Want to learn how to launch a Webex test meeting, configure your settings, and improve your conferencing experience? We’ve got you covered.

The Cisco Webex Meetings platform is a powerful and intuitive conferencing solution ideal for keeping teams connected, training staff members, and hosting brainstorming sessions. You can even use it to host meetings with the Apple Vision Pro!

While Webex Meetings is an extremely intuitive conferencing platform, it can still take a little getting used to, particularly if you’re more familiar with tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

If you’re using Webex for the first time for an important meeting or customer call, launching a test meeting is a great way to get used to the app. Plus, it can help you detect pesky video or audio issues before your meeting begins.

Here’s how to launch your own test meeting and configure your settings.

How to Run a Webex Test Meeting

The good news is that running a Webex test meeting is pretty simple. It’s similar to hosting a test call on Microsoft Teams to ensure all your settings are working properly. First, I’d recommend setting up an account – you can sign up for free here. Alternatively, you can choose from one of the Webex paid plans to access more features, like the Webex AI assistant.

Notably, the free plan limits your meetings to 40 minutes and allows only up to 100 attendees, but you still get screen sharing, unlimited whiteboarding, and local meeting recordings.

Once you have your account, visit the Webex Test Meeting website, then enter your name and email address. If it’s your first time using the service, you’ll be prompted to download the Webex app. Click on the installer file to download Webex Meetings.

You don’t have to download the app to join the meeting, but it will give you access to more features you can configure. If you want to join from a browser instead, simply confirm that you want to “Open Cisco Webex Meeting” when your browser displays a notification.

Choosing your Settings with Webex Meetings

Next, you must tell Webex how you want to hear people in your meeting. This only makes sense if you invite someone else to the call, but it’s still worth experimenting with the settings if you’re new to the platform. Webex allows you to choose between a few options.

You can use your computer audio (such as your speakers or a connected headset). You can also choose the “call me” option to have the system call your number so you can listen to the meeting through your smartphone. If you prefer to use your phone as your microphone too, you can use the “Call in” meeting to “dial into” the conversation.

Alternatively, you can completely turn your microphone off. This could be a good option if you want to attend a meeting in a room with a bunch of other employees using a shared microphone.

Aside from adjusting your audio settings, you can also:

  • Click Mute to mute your microphone when you join the meeting. You’ll see a button allowing you to Unmute the microphone whenever you want to speak.
  • You can turn your camera on or off when you start a meeting. You can also click Start Video or Stop Video at any point during the meeting. If you click the arrow button next to this option, you can choose a virtual background for your meeting.

Once you’re ready to launch the meeting, click Join Meeting and click OK if a message tells you there’s no “host”.

Test your Microphone, Speaker, and Camera Settings

Once you join your Webex test meeting, you’ll see a welcome screen, your camera feed (if you enabled your camera), and your participant list on the right-hand side of the screen. You’ll also see a menu at the top of the page, where you can experiment with different features.

If you’re new to Webex Meetings, the first thing I recommend is checking your camera, speaker, and microphone settings. Click Audio at the top of the page, then scroll to “Speaker, Microphone, and Camera.”

This will launch a screen where you can test all of your devices. For the Speaker, you can make sure the sound is set to play through the right speakers and select Test to hear a chime. With the Microphone, you can select the microphone you want to use and speak into it. A meter will show you that the app has recognized your voice.

For your camera, you can select your camera source and view a real-time preview of your video stream. If you notice any problems, try adjusting your settings. Consider switching to a different camera if you see a black screen or checking that the camera isn’t covered.

If the app doesn’t seem to be hearing you properly, check that your microphone is working. If you aren’t hearing the test chime from your speakers, adjust your volume.

Experiment in Your Webex Test Meeting

Aside from ensuring all of your devices (and the app itself) are working properly, you can also experiment with other features in a test meeting. For instance, you can click on the participants to see how you’ll be presented in a meeting. You can also:

  • Click the Chat bubble to launch the Webex Chat feature
  • Click the Share button to share your screen in the meeting (you can choose whether to optimize for text and images or motion and video).
  • Choose the More button (…), to upload files from your desktop into the meeting.
  • Tap the “CC” button to toggle closed captions on or off.
  • Press the Raise Hand button, or Reactions button to experiment with the engagement features in Cisco Webex Meetings.
  • Switch between the browser app and the desktop app.

At the top of the Meeting page, you can also click Layout to adjust the appearance of your meeting and determine how video streams should be shown on the screen.

Host your Own Webex Test Meeting

Hosting a Webex Test Meeting is an excellent way to prepare for an upcoming meeting if you’re not used to the platform. It ensures you can set up all your devices and configure the app based on your specific needs before a real-life conversation begins.

Keep in mind, though, even if everything runs smoothly in your test meeting, you might encounter an occasional technical issue when you’re launching real meetings with Webex. Like Microsoft Teams, Webex occasionally suffers from a few bugs.

Before you start troubleshooting, I recommend checking out the Webex Service Status page, to make sure there aren’t any global issues with the service.

FAQs

How do you do a test meeting on Webex?

Whether you have an account with Webex or not, you can run a test meeting on the platform by visiting the Test Meeting link, and entering your name and email address. You will be prompted to download the desktop app, but you can also host a meeting on your browser.

How to practice using Webex?

If you’re new to Webex, you can practice using various services. You can host a test meeting to prepare for upcoming meetings, and even launch practice events. In the Event window on Webex, simply select Event then “Start Practice Session”.

How do I use Webex for the first time?

You can experiment with Webex meetings without an account by visiting their Test Meeting website page. However, if you want the complete experience, I’d recommend signing up for an account, and downloading the desktop app, for full access to all of Webex’s features.

 



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