How to download and install Zoom on Mac
Zoom for Mac is free and comes from Zoom’s website as a standard installer package. Here is which one to pick, how to install it and which permissions to give so your first meeting works.
Zoom
- macOS 11 or later
- Apple Silicon and Intel
- Free. Meetings up to 40 minutes on the free plan
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (zoom.us). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask zoomHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Which installer to download
Zoom has separate installers for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Zoom’s download page usually picks the right one. To check your chip yourself:
- Choose Apple menu › About This Mac.
- If you see Chip with Apple M1, M2 or later, take the installer for Apple Silicon. If you see Processor with Intel, take the one for Intel.
To join a meeting you don’t need an account: a meeting link opens Zoom, or the browser if Zoom isn’t installed.
How to install Zoom
- Open
zoomusInstallerFull.pkgin your Downloads folder.
- Click Continue, then Install. Choose Install for all users of this computer if asked.
- Enter your Mac password and click Install Software.
- When the installer says it is done, click Close. Zoom appears in Applications as zoom.us.
A .pkg installs with administrator rights, so download it only from zoom.us. If your company uses its own Zoom installer, take that one.
What to set up after installing
macOS asks for each permission the first time Zoom needs it. If you clicked Don’t Allow by mistake, turn it on in System Settings › Privacy & Security:
- Camera and Microphone: turn on zoom.us.
- Screen & System Audio Recording: turn on zoom.us to share your screen, then quit and reopen Zoom.
- Accessibility: only if you let others control your screen during a meeting.
- The installer. Move the
.pkgfrom Downloads to the Trash once Zoom runs.
If Zoom won’t install or open
- The installer stops with an error. Download the
.pkgagain from Zoom’s website and make sure you are signed in to macOS as an administrator. - Others can’t see your screen. Check Screen & System Audio Recording above and restart Zoom after turning it on.
- Zoom keeps crashing. Remove it completely, with its background helpers, and install it again: see how to uninstall Zoom on Mac.
Alternatives to Zoom
Keep your Mac tidy
Zoom leaves recordings, logs and caches over time. System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up, and the Uninstaller removes Zoom with its helpers if you no longer need it.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is Zoom for Mac free?
Yes. The app and joining meetings are free. On the free plan, meetings you host last up to 40 minutes. Longer ones need a paid plan.
Why is Zoom called zoom.us on my Mac?
That is the app’s name on macOS. Look for zoom.us in Applications and in privacy settings.
Do I need to install Zoom to join a meeting?
No. A meeting link can open in the browser. The app gives better video, screen sharing and fewer problems with sound.