Since it was officially released in November 2023, Zoom Clips has taken the world of collaboration by storm. It’s ideal when a quick message or email isn’t enough to convey your message to a colleague, but an entire conferencing session is impossible to organize.
With this intuitive tool, companies can use asynchronous video clips to share knowledge, updates, or even training experiences. With Clips, you can reduce the issue of meeting fatigue, and minimize the complexity of keeping globally-distributed staff synchronized.
In 2025, this already impressive tool will receive some major updates – including the ability to create your own AI doppelganger to appear in Clips on your behalf. So, now’s a great time to learn how to use Zoom Clips if you haven’t experimented with it already.
What is Zoom Clips? Asynchronous Video Interactions
Zoom Clips is a convenient tool that allows users to record, edit, customize, and share video clips featuring their voice, video stream, and screen content. It’s similar to the tools from competitors like Microsoft and Loom that allow you to create video content for “asynchronous” knowledge sharing.
With Zoom Clips, users can quickly record a video from the Zoom web portal, their computer menu, or desktop app, then customize various elements of the content. Once you’ve created a Clip, it’s added to a cloud library, where you can edit and share it with colleagues.
Users can:
- Record video and screens simultaneously via a web portal, computer menu, taskbar, or the Zoom app.
- Leverage virtual backgrounds, noise suppression, and other features to boost the quality of video clips.
- Edit and customize each clip with a name, description, and tags.
- Cut and trim unwanted clip sections and add a clip thumbnail image to each recording.
- Set permissions for who can view a clip and generate links that can be shared internally and to external contacts.
- View video analytics, receive comments on clips, and leave comments on other videos.
- Manage, share, and search for clips securely within a unified content library.
Zoom Clips and AI Avatars
At Zoomtopia 2024, Zoom announced a range of AI updates that would be coming to the Zoom Workplace platform in the months ahead. Alongside a range of “Zoom Companion” enhancements, the company shared that users would soon be able to create AI avatars, specifically for Zoom Clips.
Essentially, you’ll be able to create a “virtual version” of yourself, by recording a video which Zoom’s algorithms can use to design a digital twin of your image and voice. This twin can take over as the “host” of your clips. All you need to do is write out the messages you want it to share, and the avatar will do the rest.
This new feature has obvious advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it’ll be great for those of us who hate spending a lot of time on camera. You won’t have to worry about stumbling over your words or adjusting your appearance while you’re recording.
Plus, your AI avatar won’t be subject to the same distractions we all encounter when recording videos, like dogs barking or a knock at the door. However, the feature has raised some concerns related to security, ethics, and privacy. Already, plenty of people are nervous about the impact of “deepfakes” on the workplace. If a criminal managed to break into Zoom and steal a person’s digital twin, there’s no limit to what they could potentially do.
Zoom says it is taking measures to minimize this threat, however, with watermarking technologies, advanced authentication techniques, and strict usage policies. Still, if you’re planning on using the new feature as part of the “AI Companion add-on kit” Zoom is releasing in 2025, we’d recommend being vigilant about security.
Why Use Zoom Clips? The Benefits of Asynchronous Video
Before we cover everything you need to know about using Zoom Clips, you might be wondering why it’s a worthwhile tool in the first place. Ultimately, solutions for asynchronous communication have grown increasingly popular in recent years.
Teams are struggling to manage more meetings in their schedule than ever before. While video is great for sharing knowledge and updates, bringing everyone together in a conference is not always practical. If you have a global team, finding a time when everyone’s schedules align isn’t easy.
With Zoom Clips, companies can reduce unnecessary meetings while preserving a culture of constant, insightful communication between teams. The solution also offers businesses an excellent way to distribute corporate announcements, training resources, and welcome messages.
While Zoom Clips isn’t the only asynchronous meeting tool on the market (we already have options like Loom), it’s handy for those already investing in Zoom. It works seamlessly with the Zoom ecosystem and comes with a bunch of great features that make it easy to edit, manage, and share your clips without using an external app.
Plus, you can use it with Zoom’s virtual backgrounds, wallpapers, and soon, AI avatars too. It’s also one of the few solutions that allows employees to maintain their content library, edit their clips, and even track engagement and colleague reactions.
How to Use Zoom Clips: Getting Started
First, the good news is that anyone can use Zoom Clips. There’s a “Basic” version available on the free Zoom Workplace plan, although it has some limitations. You can only record up to five clips, lasting two minutes each.
If you want to stick with your free plan, you can purchase an add-on for Zoom Clips Plus for $6.99 per month. Alternatively, Zoom Clips Plus is included as standard with all premium Zoom Workplace plans, starting at $13.32 per month (for Workplace Pro, paid annually).
Once you have the proper subscription, you’ll need to enable Zoom Clips for your account. To do this, visit the Zoom Web Portal, click Settings then click the Clips tab at the top of the page. Simply toggle the feature on to enable it. From there, you can apply other settings too.
For instance, you can choose whether to allow users to download the shared clips and whether to set password requirements for each clip. There’s also the option to set up email notifications for whenever your clip:
- Gets its first viewer
- Receives a comment
- Receives a reply to a comment
How to Create a Clip with Zoom
With Zoom Clips enabled, users can create clips using the Zoom web portal, or desktop app. To start, sign into your account and find the Clips option in your navigation menu on the web portal or the menu bar on the desktop app.
