Webinar Minimum Requirements

This page is designed to highlight the minimum technical requirements to successfully host and facilitate a Zoom Webinar.

Event Requirements

• Host. Whether a webinar or a meeting, one individual must be defined as the "host." Hosts are able to launch and begin the webinar, manage all controls and settings and end the webinar. For our purposes, the requestor of the Webinar will be added as an "Alternative Host", but the first to join will gain the full Host capabilities. If you request others to be added as Hosts, after the first person joins as the Host, the rest will be Co-Hosts. They will have the same administrative functions and features, excluding the ability to enable captioning and "End" the webinar at the conclusion.
  
  
• Panelists. The driving force behind a webinar is the individual presenting, but the Zoom role "Panelist" can encapsulate other individuals working with you behind the scenes. Panelists include:
  
  
  • "Presenters, Speakers, and Moderators" - the Panelists who are subject matter experts speaking at your event, being interviewed, moderating, or serving as the lead visible to that audience.
    
    
  • Behind the Scenes:
    • Administrative Support - individuals from your team helping to configure technical aspects of the event. Often this can also be the Host/Co-Host(s). Review the Pre-event Checklist page for a great guide.
    • Multimedia presenters - individuals serving the specific purpose to share their screen and run slides, such as introductory, pre-show slides before your event, housekeeping slides at the start, or other slides throughout or at the conclusion.
    • Q&A Moderators - individuals focusing directly on helping to review and answer questions submitted via Q&A.
      
      
• Your Attendees (or Audience). Webinars use the term "Attendees" since "Participants" is a more general term used to address any individual participating in a Zoom Meeting or Webinar.

Technical Requirements

• The Zoom Desktop client. Download the Zoom Desktop Client for your PC or Mac computer. The minimum requirement is the v5.14.x client, as any earlier versions will require an update before you can connect to Zoom Meetings or Webinars. To stay up-to-date, upon login and launch of your Desktop Client, click your profile picture and select Check for Updates to ensure you have the latest features and settings to use in your Zoom Webinar.
• A healthy internet connection. As Zoom is a cloud-based solution, you must have an active network connection. We always recommend this be a wired connection - as opposed to wireless - in order to reduce risks of network lag, delays in streaming your multimedia, or even being disconnected from your own Webinar.
  
  
• A microphone. An online webinar doesn't need much technology, but a constant remains the ability to articulate and speak to and about your presentation. Most typically presentations are done in conjunction with PowerPoint or other presentation software to help provide visual reinforcement of your topics, though it's not necessarily a requirement to share your screen either.
• A webcam (optional). While technically optional, a webcam is highly recommended for all panelists and presenters, in order to connect with your audience and share your enthusiasm for the topic and discussion in your webinar event. Webcams are often found built-in to Mac workstations and many PC laptops and desktops. If you do not have a webcam or microphone, consider borrowing one from the Equipment Loan Program.

Recommended Equipment