How to copy text from the chat window in the Zoom meetings desktop client?

Question

Until recently, it was trivial to copy text in the chat window in Zoom meetings within the Zoom desktop application: you simply selected the desired text and used the standard keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+C in Windows) to copy the text.

Suddenly, this basic essential functionality is not working (using Zoom meeting desktop client v5.6.5 in Windows 7). The Zoom chat window still has a "Select All" function in the context menu, but there is no "Copy" function, and pressing Ctrl+C has no effect.

How can one now copy the selected text from the chat window in a Zoom meeting chat?

Solution 1

As music2myear already pointed out, the meeting host can disable this function. There is a workaround, but it only works when you are connected via browser: per default the selection and copy of text is disabled in the browser as well if the host has disabled it, but you can use a JavaScript Bookmarklet like this one to allow text selection and copying of said text. Note that this is probably not intended by Zoom so maybe there are any legal issues with this. Nevertheless it works.

Solution 2

It is a specific function of the Zoom client that the Zoom meeting administrator can apply that prevent saving meeting chat, or copying text from the meeting chat.

If the meeting administrator has chosen to prevent you from saving or copying the chat, then you cannot (or, at least, should not).