How to Change Your Name on Zoom (In a Call or for Good)

Joining a client call as 'iPhone (2)' or with an old company name on a login you forgot about is a small thing that makes you look unprepared. Fixing it takes seconds, but Zoom has two separate answers depending on whether you want a one-off change for today's call or a lasting change to your account.

I'll cover both, as Zoom's help pages describe them, plus the reason the Rename option sometimes isn't there and what hosts can do about it.

Renaming yourself in a Zoom meeting on a computer

This is the quick fix when you're already on the call. Zoom's participant controls give the route for the desktop app:

1. Click Participants in the meeting controls.
2. Click the ellipsis (the three dots) next to your own name.
3. Select Rename.
4. Type the name you want people to see and confirm.

Zoom's help describes a change made this way as applying to that meeting only, which is exactly what you want when you're joining as, say, 'Lilach, Acme Ltd' for one client.

Renaming yourself on Zoom from your phone or in a browser

On Android or iPhone, tap More, then Participants, then tap your display name. In the Zoom Web App, click Participants, hover over your name, click More and choose Rename. Menus vary a little between app versions, so if the words differ slightly, look for the option that mentions renaming.

Changing your name on Zoom permanently in your profile

If you're tired of fixing it every call, change the account itself. According to Zoom's settings page, on the desktop app you go to Settings, then My account, and click Edit my profile. That opens the Zoom web portal, where you can update your name and your profile picture.

The profile name is what shows by default when you join, so it's the right place to put the name you want clients to see. Zoom's help for the mobile app doesn't give steps for changing your name, so do it through the web portal on a computer.

Why you can't rename yourself on Zoom

If Rename isn't offered, the setting is probably switched off. Zoom's help says participants can change their display name only if the setting allows it, and that account owners and admins control Allow participants to rename themselves at account, group or user level. The toggle can be locked so that nobody below can change it.

There's one more case that surprises people: if display names are mapped through SAML and renaming is disabled, Zoom says participants can't change their name when joining a meeting. That's a company sign-in setup, so it's an admin conversation.

Asking the Zoom host to rename you

When you can't do it yourself, ask the host. Zoom's help says a host can hover over you in the Participants list, click More and select Rename, and that this changes the name for the current meeting only. A message in the chat saying 'could you rename me to Sam Jones, Brightside Bakery?' is usually enough.

Stopping guests renaming themselves in your Zoom meetings

Hosts have the opposite problem sometimes: guests who rename themselves mid-call, which gets confusing in a webinar or a ticketed workshop where you want a tidy attendee list. Zoom's help says hosts and co-hosts can manage whether participants may rename themselves in their meetings. Account owners and admins set it more broadly. At the user level, Zoom says the toggle sits under My account, Settings, Meeting and applies only to meetings you host or co-host.

Changing your name on Zoom when you use more than one account

Plenty of small business owners juggle a personal login and a business one, or share a single laptop with a partner. Zoom shows the name attached to whichever account is signed in, so the first thing to check before an important call is the profile picture in the top corner of the app. If it shows the wrong person, sign out and back in with the right account, then update the profile there if the name still needs fixing.

It also helps to keep the name consistent across the places clients meet you, like your email signature, your booking page and your social profiles. When someone is waiting in a lobby and sees a name they recognise, they relax. A mismatch makes them wonder whether they're in the right call, and that doubt is easy to avoid.

What name to use on a Zoom call for work

• Use your real first name and, for new contacts, your business: 'Dana, Willow Studio'.
• Skip emojis and long titles, which get cut off in gallery view.
• If you share a computer, check the name before you join, since it may show the last person who used it.
• For a webinar you host, ask panelists to use their full names so you can introduce them by name.
• Don't use another person's name or a misleading business name, because it will confuse people and breaks the trust your call depends on.

If you record client calls, tidy names help later when you review who said what. My guide to finding the webinar recording after a Zoom call is a good companion. And if an AI notetaker joins under its own name, I've written about why that deserves a second look.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change my name on Zoom during a meeting?

Click Participants, click the ellipsis next to your name and select Rename. On a phone, tap More, then Participants, then your display name. The change applies to that meeting only.

How do I change my name on Zoom permanently?

In the desktop app go to Settings, then My account, and click Edit my profile. That opens the web portal where you can update your name and profile picture.

Why can't I rename myself on Zoom?

The Allow participants to rename themselves setting may be off. Hosts, account owners and admins control it, and it can be locked.

Can the host change my name on Zoom?

Yes. A host can hover over you in Participants, click More and choose Rename. Zoom says that changes the name for the current meeting only.

Can I stop people changing their names in my Zoom meeting?

Yes. Hosts and co-hosts can manage whether participants may rename themselves, and account admins can set it at account or group level.