How to Raise Your Hand in Zoom (2026)
Raising your hand in Zoom is the polite way to signal you want to speak without interrupting. It shows a hand icon on your tile and tells the host the order people raised them. Here’s how on every device.
Raise Your Hand on Desktop
- On the meeting toolbar, click Reactions (if the window is small, it’s under More / …).
- Click Raise Hand.
- A hand icon appears on your video tile and next to your name in Participants.
Keyboard shortcut: Alt + Y (Windows) or Option + Y (Mac) toggles your hand up and down.
Lower Your Hand
- Click Reactions > Lower Hand, or press the shortcut again (
Alt+Y/Option+Y). - The host or co-host can also lower your hand from the Participants list.
Raise Your Hand on Mobile
- Tap the screen to show controls.
- Tap More (the …).
- Tap Raise Hand.
- Tap Lower Hand in the same menu when you’re finished.
Raise Your Hand by Phone (Dial-In)
If you joined by calling in:
- Press *9 to raise (and lower) your hand.
- Press *6 to mute/unmute when you’re called on.
What the Host Sees
If you run meetings, raised hands help you manage the queue:
- Open Participants.
- People with raised hands rise to the top, in the order they raised them.
- Call on them, then click Lower Hand next to their name (or Lower All Hands at the bottom).
Troubleshooting
I don’t see “Raise Hand”
On webinars or some configurations it lives under Reactions or More (…). If it’s still missing, the host may have limited reactions — ask them, or use the Chat to signal instead.
My hand won’t lower
Click Reactions > Lower Hand, or press Alt+Y / Option+Y again. If the app is glitchy, leave and rejoin; raised-hand state resets on rejoin.
The host didn’t notice my hand
In large calls hosts watch the Participants panel, not every tile. Combine a raised hand with a quick note in Chat for important questions.
Phone shortcut isn’t working
Make sure you’re not on speaker with background noise triggering tones. Press *9 firmly; some carriers need a moment to register it.
Quick Reference
| Action | Desktop | Mobile | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raise hand | Reactions > Raise Hand | More > Raise Hand | *9 |
| Lower hand | Reactions > Lower Hand | More > Lower Hand | *9 |
| Shortcut | Alt+Y / Option+Y | — | — |
| Unmute when called | Click Unmute | Tap mic | *6 |
Related Zoom guides: How to turn off your camera on Zoom · How to pin someone in Zoom · How to change your name on Zoom · How to use breakout rooms in Zoom · How to share your screen on Zoom
Ready to automate your busywork?
Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.
See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
