How to Integrate Zoom with Outlook with No Hassle

Zoom enables schools and other organizations to work together. It allows them to collaborate, share screens, record sessions, and deal with clients and colleagues. Zoom offers one-on-one calls, group conferencing calls, recurring meetings, and more.

One of its best features is the availability of countless integrations with other applications. You can, for example, integrate Zoom into Outlook. That is great because Outlook is one of the most popular Microsoft applications for scheduling. With the integration, this email manager can also manage Zoom calls. You can schedule and edit Zoom meetings.

Because Outlook and Zoom are market leaders in their respective fields,  you likely also use them. Here you will learn how to integrate Zoom with Outlook.

With the Zoom integration for Microsoft Outlook, you get even more out of both platforms. You can manage all your meetings without ever having to change to a different scheduler or application.

How to Integrate Zoom with Outlook Quick

Many people nowadays use Microsoft Outlook and Zoom, one for scheduling and one for conferencing. If you have both, you can use Outlook to schedule your Zoom meetings.

Below you can find out how to integrate Zoom with Outlook as admin, on your desktop, or web Outlook. You can use any of these email management portals.

Finding the Microsoft Outlook Add-in on the Zoom Website

The first step in this tutorial on how to integrate Zoom with Outlook is to download the Outlook add-in from Zoom. You can download the Zoom Outlook plugin for free on the Zoom website. You need to make sure that your device and operating system meet certain requirements, otherwise, it won’t work.

These are the requirements:

• For Windows:
  • Not older than Microsoft Outlook 2010 or Office 365
  • The 64-bit application. Persons with a 32-bit system can use the plugin for the website.
• For macOS:
  • For macOS not older than Microsoft Outlook 2011 or Office 365
  • MacOS Mojave or newer. The plugin does not work on macOS Catalina or older.

If you meet those requirements, go to the Zoom download page: Zoom Plugin for Microsoft Outlook. Download the Outlook add-in, open it, and follow the instructions on the screen.

When the installation finishes, restart Outlook and you will see an extra Zoom ribbon at the top of the screen. Now you can use this ribbon to schedule your Zoom meetings from the Outlook environment.

Is There an Outlook Zoom Plugin for Mac?

Zoom no longer offers a macOS Outlook plugin. This is because Apple has raised security concerns regarding the add-in. Microsoft has also withdrawn its support for injection-based macOS Outlook plugins.

It is, thus, not recommended to use that Zoom Outlook plugin. If you find a way around it, it is probably not safe.

Microsoft does have a good substitute for these add-ins. You can download this safe alternative from AppSource.

Zoom for Outlook from Microsoft App Store

The purpose of the Zoom Outlook plugin is to make scheduling a Zoom meeting easier. It allows you to schedule meetings from the Outlook environment. You can create new events or add a video conference to existing meeting events.

From within Outlook you can set up and configure the meeting and generate a meeting URL. This meeting link will appear in the text of the Outlook calendar event. To install the add-in from within a mobile application you need to make sure that you are the device’s administrator.

You can also download this add-in from the Microsoft app store. Click the link, and then click on the big blue “Get It Now”-button. Then sign in to your Outlook account. The email client will open in your internet browser. Then click on “Install” and “OK”.

Your Outlook account will include the Zoom extension. You can use it to schedule meetings and start instant Zoom meetings, all by just composing a new message.

Updating the Zoom Outlook Plugin

From time to time, Zoom updates. These are to improve previous versions of the plugin. These updates come with a description of what has changed. This could be minor bug fixes, new features, support for different systems, or system types.

It is important that you often check for updates. They will make your plugin work better and give better support to your team. You can check for updates on the Download Center page. To get there, click the “Download” button below the Zoom Plugin for Microsoft Outlook.

When the update finishes downloading, you can follow the installation wizard. You need to restart Outlook to complete the installation and check if your settings are still okay.

Client-Based Calendar Integration

You can use the Outlook calendar integration if you use the add-in for your Windows desktop Zoom client. It syncs your Zoom meetings from Outlook for you.

The plugin uses the MAPI framework to integrate the Zoom client into the Outlook environment. This is a direct link, there is no need for a server connection. A server connection is a more complex way to integrate Zoom with Microsoft Outlook.

The server connection is useful when your team uses an on-premise exchange environment. Then, your customers cannot give Zoom access to calendar data from their own Exchange servers.

The integration using the MAPI framework is less practical when many people within the organization use Mac or Android. MAPI does not support those operating systems.

The MAPI integration is only able to sync calendar events and meetings. It cannot sync contacts. If you want to sync both, you will need to use a different method.

The requirements and procedures for using the MAPI integration are:

• Zoom desktop client for Windows version 5.5.0 or higher
• The administrator needs to enable calendar and contact integration.
• In accounts settings, enable MAPI for calendar integration.
• Sign in to Zoom as an administrator.
• Click “Account Management”.
• Click “Account Settings”.
• Scroll down to the “Calendar” and “Contacts” section in the “Meeting” tab
• Enable “Calendar and contacts integration”.
• Click “Exchange”.
• Enable “Use MAPI to integrate with Zoom desktop client”.
• Save

There is a lock icon that you can click. It forces all users on the network to use the MAPI integration for their calendars. This option configures all users in the same way. However, only Windows users can continue to use their calendar integrations.

If you do not check this option, Mac users will be able to use their Office 365 or Google Calendar for integration.

If you apply the lock option, the following message will appear on the users’ screens: “The calendar is automatically integrated for your Zoom Windows application.”

Using the Calendar Integration

Zoom will check your calendar when you link your Zoom account with your Outlook calendar. In the “Meeting” tab of your Zoom desktop app, you will see all the scheduled Zoom meetings. It will show the meetings  that you scheduled in both Zoom and Outlook. It will also show all other upcoming events.

You will see a “Join” button in Outlook when you hover over a calendar event. If you are the host, you will see buttons, like “Start”, “Copy”, “Delete”, and” Edit”.

You will need to sign out and sign in after you set up the Calendar integration. And that is how to integrate Zoom with Outlook!

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