While rare, disruptions (or “Zoom Bombings”) can happen. If they do occur, these disruptions can be highly stressful. Offensive content may be shared, the unwanted participants may try and impersonate someone else, and it may feel like you have lost control of your meeting. This section includes concrete steps you can take to quickly regain control, protect your space, and file a report. These steps may be taken by the host or a co-host.

  1. Before anything else, remember to remain calm in the moment: You can regain control of the meeting without ending it altogether. By remaining calm and taking swift action, you can inspire confidence in your attendees and restore productivity.
  2. Stop new participants from joining the meeting: You can quickly do this by enabling waiting rooms, locking the meeting, or suspending all participant activities from the in-meeting Security menu.
  3. Locate and remove the unwanted participants: Using the Participants list, locate the troublesome participant(s) and remove them. Once removed, participants will usually not be able to rejoin from the same device. You can also remove participants from the Security menu, but the Participants list will have more information.Screenshot of removing a participant within a meeting
    1. Click the “Participants” button in the meeting control bar.
    2. Find the disruptive participant in the list. When they are unmuted, their name will float to the top of the list. Additionally, someone screen sharing will have an icon to the right of their name.
    3. Hover over the participant’s name and click the “More” button that appears, then click “Remove.”
  4. File a report with IS&T: During or after the meeting, you can file a report with IS&T for further investigation. We will work with Zoom Trust & Safety and take action as appropriate. You can submit a report here. When reporting, we’ll need to know information like:
    • The Meeting ID Number
    • When the incident started
    • The names of the participants responsible
    • A summary of what happened

While IS&T investigates, we ask that you not delete the meeting from Zoom. You are welcome, and encouraged, to create and distribute a new meeting invite to your attendees.