Waiting Room Toggle Greyed Out in Scheduled API Meetings Despite Password and Unlocked Settings

API and Webhooks Meetings
1

API Endpoint(s) and/or Zoom API Event(s)
[POST] https://api.zoom.us/v2/users/{userId}/meetings

Description
I’m scheduling meetings via the Zoom REST API (type: 2, scheduled meeting) and I want the waiting room to be enabled before the meeting starts, but allow the host to disable it during the meeting if desired (i.e. not forced or greyed out).

Currently, I create the meeting with "waiting_room": false and provide a "password" in the API request. The API response shows "waiting_room": false as expected.

However, when the meeting starts and I open the Zoom desktop app, the “Enable Waiting Room” option is greyed out, even though:

  • The waiting room is not locked at the account or group level
  • I added a password to satisfy Zoom’s “require at least one security option” policy
  • There was a participant in the meeting
  • I’m using a Pro account and testing this as the host user

My goal is to let the host manage the waiting room during the meeting (i.e. toggle it ON or OFF). This works fine for instant meetings from the Zoom app, but not for scheduled ones via the API.

Error?
There is no API error, but the Zoom client UI disables the “Enable Waiting Room” toggle during the meeting, even though it should be editable.

How To Reproduce

  1. Send a POST /users/me/meetings request with the following body:

json

KopyalaDüzenle

{
  "topic": "Test API Meeting",
  "type": 2,
  "start_time": "2025-05-04T15:00:00Z",
  "duration": 30,
  "timezone": "Europe/Istanbul",
  "password": "abc123",
  "settings": {
    "waiting_room": false,
    "join_before_host": true,
    "approval_type": 2,
    "enforce_login": false,
    "participant_video": true,
    "host_video": true,
    "auto_recording": "cloud"
  }
}
  1. Join the meeting as the host using the Zoom desktop app
  2. Check the “Enable Waiting Room” option — it is greyed out
  3. Confirm that the setting is not locked in account or group settings

Any help clarifying why the waiting room toggle remains disabled would be appreciated. I want the host to have full control over enabling/disabling the waiting room during a scheduled meeting created via API. Thanks!

2

Hi @Izzet
Thanks for reaching out to us!

Can you please review this support article on Using Waiting rooms:

You will see that waiting room and join before host can not be used at the same time, this could be preventing you from seeing ght Enable Waiting Room option