Breakout rooms let you split one Zoom meeting into smaller separate conversations

A breakout room is a separate video space within a Zoom meeting where a smaller group can talk while the main meeting continues. The host creates these rooms before or during a meeting, assigns people to them, and everyone can see and hear only the people in their own room. When the breakout session ends, everyone returns to the main meeting.

This is useful for workshops where you want small group discussions, training sessions with breakout exercises, or any meeting where parallel conversations make more sense than one large group. You control how many rooms exist, who goes into each one, and how long they stay open.

Key Takeaways

  • You must be the meeting host to create breakout rooms; participants cannot create them.
  • Breakout rooms work on Zoom's free plan, but you need at least Zoom version 5.3 or later on your computer or the mobile app updated within the last few months.
  • You can set up rooms before the meeting starts or create them once people have joined, and you can move people between rooms or let them choose their own.
  • Participants in breakout rooms cannot see or hear the main meeting, and the host can visit each room individually to check in.

Check your Zoom version and account type before you start

Breakout rooms are available on all Zoom account types, including the free plan. However, your Zoom application must be relatively current. On a Windows or Mac computer, open Zoom and look in the top left corner for your profile icon. Click it, then select "Check for Updates." If an update is available, install it and restart Zoom.

On a phone or tablet, open your app store (Apple App Store on iPhone or iPad, Google Play on Android) and search for Zoom. If an update is listed, install it. Zoom versions older than 5.3 do not support breakout rooms, and mobile apps that have not been updated in several months may lack this feature.

Create breakout rooms before your meeting starts

Log into your Zoom account on the web at zoom.us. Click "Meetings" on the left side, then find the meeting you want to edit and click on it. Scroll down until you see "Breakout Room pre-assign" and toggle it on. A window will appear asking how many rooms you want to create (between 2 and 50).

Type the number of rooms and click "Create Rooms." Zoom will generate empty rooms labeled "Breakout Room 1," "Breakout Room 2," and so on. You can now assign people to specific rooms by typing their name or email address next to each room number. If you do not assign people ahead of time, you can do it once the meeting starts.

Create and assign breakout rooms during your meeting

If you did not set up rooms beforehand, you can create them once people have joined. At the bottom of your Zoom window, look for a button labeled "Breakout Rooms" (it may be in a menu under "More"). Click it, then select "Create Breakout Rooms." Choose how many rooms you want and click "Create."

Zoom will show you a list of all participants. You can drag and drop people into specific rooms, or click "Auto Assign" to have Zoom distribute people evenly. You can also leave rooms empty and let participants choose their own room when you open them. Once everyone is assigned, click "Open All Rooms" to start the breakout session.

Manage the breakout session while it is running

Once breakout rooms are open, you will see a panel showing all the rooms and who is in each one. You can click on any room name to visit that room and see what the group is discussing. When you enter a room, you appear as a participant in that space; people in other rooms cannot see or hear you.

If you need to move someone to a different room, click the three dots next to their name and select "Move to." You can also send a message to all breakout rooms at once by clicking "Broadcast a Message to All Rooms" — this is useful for giving a time warning before rooms close. Participants can request help by clicking "Ask for Help" in their room, which sends a notification to you.

Close breakout rooms and return to the main meeting

Decide how long you want the breakout session to last and set a countdown timer if you want. When it is time to end, click "Close All Rooms." Zoom will give participants a 60-second warning that rooms are closing, then automatically return everyone to the main meeting.

Once everyone is back, you can review what happened in each room by checking the meeting transcript or recording (if you recorded the meeting). Breakout room conversations are included in the recording, labeled by room number, so you can review them later.

Troubleshoot common breakout room problems

If the "Breakout Rooms" button does not appear, you are likely not the meeting host. Only the host can create and manage breakout rooms. If you are the host and the button is still missing, check that your Zoom version is up to date and that you are using Zoom on a computer (some older mobile versions do not support creating rooms, though participants can still join them).

If people cannot hear each other in a breakout room, ask them to check their microphone and speaker settings — these carry over from the main meeting, so if someone's audio was muted, they will be muted in the breakout room too. If a participant gets disconnected from a breakout room, they can rejoin by clicking the room name in the main meeting window, or you can move them back in manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I record what happens in each breakout room separately?

Zoom records all breakout rooms as part of the main meeting recording. The audio and video from each room is labeled by room number in the transcript. You cannot record individual rooms separately, but you can edit the recording later to isolate one room's conversation if you need to.

What happens if someone leaves a breakout room early?

If a participant closes their breakout room window or leaves the meeting, they will not automatically return to the main meeting. They can rejoin by clicking the breakout room name in the main meeting window, or they can wait until you close all rooms. If they left the meeting entirely, they can rejoin the main meeting as normal.

Can participants move themselves between breakout rooms?

No. Participants cannot switch rooms on their own — only the host can move people or assign them to different rooms. You can allow people to choose their own room when you first open breakout rooms by selecting "Let participants choose" instead of assigning them manually.

Do breakout rooms work on the Zoom mobile app?

Participants can join breakout rooms on phones and tablets, but you cannot create or manage them from a mobile device. You must use a computer to set up and control breakout rooms. Once they are open, mobile users can participate normally.

How many people can be in one breakout room?

There is no hard limit, but Zoom recommends keeping groups between 3 and 8 people for effective discussion. You can put more people in a room if needed, but larger groups tend to have less focused conversations.