Whether you’re in a work meeting or you’re just chatting with your friends and family, understanding the features of Zoom can help to make you feel just that little bit safer. If a colleague is sharing private information, whether that’s personal or about the company, the last thing you’ll want is for this to be shared externally. In some cases, it’s not legal to do so.
Zoom, unfortunately, won’t notify you if you or someone else has taken a screenshot during the call. It would require an in-built setting which Zoom doesn’t have. Even if it did notify its users when a screenshot has been taken, users would still be able to alternatively find and install third-party software.
Anyone who has access to the Meeting ID has access to the Zoom call. In work environments, if there’s a large array of participants in the meeting it might be difficult for the host to keep track of who’s entering the call. So, it’s important that when you’re using Zoom, you’re careful and cautious, and consider not only yours but the safety of others too.
Can I Screenshot on Zoom?
Yes, you can screenshot on Zoom. If you’re using a laptop or computer (whether that’s Windows or Mac OS), screenshots can be taken through the Zoom interface.
How to Screenshot on Zoom
STEP 1: Sign in to your Zoom account
STEP 2: In the bottom right-hand corner, click the ‘+’ button (This is a screenshot shortcut!)
STEP 3: Crop, click and drag where necessary to select the part of the screenshot you want and press ‘capture’. (Note: If you don’t get it right the first time, you can always do this again.)
STEP 4: Save your screenshot to your desired location on your desktop and send in the required chat.
How to Screenshot on Your Desktop
You can alternatively screenshot by using your desktop’s settings. It’ll depend on what type of laptop or computer you have but it’s likely to be one of the following:
Mac OS: For an entire screen screenshot, use the shortcut ‘Command + Shift + 3’.
To screenshot only an active window, use the shortcut ‘Command + Shift + 4’. When the crosshair cursor appears, click the spacebar and change to the desired window. The screenshots will be saved to ‘Pictures’.
Windows 10: To screenshot, use the shortcut Win + PrntScrn. The screenshots can be located in the Picture library in the Screenshots folder.
What to Consider When Taking Screenshots on Zoom
If you’re going to take a screenshot, then you should note that others won’t be able to see this.
Therefore, here’s what you should consider when taking a screenshot on Zoom to ensure that everyone in the call feels as comfortable and secure as possible.
Host
If you’re the host of the meeting, then you can outline the rules of what you expect from the other participants. If you want them to refrain from taking screenshots of the Zoom call altogether, then you should notify them at the beginning of the meeting.
Announcement
If the host has permitted participants to take screenshots during the Zoom call, then it’s courteous of the participant to announce it beforehand.
You may just want to let others know that you’re going to be taking a screenshot for whatever reason. This then gives people the chance to decide whether they want to be in it, and if they do, they can adjust themselves accordingly just like you would if a photo was being taken!
Publishing
It’s important that if you want to publish the screenshot, you have all of the participant’s consent. For example, if you want to use the screenshot as a way of advertising one of your team meetings, then it’s vital that everyone involved has permitted you to do so.
Privacy, especially in the workplace, should be taken very seriously and without having permission from all participants, it violates their rights and potentially their trust and safety.
Sharing
Once the meeting is over, it might be a good idea to share the screenshots in the chat to ensure that everyone is happy with what’s been taken. If people can see what has been captured throughout the call, it may give them the peace of mind that they need to give you permission to use them externally, if required.
Screenshots can also be a way of sharing what has been captured from the call. If it’s a work meeting, it might give everyone a chance to keep updated on the minutes, or it could even be sharing memories with friends and family.
Can Screenshots Be Disabled?
For the everyday user, it’ll be difficult to disable screenshots on Zoom. There’s not a singular button or setting that can be enabled. Yes, they can technically be disabled through coding, but honestly, it’s probably going to be a lot more hassle than it’s worth. You’d likely need to hire a developer to go through the technical processes, and this could become quite costly.
Unfortunately, you just have to place your trust in the people around you and hope that they’ll value your safety as much as you value theirs.
If you have major concerns around screenshots, then it might be wise to notify the host and voice these. They should be able to help you come up with an alternative solution if screenshots are deemed necessary.
Can Screen Recording Be Disabled?
Zoom does notify the other participants about screen recording. Screen recording is another feature on Zoom where instead of taking a singular screenshot, it’ll create a video of the recorded meeting. For free users, they can screen record locally, whereas for premium users, they can record in the cloud.
Despite not being able to disable the screen recording notification, it’s possible to modify the settings depending on your account type. However, it’s possible to disable screen recording altogether by going to Settings > Recording > Local Recording/Cloud Recording and adjusting the settings accordingly.
If this doesn’t work, there’s also a method, similar to screenshots, where the coding can be changed.
If only some participants need to screen record the meeting, the host of the Zoom call can control who is allowed to. They can grant individual participants the ability to screen record, and the participant will receive a notification telling them that they’ve been granted permission. Alternatively, the host can also prevent a participant’s access to screen record by pressing ‘Forbid Record.’
Whether you want to enable or disable it, you can check out all of Zoom’s essential screen recording settings here.
Conclusion
Zoom doesn’t notify other participants if a screenshot has been taken throughout their meeting. This, therefore, depends on both the host and the users to take responsibility and consider the other participants’ requirements.
If one particular user doesn’t want to be captured in a screenshot, then they should let others know that they don’t give permission. This way, others are aware of their rights and can take further precautions i.e. don’t take a screenshot or ask the participant to switch off their camera before taking the screenshot.
If you’re really not comfortable with the default screenshots and screen recording settings on Zoom, then you might be able to completely disable these features by hiring a developer to program the settings differently for you.
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