Having your Zoom meeting abruptly end after just 40 minutes is incredibly frustrating for everyone involved. It’s especially awkward and uncomfortable if an important client notices the meeting got cut short and questions why you couldn’t continue the discussion. You don’t want them to think there were critical topics or specific questions you couldn’t adequately address in the allotted time.

Here is a summary of when Zoom’s 40-minute time limit for free meetings went into effect and the times it was temporarily lifted:

• The 40-minute limit for free group meetings (3+ participants) has been in place since Zoom first launched in 2013. One-on-one meetings were originally unlimited.
• Zoom temporarily lifted the 40-minute limit on select occasions:
  • Mother’s Day weekend in May 2020
  • Thanksgiving in November 2020
  • December holidays in 2020 (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s)
  • For select K-12 schools from 2021 through June 30, 2022
• As of July 15, 2022, the 40-minute limit now applies to all free Zoom meetings, including one-on-one meetings that were previously unlimited. This change was first implemented for free users in May 2022 before being expanded to free users on paid accounts in July 2022.

How to Bypass the 40-Minute Zoom Meeting Time Limit for Free Meetings

Method 1: A workaround solution

If you need to host a Zoom meeting longer than 40 minutes without a paid subscription, there’s a simple workaround to break the time limit:

• Schedule your Zoom meeting in advance using the Zoom client or web portal. Don’t start an instant meeting.

• Send the meeting invite link to all the participants.

• Once the meeting reaches the 40-minute mark, a countdown timer will indicate the meeting is about to end. At this point, the host should click ‘Leave Meeting‘ but not ‘End Meeting for All‘. All other participants should then also leave the meeting.

• To restart the meeting, everyone simply needs to rejoin using the original meeting invite link. This will bypass the 40-minute limit and provide another 40 minutes of meeting time.
• You can repeat this process as many times as needed to extend the Zoom meeting to your desired duration. Just make sure to end and restart the meeting before the 40 minutes are up each time.

Method 2: Break the 40-Minute Zoom Meeting Time Limit with Alternatives

If you don’t want to use workarounds to extend your Zoom meetings beyond the 40-minute limit for free accounts, consider turning to a Zoom alternative like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Webex:

1. Google Meet

• Allows meetings up to 60 minutes long with up to 100 participants for free
• Unlimited Google Meet for one-on-one calls up to 24 hours long
• Ability to record meetings for later reference

2. Microsoft Teams

• Free Microsoft Teams meetings can last up to 60 minutes with up to 100 participants
• Offers useful features like system audio and screen sharing to boost meeting productivity
• Bypass Teams time limit by restarting the meeting or scheduling back-to-back meetings

3.WebEx

• Free Webex meetings allow up to 100 participants for up to 50 minutes
• Only requires an email address to sign up and start hosting longer meetings
• Provides meeting recording functionality to refer back to important discussions

How to Keep Your Zoom Meeting Within the 40-Minute Time Limit Using Notta

If you need to host a free Zoom meeting longer than 40 minutes without upgrading your account, here are a few tips to help you stay within the time restriction:

1. Eliminate note-taking during the meeting – Taking notes can be time-consuming and distract from the discussion. Getting rid of this will help shorten the overall meeting duration.
2. Use Notta to automatically transcribe the meeting – Notta is a powerful tool that can transcribe your Zoom meeting in real-time, allowing you to focus on the conversation instead of taking notes. Let your colleagues know you’ll send them the full transcript afterwards so you can efficiently cover all the key points.
3. Carefully monitor the time and end the meeting promptly – Keep a close eye on the clock and make sure to wrap up the discussion before you hit the 40-minute limit. This will prevent your meeting from getting cut off unexpectedly.

Step-by-Step Guide: Using Notta to Live Transcribe Zoom Meetings

By live transcribing your Zoom meeting with Notta, you can eliminate manual note-taking and save valuable time. Here’s how to set it up:

Step 1: Start or join your Zoom meeting as you normally would. Click the arrow icon next to ‘Participants’ in the bottom toolbar, then select ‘Invite’

Step 2: In the invitation window, choose ‘Copy Invite Link’ to get the meeting URL.

Step 3: Log in to your Notta dashboard and click ‘Join Live Meeting’ in the right sidebar.

Step 4: Paste the Zoom invite link you copied into the ‘Meeting URL’ field.

Step 5: Choose a name for your transcription bot and click ‘Transcribe Now’ to join the meeting.

Step 6: You’ll see the live transcription appear on your Notta dashboard. Click the transcription to view it in real-time.

Step 7: Back in the Zoom meeting, click ‘Participants’ – you should see the Notta bot listed as a participant.

Step 8: Return to the Notta live transcription and watch as the bot automatically transcribes the entire meeting discussion.

Step 9: To highlight key points, hover over the relevant text block to bring up the toolbar, click ‘Add Notes’, and then ‘Key Point’. This allows you to easily find important parts later.

Step 10: You can also add images to the transcription by hovering over a text block, clicking ‘Insert Picture’, and uploading an image. Notta will place it under the selected text.

Step 11: To quickly share snippets, hover over the text block, click ‘Copy’, and paste it into an email or other application.

By using Notta to automatically transcribe your Zoom meetings, you can eliminate time-consuming note-taking and focus on having a productive discussion – all while staying within the 40-minute limit for free accounts. It’s an efficient way to bypass Zoom’s time restrictions without upgrading to a paid plan.

FAQ: Zoom Meeting Time Limits and Plan Differences

Is there a time limit on Zoom free accounts?

Yes, Zoom’s free Basic plan has the following limitations:

• 40-minute limit on group meetings with 3 or more participants
• Unlimited 1-on-1 meetings (only 2 people)
• Up to 100 participants per meeting

To remove the 40-minute restriction, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid Zoom Pro plan or use workarounds like restarting meetings.

Will Zoom remove its meeting time limit policy?

It’s unlikely Zoom will change or remove the 40-minute limit on free accounts. The time restriction encourages users to upgrade to a paid Zoom Pro subscription for longer group meetings. Zoom’s business model relies on converting free users to paid plans.

What’s the difference between Zoom Basic (free) vs. Pro (paid)?

The main differences are:

Zoom Pro removes the 40-minute time limit and adds other features like cloud recording and social media streaming. However, it costs $14.99/month per license, so it may not be worth it for everyone.In summary, Zoom’s free plan limits group meetings to 40 minutes, while the paid Pro plan offers unlimited meeting duration. Zoom is unlikely to change this policy, as the time limit encourages users to upgrade. Consider Zoom Pro if you frequently need to host long group meetings or want features like recording and streaming.