You may have noticed some of your friends and co-workers adding pronouns to the end of their name on platforms like Zoom, Instagram, Facebook and others. Doing so helps make spaces more inclusive of transgender, gender nonconforming and gender nonbinary people by making sure you aren’t assuming anyone’s gender identity based on their appearance, according to GLSEN.
Adding pronouns and avoiding automatic use of binary gender expressions has been a major initiative for a number of tech companies including Google, Twitter and LinkedIn. On Zoom, it’s a quick and easy process, and there’s even a dedicated field for pronouns in your profile.
There are a few ways to set your pronouns on Zoom. You can set your pronouns to display for every meeting or only meetings you select. And if you want to add them after you’ve joined a meeting, there’s an option for that too.
Here’s how to add or change your pronouns on Zoom. (Make sure you check out all of our other helpful tips for using Zoom, too.)
How to permanently add your pronouns to your Zoom account
You can add your pronouns through the web portal or through the Zoom app. If you’re using the web portal:
1. Go to the Zoom web portal and sign in using your SSO, Google, Facebook or Zoom account.
2. Click Profile.
3. In the top right corner across from your name, click Edit.
4. Under Display name, there is a field for Pronouns. For example, mine would be «she/her.»
5. Below that field, Zoom asks how you would like to share your pronouns. You can choose to always share or be asked to share after joining a meeting.
6. Click Save changes.
If you’re on the Zoom app, the process is similar but for a slightly different start.
1. Click your initials in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
2. Then click Profile and Edit My Profile. This should take you to your profile in the web portal. The rest of the process is the same.
3. In the top right corner across from your name, click Edit.
4. Below Display name, there’s a field for you to add Pronouns.
5. Under that field, choose your preferred setting for sharing your pronouns. You can choose to share for every meeting or be asked to share after joining a meeting.
6. Click Save changes.
Your pronouns should appear according to your settings from now on.
How to add or change your pronouns during a Zoom meeting
1. After you enter the meeting, click Participants.
2. In the Participants window, hover over your name and click More.
3. From the drop-down menu, click Rename.
4. Add your pronouns in parentheses after your name, and click OK. Just note that this will only change your name for your current meeting, not any others in the future.
For more, check out how to combat Zoom anxiety and the best gear for online meetings and video chatting.
