflow with These Easy Tips

Zoom keyboard shortcuts become true life savers in speeding up and simplifying your Zoom meetings.

It’s a pain to keep clicking through menus and toolbars, especially when you’re doing the same thing over and over (like muting or switching views). Losing momentum when managing participants or sharing screens is no sweet experience at all, too.

So why not practice priority Zoom shortcuts to quickly gain the skill, for example, use frequently used shortcuts like Alt + S (screen sharing) and Alt + A (mute/unmute). But this is just the beginning of the journey that will bring a lot of productivity and happiness to your Zoom online meetings.

To help you manage your workflow, we’ve prepared an ultimate list of the most useful Zoom keyboard shortcuts.

Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts for the Most Common Actions

Here is the list of shortcuts for the most common actions we use in Zoom.

Most Used Zoom Actions

Join a Meeting

Zoom Shortcut: Cmd + J

Also, a manual link or ID entry is required.

Host a Meeting

Zoom Shortcut: No specific shortcut (start via Zoom app or browser).

Schedule a Meeting

Shortcut: Cmd + D (Mac)

End/Leave a Meeting

Shortcut: Alt + Q (Windows) / Cmd + W (Mac)

Mute/Unmute Microphone

Shortcut: Alt + A (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + A (Mac)

Start/Stop Video

Shortcut: Alt + V (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + V (Mac)

Share Screen/Stop Sharing Screen

Shortcut: Alt + S (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + S (Mac)

Record Meeting (Local Recording)

Shortcut: Alt + R (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + R (Mac)

Pause/resume Recording

Shortcut: Alt + P (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + P (Mac)

Enter or Exit Zoom Full-Screen

Shortcut: Alt + F (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + F (Mac)

Switch to Zoom Minimal Window

Shortcut: Alt + M (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + M (Mac)

Show/hide Floating Meeting Controls

Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H / Control+Option+Command+H (Mac)

Copy Invite Link

Shortcut: Alt + I (Windows) / Cmd + I (Mac)

In-Meeting Controls

Chat

Shortcut: Alt + H (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + H (Mac)

Raise Hand/Lower Hand

Shortcut: Alt + Y (Windows) / Option + Y (Mac)

Reactions

Shortcut: Alt + Y or via the toolbar menu.

Enable/Disable Virtual Backgrounds

Shortcut: No shortcut (manual settings adjustment required).

Annotate

Shortcut: Alt + T to start sharing first, then enable annotation (Windows).

Polling

Shortcut: No shortcut (host option via toolbar).

Participant Management

Invite Participants

Shortcut: Alt + I (Windows) / Cmd + I (Mac)

Mute Audio for Everyone Except the Host

Shortcut: Alt + M (Windows) / Cmd + Ctrl + M (Mac)

Manage Participants (Show/Hide Participants Panel)

Shortcut: Alt + U (Windows) / Cmd + U (Mac)

Breakout Rooms

Shortcut: No direct shortcut (via toolbar menu).

Spotlight Speaker

Shortcut: No shortcut (manual via participants or toolbar).

Video and View Controls

Switch Camera

Shortcut: Alt + N (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + N (Mac)

Switch Between Speaker View and Gallery View

Shortcut: Alt + F1 (Speaker View) / Alt + F2 (Gallery View) (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + W (Mac)

Switch Between Portrait and Landscape Views

Shortcut: Alt+L (Windows) / Cmd + L (Mac)

Chat and Messaging Controls

Screenshot

Shortcut: Alt + Shift + T (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + T (Mac)

Increase Chat Display Size

Shortcut: Ctrl + Plus (+) (Windows) / Cmd + Plus (+) (Mac)

Decrease Chat Display Size

Shortcut: Ctrl + Minus (-) (Windows) / Cmd + Minus (-) (Mac)

Go Back in Chat History

Shortcut: Alt + Left Arrow (Windows) / Cmd + [ (Mac)

Go Forward in Chat History

Shortcut: Alt + Right Arrow (Windows) / Cmd + ] (Mac)

Start a New Chat

Shortcut: Ctrl + N (Windows) / Cmd + N (Mac)

Search Chat

Shortcut: Ctrl + F (Windows) / Cmd + F (Mac)

Add Member to Current Group Chat or Channel

Shortcut: Alt + Shift + I (Windows) / Cmd + Option + I (Mac)

Focus on the List of All Chats and Channels

Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + L (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + L (Mac)

Jump to Start of New Messages in the Current Group Chat or Channel

Shortcut: Ctrl + Alt + N (Windows) / Cmd + Ctrl + N (Mac)

Focus on the Latest Message in the Current Group Chat or Channel

Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + U (Windows) / Cmd + Shift + U (Mac)

Insert an URL

Shortcut: Ctrl + K (Windows) / Cmd + K (Mac)

Accessibility Tools

Keyboard Navigation

On all platforms, pressing Tab cycles through interface elements, and Shift + Tab reverses direction. F6 moves between the main Zoom windows (e.g., Participants, Chat).

Screen Readers

You can navigate via shortcuts designed to announce active elements, e.g. Ctrl + Alt + Shift + H (Windows) toggles the host controls.

Final Word & FAQ on Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcuts are meant to fight a so-called ‘Zoom fatigue’ – that mental drain from constantly searching for buttons and options, especially when you’re short on time. Zoom shortcuts are made to simplify the lives of both hosts and participants! We are more than sure you will control and participate in Zoom meetings more efficiently by learning a few handy shortcuts and tips.

Where to find the Zoom keyboard shortcuts list?

You surely won’t be searching for Zoom shortcuts across the web once you need to quickly access them. The easiest way to find them is to navigate to Zoom desktop app settings > find Keyboard Shortcuts.

Are there Zoom shortcuts for whiteboards?

Yes, there are multiple shortcuts for Zoom whiteboards. For example:

Select Tool: Press V.

Draw Tool: Press P.

Insert Shapes: Press S.

Insert Line: Press L.

Enter Text: Press T.

Insert Sticky Notes: Press Shift + N.

Activate Eraser: Press E.

View all Zoom whiteboard shortcuts.

How do Zoom shortcuts work on different devices?

Windows often uses Alt and Ctrl, while Mac substitutes these with Cmd or Option. Simply put, Alt + A (Windows) is equivalent to Cmd + Shift + A (Mac) to mute/unmute the microphone on Zoom. Most Zoom keyboard shortcuts on Linux are similar to Windows, but they can behave inconsistently depending on the desktop.

On tablets, shortcuts are limited due to touch-based interaction. External keyboards connected to tablets might support basic shortcuts, but advanced combinations may not work. Some actions, think of switching between portrait and landscape views, are mobile-specific.

Read also:

• How to Schedule a Zoom Meeting and Invite Others
• Google Meet vs Zoom: Which Video Conferencing Tool is Best for Your Business
• The Best Meeting Scheduler Apps (Expert Picks)