How to Make Someone a Host on Zoom (Host, Co-Host, Alternative)

'Make someone a host' covers three different jobs in Zoom: sharing the controls with a co-host, handing the whole meeting to someone else, and letting someone start a meeting you scheduled. Each has its own button and its own limits, and picking the wrong one is how meetings end unexpectedly. Here's which to use and how.

Host, co-host or alternative host?

You want to	Use	When you set it up
Share the controls while you stay	Co-host	During the meeting
Leave and let the meeting carry on	Assign and leave	During the meeting
Let someone start a meeting you scheduled	Alternative host	Before the meeting

How to make someone a co-host

1. Start the meeting as the host.
2. Click Participants in the meeting controls.
3. Hover over the person's name and click More.
4. Click Make co-host, then Confirm.

On the phone app, tap Participants, tap the person's name, tap Make co-host and then Yes. Zoom says there's no limit on how many co-hosts you can have, which is handy for big sessions.

What a co-host can and can't do

Co-hosts can manage participants and start or stop the recording, which covers most of the admin. But Zoom keeps some controls for the host alone:

• Starting closed captioning and assigning a captioner.
• Starting a live stream.
• Ending the meeting for everyone.
• Making another participant a co-host.
• Starting the waiting room, although co-hosts can admit, remove or place people in it.

So if your co-host can't end the meeting or promote someone else, nothing's wrong. That's how Zoom designed it.

How to hand the meeting over and leave

1. In the meeting controls, click End.
2. Click Leave meeting.
3. Choose the participant who'll be the new host.
4. Click Assign and leave.

There needs to be at least one other person in the meeting. Zoom's guide to meeting roles also points out that there can only be one host of a meeting at a time, which is why handing over means giving up the host controls yourself.

The 40-minute catch

This is the detail that ends meetings early. Zoom says that after you pass host controls, the meeting's length is set by the original host's licence, not the new host's. If the original host has a licensed Zoom Workplace account, the meeting can continue for up to 30 hours. If the original host is on a Basic (free) account, it's limited to 40 minutes, regardless of who takes over. So handing a Basic meeting to a colleague with a full licence won't buy you more time.

Why the co-host option might be missing

• Your account type: Zoom lists co-host as needing a Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise account.
• The setting is off: turn on Co-host in the Zoom web portal under Settings, the Meeting tab, In Meeting (Basic).
• It's greyed out: Zoom says that means it's locked at group or account level, so ask your Zoom admin.
• You're not the host: only the host can assign co-hosts.

Setting up an alternative host

An alternative host is chosen when you schedule the meeting, not during it. Zoom says the host can name another licensed user on the same account, and that person can then start the meeting on the host's behalf. They'll get an email telling them they've been added, with a link to start the meeting, unless that notification has been switched off in your Zoom web portal. Both of you need to be licensed users on the same account, so this suits teams far better than one-off collaborators.

It's the right choice for recurring team meetings, client calls a colleague might cover, or anything you're scheduling for someone else. If you're likely to be late, an alternative host means people aren't left sitting in a waiting room with nobody to let them in.

You can't make a co-host in advance

Zoom is clear that co-hosts are assigned during the meeting, not before, and that co-hosts can't start a meeting you scheduled. If you need someone to be able to start or run the meeting without you, set them up as an alternative host when you schedule it. Use co-host for helpers on the day; use alternative host for cover.

Running meetings with a co-host

For workshops, webinars and client sessions, a co-host makes life far easier: one person presents while the other admits people, manages the chat and handles recording. Agree the split before you start. My webinar co-host agreement template is a simple way to write down who does what, and my webinar resources cover the rest of the planning.

My verdict

Use co-host to share the work while you stay, Assign and leave when you have to go, and alternative host when someone else might need to start the meeting. And remember the 40-minute rule: if the meeting was started on a Basic account, handing it to someone else won't extend it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make someone a host on Zoom?

Click End, then Leave meeting, choose the new host and click Assign and leave. Only the current host can do this, and there can only be one host.

How do I make a co-host on Zoom?

As host, open Participants, hover over the person, click More, choose Make co-host and confirm.

Can I make someone a co-host before the meeting?

No. Zoom says co-hosts can only be assigned during the meeting. Use an alternative host if someone needs to start it.

Why can't my co-host end the meeting?

Ending the meeting for everyone is a host-only control in Zoom, along with starting live streams and making other co-hosts.

Does the meeting end if I leave and assign a new host?

No, it continues. But if the original host is on a Basic account, Zoom limits it to 40 minutes; licensed Zoom Workplace hosts allow up to 30 hours.