Zoom: Allow Only U-M Affiliates To Join a Meeting (Require Authentication)

Environment

U-M Zoom

Issue

How do I only allow U-M affiliates to join a Zoom meeting/webinar? (I.e., anyone with a UMICH email address)

Resolution

Overview

• Zoom allows individuals to enable the security option "Requires authentication to join" for their meetings and webinars. This option requires participants/attendees to log in to their Zoom account before they can join the meeting/webinar.
• The "University of Michigan Users" authentication method requires participants/attendees to log in to their U-M Zoom account (via U-M Weblogin) before joining the meeting/webinar.
  • If someone is not eligible for a U-M Zoom account, they can't join unless you, as the host, provide an authentication exception to specific external guests, allowing them to bypass the authentication requirement. However, authentication exceptions are not a feature available in webinars.
• If someone tries to join without a U-M Zoom account, they will receive an error message telling them to either "Sign In to Join" or "Switch Account to Join." (Refer to the screenshots attached to this article to view the error messages.)

Enable for all meetings/webinars you host

This will only impact new meetings/webinars you create after enabling this setting. Those you have already created will still need to be edited using the instructions under "Enable for an existing/individual meeting or webinar" below.

1. Go to U-M Zoom and click Sign in.
2. Click Settings from the left navigation.
3. Click the Meetings tab and scroll to the Security section.
4. Navigate to https://umich.zoom.us/profile/setting
5. Toggle Only authenticated meeting participants and webinar attendees can join meetings and webinars on.

Any new meetings/webinars you create will automatically have the Require authentication to join > University of Michigan Users option checked, as that is the default authentication method. However, you can change the authentication method to another option (e.g., "Sign in to Zoom") or turn it off and choose a different security option for individual meetings/webinars.

Enable for an existing/individual meeting or webinar

Meetings

1. Go to U-M Zoom and click Sign in.
2. Click Meetings from the left navigation.
3. Follow the steps below based on whether you enable it for a new or existing meeting.
   • New meeting: Click Schedule a Meeting.
   • Existing meeting: Find the meeting under the Upcoming tab, hover over it, and click Edit.
4. Check the Require authentication to join box in the Security section.
5. Ensure University of Michigan Users is selected from the drop-down menu that appears.
6. [Optional] Add an individual as an authentication exception.
7. Click Schedule or Save.

Note: You can also enable authentication requirements from the Zoom add-on for Google Calendar. (Authentication exceptions can only be added via the Zoom website.)

Webinars

1. Go to U-M Zoom and click Sign in.
2. Click Webinars from the left navigation.
3. Follow the steps below based on whether you enable it for a new or existing webinar.
   • New webinar: Click Schedule a Webinar.
   • Existing webinar: Find the webinar under the Upcoming tab, hover over it, and click Edit.
4. Check the Require attendees to authenticate to join box in the Authentication section.
   • [Optional] Check the Require panelists to authenticate to join box. This requires panelists to sign into their Zoom account that was invited to the webinar.
5. Ensure University of Michigan Users is selected from the drop-down menu that appears.
6. Click Schedule or Save.

Note: There are no authentication exceptions for webinars. However, adding someone as a panelist allows them to bypass the authentication requirement.

Additional Information

Zoom Support: Requiring authentication to join a meeting or webinar

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.