Create a Zoom account without a phone number in 2026

Yes. Zoom's own getting started guide signs you up with an email address, a code sent to that email, your name and a password. No phone number is part of it. Zoom may show a prompt to add one, but its help center says you "can choose to skip or not be asked again."

Short answer: you can create a Zoom account with only an email address. Go to Zoom's sign up page, enter your birth year and email, type in the code Zoom emails you, then add your name and a password. If Zoom asks for a phone number for sign-in, skip it. And if you only need to join someone else's meeting, you don't need an account at all.

Everything below comes from Zoom's Support site, checked on November 4, 2026.

What Zoom asks for when you sign up

Zoom's getting started guide for new users lists these steps for a free account:

Step	What Zoom asks for	Phone needed?
1	Your birth year, to verify your age	No
2	Your email address	No
3	The verification code Zoom emails you from no-reply@zoom.us	No
4	Your full name and a password	No
Sometimes	A phone number "for sign-in purposes"	No, it can be skipped

When those steps are done, Zoom says, "Your Basic account will be created." That's the free plan.

The same sign-up is offered in Zoom's apps. Zoom's guides for the desktop app and the mobile app say that on first launch you get three choices: Sign in, Join a meeting, or Sign up "to create a free Basic account."

How to create a Zoom account with just an email

Go to zoom.us/signup in a browser, or open the Zoom Workplace app and choose Sign up.
Enter your birth year. Zoom uses it to verify your age.
Enter your email address and click Continue. Use an inbox you'll keep, because this address is how you sign in and get codes later.
Open the email from no-reply@zoom.us and copy the verification code. Enter it and click Verify.
Enter your full name and a password, then click Continue.
If a screen asks you to add a phone number for sign-in, skip it. Zoom's own article on this prompt is clear that it's optional. More on that next.

Your account is ready. You can sign in on the web at zoom.us/signin, and edit your details under Profile in the web portal.

The phone prompt Zoom may show, and how to skip it

Zoom's article on signing in with a phone number explains the screen people ask about: "You may be prompted to add your phone number for sign-in purposes when signing in to your Zoom account or when signing up for a new Zoom account. If you do not want to add your phone number for signing in, you can choose to skip or not be asked again."

A few details from the same page tell you who sees it:

It's for US numbers. The requirements list "A US phone number."
It doesn't apply to some sign-in methods. "If you sign in with Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, or SSO, you cannot add a phone number for signing in."
One number, one user. A number already used for sign-in on another Zoom account can't be used again, and Zoom Phone numbers aren't accepted.

Zoom's article doesn't describe any feature you lose by skipping it. You keep signing in with your email and password.

Why Zoom asks for a number at all

Zoom gives two reasons on that page. The number is "only used for sign in and account recovery purposes," so you can sign in with an SMS code instead of a password. And it "will also simplify your Zoom Support experience": when you call Zoom Support, you can authenticate with your sign-in number and the call is linked to your account and past tickets.

Zoom also says the sign-in number won't appear on your contact card. It's separate from the phone field in your profile, which is where the confusion usually starts.

Zoom has three different phone fields

Zoom's page on your account profile shows that a phone number can end up in three places, each with a different job:

Field	Where it lives	What it does	On your profile card?
Sign-In Phone Number	Profile, Sign In section	Lets you sign in and recover the account by SMS	No, Zoom says
Phone (up to three numbers)	Profile, Personal information	Your contact numbers, each verified when added	Yes, on your profile card
Two-step verification phone	Profile, Sign In section	Receives sign-in codes by text or call	Not stated

All three are optional for a personal account. If you've added a number and wonder why someone could see it, check the Personal information section. Zoom says those numbers "will appear on your profile card," and labels like Mobile or Home are visible too.

How to remove a phone number from Zoom

For the sign-in number, Zoom's steps are:

Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
Click your profile picture or initials, then Profile.
In the Sign In section, click Remove next to Sign-In Phone Number, review the details and click Remove.
Confirm it's you with your password, or choose Try another way and get a code by email.

Read the warning first. Zoom says that once it's removed "you won't be able to use it to sign in or recover your account," and you'll be signed out of every session. Zoom also lets you change the sign-in number only twice a year, and "if you've already changed your phone number twice this year and choose to remove it, you'll need to wait one year to add a new one."

Contact numbers in the Personal information section are edited in the same Profile page.

Securing a Zoom account without SMS

You don't need a phone number to protect the account, either. Zoom's article on two-step verification says the second step can come "from a mobile app, phone call, or text message." To use an authenticator app:

In the web portal, open Profile.
Under Sign In, find Two-Step Verification and click Set Up next to Authentication App.
Enter your password, scan the QR code with any app that supports time-based codes, and enter the 6-digit code.
Download or print the recovery codes Zoom shows you. "Each recovery code can only be used once," and they're your way in if you lose the device.

Even with two-step verification off, Zoom has a check of its own that uses email, not a phone. Its article says users with an email and password login "are required to enter a time-based one-time password (OTP) sent to their email if Zoom detects an unusual login from a different country or device than normal." You can also turn that one-time passcode setting on or off yourself under Profile, then Sign In. That makes the email address on the account the thing to keep working.

Do you need an account at all?

Maybe not. Zoom's page on joining a meeting without an account says: "You do not need a Zoom account to join meetings as a participant." You click the host's link, or enter the meeting ID at zoom.us/join, type a display name and join as a guest. If the host has turned on the browser option, you can join without installing anything.

There's one catch Zoom notes: if the host has set up authentication profiles, "all participants must be signed in to a Zoom account to access the meeting." You need your own account to host meetings. How Zoom handles your data once you're in is covered in is Zoom private.

Start with an email that needs no phone either

Since Zoom sends its codes to your email, that address does the work a phone number would. Gmail and Outlook can ask for a phone during their own sign-up; we cover what each does in creating a Gmail without a phone number and creating an Outlook account without a phone number, and our email without a phone number page compares the big providers.

Secria Mail's sign-up is a name, the address you want and a password, with no phone number and no card. You save a 12-word recovery phrase at sign-up, so getting back in doesn't depend on a number. The free plan has 1 GB and 2 email aliases, so you can give Zoom an alias and keep your main address private. You can create a free account here.

FAQ

Can I create a Zoom account without a phone number? Yes. Zoom's sign-up asks for your birth year, an email address, a code sent to that email, your name and a password. A phone prompt may appear, and Zoom says you can skip it.

Can I use Zoom without a phone number? Yes. You can join meetings as a guest with no account, and an account made with just an email lets you host your own. Zoom's unusual-login check sends its code to your email.

Why is Zoom asking me to add my phone number? It's offering a sign-in number, which Zoom says is used "only for sign in and account recovery purposes" and to link your calls to Zoom Support. It applies to US numbers and can be skipped.

Can I set up two-step verification in Zoom without a phone number? Yes. Choose Authentication App in your Profile's Sign In section and use any app that makes time-based codes. Keep the recovery codes Zoom gives you.

Can I remove my phone number from Zoom? Yes. In Profile, under Sign In, click Remove next to Sign-In Phone Number and confirm with your password or an email code. You can't use the number to sign in or recover the account afterwards.