What format should my CSV file be in for bulk user provisioning?

Your CSV file must include columns for 'Email', 'First Name', 'Last Name', and 'Group'. Ensure the first row contains these headers. You can optionally include columns for 'Department', 'Job Title', 'Location', 'Phone Number', 'Manager Email', 'IM', and 'User Type' as well.

What happens if the email address in my CSV already exists in Zoom?

If the email address already exists in your Zoom account, the user will be updated with the information provided in the CSV file. This includes name, group, and other optional fields.

Are there limitations on the number of users I can provision at once?

Yes, Zoom typically has a limit on the number of users you can provision in a single CSV file. It's generally recommended to keep the file size manageable, often around 500-1000 users, to avoid errors or timeouts during the upload process.

How do I assign licenses to the users I bulk provision?

After bulk provisioning, you'll need to manually assign licenses to the users through the Zoom admin portal. Navigate to User Management > Users, select the newly provisioned users, and then choose the 'Assign License' option.

How to bulk provision users in Zoom

Bulk provisioning users in Zoom allows administrators to efficiently add multiple users to their Zoom account simultaneously. This is achieved by uploading a CSV file containing user information through the Zoom web portal. Follow these steps to streamline user account creation.

Prerequisites

Zoom account with administrator privileges.
A Business or Education Zoom account is recommended for optimal user management features.
A CSV file containing the required user information, such as email address, first name, last name, and license type (if applicable).
Ensure that the CSV file is properly formatted and saved with the .csv extension.

Prepare Your CSV File

Open a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers.
Create columns for the required user information. At a minimum, include columns for:
- email: The user’s email address (required).
- first_name: The user’s first name (optional, but recommended).
- last_name: The user’s last name (optional, but recommended).
- user_type: The user’s license type (e.g., Basic, Licensed, On-Prem). This column is crucial for assigning the correct license. If assigning a phone license, ensure the user_type is “Licensed.”
- phone_number: The user’s phone number (Optional, but recommended for phone users)
- department: The user’s department (Optional, for organizational purposes)
- job_title: The user’s job title (Optional, for organizational purposes)
- cost_center: The user’s cost center (Optional, for billing purposes)
Enter the information for each user you want to add.
Save the file as a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file. Choose the “CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv)” option if available to ensure compatibility with international characters.

Upload the CSV File to Zoom

Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an administrator.
Navigate to User Management > Users.
Click the Add button, then select Import.
In the Import Users dialog box, click Choose File.
Select your prepared CSV file and click Open.
Review the column mapping to ensure each column in your CSV file is correctly mapped to the corresponding Zoom user attribute. Zoom will attempt to automatically map the columns based on the column headers, but verify the mapping for accuracy.
Choose the import type to Add Users
Choose to Send Invitation Email or not. Sending an invitation email is best practice.
Click Import.
Zoom will process the CSV file and import the users. A progress bar will display the status of the import.

Verify User Import

After the import is complete, review the results. Zoom will display a summary of successful imports and any errors encountered.
Address any errors by correcting the corresponding entries in the CSV file and re-uploading the corrected file. Check for common errors like duplicate email addresses or invalid license types.
Navigate to User Management > Users to verify that the new users have been added to your Zoom account.

Assign Zoom Phone Licenses (If Applicable)

If you are provisioning Zoom Phone users, after importing, you may need to batch assign Zoom Phone licenses.
Navigate to Phone System Management > Users & Rooms.
Click Users Tab
Click Assign License
Select Users and Licenses to assign
Click Save

Common Issues

CSV file format errors: Ensure the CSV file is properly formatted with commas separating the values and that the file is saved with the correct .csv extension.
Duplicate email addresses: Each user must have a unique email address. Zoom will reject entries with duplicate email addresses.
Invalid license type: Verify that the user_type values in the CSV file match the available license types in your Zoom account (e.g., Basic, Licensed, On-Prem).
Character encoding issues: If you encounter issues with special characters, save the CSV file using UTF-8 encoding.
Import fails without error: Sometimes the CSV can fail to import if there are blank columns. Ensure that if you have headers, there is information in those columns for each row. If not, remove the header.