Click Create Clip and a window will display. This will give you options to adjust your settings before you start your recording. You can:
- Choose what content to share: Select whether you want to share your screen, and video/audio, or both simultaneously. You can optimize your videos for “Clips” with a button, and select the specific portion of screen you want to share.
- Adjust Audio, video, and display settings: Choose the preferred device for your audio and video from a drop-down menu. You can also select the ideal resolution for your final recording. Screen sharing and video options range from 720p to 1080p (automatic).
- Experiment with advanced features: In the “Advanced Settings” section you can touch up your appearance, enable or disable mirroring, noise suppression, or stereo audio, and add wallpapers or virtual backgrounds to your Clip. You can also select “Immersive mode” for your Clip, or create and use an avatar in your Clip.
Once you’ve adjusted all your settings, you can enter a title for your Clip, so it’s easier to find later, and add tags. Then, click Start Recording and a countdown timer will appear, ensuring you have time to prepare.
While recording, you’ll see a menu bar with icons for muting/unmuting audio, starting/stopping your camera feed, pausing your video, or cancelling the recording. When you’re done, click the “Finish” button to stop the recording, and the clip will be automatically uploaded to the Zoom Clips tab in the Zoom client or the Library in the web portal.
Accessing and Sharing Your Clips
Zoom makes it easy to manage your recordings when you’re done too. After you create your Zoom Clips, you can access them via the web portal or Zoom client. You can click on the “Clips” section in the navigation menu in the web portal. On the desktop client, you’ll see the “Clips” option on your menu bar at the top of the page.
Once you arrive on the Clips page, you can filter through your clips by clicking on “All Clips,” “My Clips,” “Starred,” or “Share with Me.” You can also switch between list and grid-based views.
If you want to find a specific clip, search for its name or keyword using the Zoom search box. You can filter your search results to show the last created, viewed, or modified clips first or arrange them alphabetically.
There’s also a “tags” box, which allows users to filter their search based on clips with assigned tags. After you find your clip, you can share it in a few different ways, including:
- Creating a link: Click the link icon to create a shareable link for internal and external team contacts.
- Downloading the clip: Select the download icon to download the clip to your computer and share it through email or a file-sharing app.
- Sharing with specific users: Click the “More” icon, followed by “Share,” to send your clip or link to your team members by entering their email addresses.
You’ll also be able to identify permissions for each clip, just as you can with Google Workspace docs. For instance, you can allow anyone at your organization or anyone with a link to access the clip or reserve the video for “only invited members.” You can also add a password to the clip by selecting the “More” button and clicking “Use Password Protection.”
Managing and Editing your Zoom Clips
Within the Zoom Clips library, you can further edit and manage your Clips. After accessing your Clips (using the methods above), click on the top left checkbox icon to select a clip you want to manage. You can use the Star icon to add a clip to your favorites list.
You can also see each clip’s number of views in the bottom left corner. Under the name of your clip, clicking on the “More” icon will give you tools to:
- Rename your Clip
- Share your Clip via link or download
- Star or un-star the Clip
- Change your thumbnail
- Delete the Clip
To change the components of the Clip, users can use the “Volume” icon to adjust the clip’s volume and the speed buttons to slow down or accelerate your clip. The scissors icon will allow you to trim sections from your clip, while the “Fullscreen” icon increases the video’s size.
Users can also click the “Edit” tab on the top right of the page to:
- Edit basic information: Change your thumbnail, title, description, and clip tags.
- Adjust Clip elements: You can adjust the Clip volume, speed, and trim certain sections of your Clip, or expand the Clip to full-screen.
- Add a call-to-action button: Insert a button with text and links on your clip.
- Edit the CTA: Change the button location, color, text color, button shape, and style. You can also choose when buttons will display within the Clip.
- Add emoji reactions: Add emoji reactions to scenes in a clip.
Viewing Clip Comments and Statistics
To gather more insights into your clips and how they’re benefiting your team, Zoom offers analytical tools and comment options. Clicking on a clip and choosing the “Comments” tab on the top right will allow you to see, delete, and respond to comments shared by your team members.
If you want to receive notifications when people view, comment on, or reply to a comment on a clip, select the “Notifications” tab. Then click on the icon shaped like a bell to customize your notifications.
If you have a Zoom Clips Plus account, you can access the “Statistics” tab. This shows you the total number of page views each clip has earned, as well as its:
- Total number of Plays for a period
- Completion rate
- Total number of reactions
- Total number of comments
Accessing Deleted Zoom Clips
If you delete any clips from your Zoom library, you can still access them for up to 30 days. To revive a deleted clip, head into the Zoom Clips section of the app and click the Trash icon. Here, you’ll see a list of deleted clips. You can also search for the clip by file name, file size, owner, creation time, or deletion time.
To the right of the clip, click the “more” icon to restore a clip from the trash or permanently delete it. You can also empty your trash to delete all removed clips at once.
Simplifying Collaboration with Zoom Clips
Zoom Clips is a fantastic tool for anyone who needs to embrace the power of video for knowledge sharing and collaboration, but wants to cut down on the frustration of scheduling and attending meetings. With new AI avatar features soon rolling out for everyone, this tool could become the ultimate way for teams to share insights, training videos and more, with minimal effort.
If you want to experiment with the feature yourself, you can get started for free, and even access Zoom Clips Plus at no extra cost if you have a premium Workplace account. Remember, though, you will need an additional AI Companion Kit add-on if you want to create a custom avatar for Clips.
If you don’t have this add-on, you’ll still be able to use some pre-made avatars created by Zoom in your Clips in the future, too.
