Fixes / Zoom · Checked

Zoom error code 3113: what it means and how to fix it

Short answer

Zoom error code 3113 means "Neither passcode or Waiting Room are enabled." Most Zoom accounts can't save or start a meeting unless it has at least one of these turned on. To fix it, the host edits the meeting (Meetings > the meeting > Edit), ticks Passcode or Waiting Room under Security, and clicks Save.

What this message means

Zoom requires most meetings to be protected by a passcode, a Waiting Room, or both. This rule was added to stop uninvited people from joining meetings ('Zoombombing'). According to Zoom's support article, it applies to accounts with a single licensed user, Pro accounts with 2 or more licenses, and Business accounts with 10 to 100 licenses. If a meeting is scheduled, edited or started with both protections switched off, Zoom rejects it with error 3113. It is a settings problem, not a network or install problem. Only the host, or an admin if the setting is locked, can fix it. Participants cannot fix it on their end.

Common causes

CauseHow to tell
Passcode and Waiting Room were both unticked when the meeting was scheduled or editedWhen you open the meeting in the web portal (Meetings > meeting topic > Edit), both the Passcode and Waiting Room checkboxes under Security are empty.
Your Personal Meeting ID (Personal Room) has neither protection turned onThe error appears when you start an instant meeting or your Personal Room. Under Meetings > Personal Room > Edit, both Passcode and Waiting Room are off.
A calendar add-in, booking tool or integration created the meeting with both options turned offThe error only appears for meetings created through Outlook, Google Calendar, Calendly, an LMS or a custom API integration. Meetings you schedule directly in Zoom work fine.
Your default user settings turn both protections offEvery new meeting starts without a passcode or Waiting Room. In Settings > Meeting > Security, both "Waiting Room" and "Require a passcode when scheduling new meetings" are toggled off.
An admin has locked the settings at the account or group levelThe Passcode or Waiting Room toggle is greyed out and has a lock icon, so you can't change it yourself.

How to fix it

1. Turn on a passcode or Waiting Room for this meeting

  1. Sign in at zoom.us (the Zoom web portal) as the meeting host.
  2. Click Meetings, then click the meeting's topic.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Under Security, tick Passcode (and set one) or tick Waiting Room. One is enough.
  5. Click Save, then start or share the meeting again. If you use a passcode, send out the new invite link, which includes the passcode.

2. Fix it in the Zoom desktop app's scheduler

Zoom Workplace desktop app on Windows and macOS

  1. Open the Zoom app and click Schedule (or open the meeting from the Meetings tab and click Edit).
  2. Scroll down to the Security section.
  3. Tick Passcode or Waiting Room.
  4. Click Save.

3. Protect your Personal Meeting ID (Personal Room)

  1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
  2. Click Meetings, then open the Personal Room tab.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Under Security, tick Passcode or Waiting Room.
  5. Click Save. Instant meetings that use your PMI will now start without the error.

4. Change your default settings so new meetings are always protected

  1. In the Zoom web portal, click Settings, then open the Meeting tab.
  2. Under Security, turn on Waiting Room or "Require a passcode when scheduling new meetings".
  3. Click Turn on if Zoom asks you to confirm.
  4. If a calendar add-in or booking tool created the failing meeting, delete that meeting and create it again from the tool so it picks up the new defaults.

5. Fix meetings created by an integration or API

Developers and admins using the Zoom API or third-party schedulers

  1. In the create or update meeting request, send a passcode (the "password" field) or set settings.waiting_room to true.
  2. In third-party tools (booking apps, LMS plugins), look for a Zoom option called passcode, password or waiting room and turn it on.
  3. Reconnect or reauthorize the Zoom integration if the tool has no such option, then create the meeting again.

6. Ask your admin to unlock or enable the setting

Managed (company or school) Zoom accounts

  1. Check whether the Passcode or Waiting Room toggle in Settings > Meeting > Security is greyed out with a lock icon.
  2. If it is, send your Zoom admin a screenshot and the error code 3113.
  3. The admin enables Passcode or Waiting Room under Account Management > Account Settings > Meeting > Security (or User Management > Groups > group > Meeting for a single group), and can lock it on.

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Still not fixed?

If a passcode or Waiting Room is definitely turned on and you still see 3113, update the Zoom app (click your profile picture, then Check for Updates). Then delete the meeting and schedule it again from the web portal rather than through a calendar add-in. If it still fails, contact your Zoom account admin, or if you are the account owner, open a ticket with Zoom Support at support.zoom.com. Include the error code, the meeting ID, and how the meeting was created (web portal, desktop app, Outlook, Google Calendar or an API).

Questions people ask

Can a participant fix Zoom error 3113?

No. The error comes from the meeting's security settings, which only the host (or an account admin) can change. Tell the host so they can turn on a passcode or Waiting Room.

Can I turn off both the passcode and the Waiting Room?

For most account types, no. Zoom requires at least one of them. That covers single-license accounts, Pro accounts with 2 or more licenses, and Business accounts with 10 to 100 licenses. You can pick whichever one suits you and turn the other off.

Which should I use, passcode or Waiting Room?

A passcode lets invited people straight in, because the passcode is built into the invite link. That makes it the easier choice for recurring or unattended meetings. A Waiting Room makes you admit each person yourself, which gives you more control but means someone has to be there to let people in.

Why do only my Outlook or Calendly meetings get error 3113?

Those tools create the meeting through Zoom's API with their own settings, and some send the meeting with no passcode and no Waiting Room. Turn on the passcode or Waiting Room option in the tool, or turn one on in your Zoom default settings, then recreate the meeting.

Why is the Passcode or Waiting Room option greyed out?

An administrator has locked that setting at the account or group level. Only the admin can change it, so ask them to turn one of the two on for you.

Sources

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