How do I set up Zoom breakout rooms so participants can self-select a room?

How to Setup Breakout Rooms & Allow for Choice

Initial Setup

1. In a Zoom meeting, select Breakout Rooms from the meeting controls. 
   • Note: You may need to click More in order to see the Breakout Room button.
2. When the breakout room window opens, enter the number of rooms you would like to create.
3. Select the Let participants choose room option.
4. Select Create.

Renaming Rooms

Once the rooms are created, you will see a list of the rooms. You can rename any of the rooms before they are visible to your participants.

1. Hover over the name of a room.
2. Select Rename.
3. Type in the new room name and press Enter/Return on your keyboard.

Opening and Managing Rooms

1. Select Open All Rooms to open the breakout rooms.
2. If participants do not see the list of rooms, they can select Breakout Rooms from the meeting controls to open the breakout room window.
3. All participants and the host can move to any breakout room by selecting Join. 
4. Once inside a breakout room, participants and the host can move to another room by selecting Breakout Rooms from the meeting controls and selecting Join for a different room.

Related Resources

• How do I use Zoom Breakout Rooms for small group discussions during a virtual meeting?
• How do I pre-assign students to Zoom breakout rooms for a meeting scheduled in Canvas? (Instructors)
• Best Practices for Zoom Breakout Rooms