How to Change Hosts in Webex

Lee Stanton April 28, 2022

With many video conferencing programs, the person who starts the meeting is the host, and they can transfer this power to a participant. Webex is no different and also has similar functionality, where the host is allowed to change the roles of participants. This allows the new host to continue the meeting or record it if the original host has to leave the meeting.

As long as you’re the host, you have the power to transfer the role to another person. However, the participant has to have video enabled, as those who are only connected via audio can’t be hosts. Additionally, if you, as the host, disconnect for any reason, Webex will reassign the role to another person.

The order of hosting goes as follows:

Alternate host
Signed-in presenter
Attendee
Presenters who aren’t signed in
Attendees who aren’t signed in
Participants who dial in from a device

As long as there’s someone in the meeting, they have a chance of becoming the new host.

How To Changes Hosts in Webex on a Mac

On Mac, the steps are quite similar, as the developers made Webex’s operation the same across all computer operating systems. As such, while the window might look different, the steps are nearly identical. You should have no problem using the desktop app even across different operating systems.

This is how you’ll change hosts on Webex for Mac:

Launch Webex on your Mac.
Start a meeting, with you being the host.
Invite participants and wait for them to arrive.
Navigate to the “Participants” panel when you want to change hosts.
From the list, right-click the name of the participant to whom you want to transfer the host role.
Select “Change Role To.”
Select “Host.” The chosen participant will now be the host.

Just as on Linux, the new host has all the privileges any host has. The cycle can be continued should the new host have to leave as well.

How To Change Hosts in Webex on Windows 10

On the original platform for Webex, changing hosts is very easy. You can do it in just a few clicks and then transfer the role. The steps are the same as on Linux and Mac OS.

Here are the steps for changing hosts on Webex for Windows 10:

Launch Webex on your Windows 10 PC.
Start a meeting; by default, you’re the host.
Invite participants and wait for them to sign in.
Navigate to the “Participants” panel when you want to change hosts.
From the list, right-click the name of the person you want to make the host.
Select “Change Role To.”
Select “Host.” The chosen participant will now be the host.

How To Change Hosts in Webex on Android

On Android, the process is different, but the idea is similar to what it is on computers. You’ll have to be the initial host yourself and then transfer the role to another person.

This is how you would make someone else the host on Android:

On your Android phone, launch the Webex app.
Start a meeting.
Invite and wait for the participants to arrive.
Select “Participants,” which is represented by a human-shaped icon.
Select the name of the person you want to make the host.
Select “Make Host.” The person will now have the role of host.

Now, let’s take a look at the steps for iPhone.

How To Change Hosts in Webex on the iPhone

Follow the same steps on your iPhone as you would on Android. There’s no difference between the two operating systems.

On your iPhone, launch the Webex app.
Start a meeting.
Invite and wait for the participants to arrive.
Select “Participants” – the human-shaped icon.
Select the name of the person you want to make a host.
Select “Make Host.” The person will now have the role of host.

How to Add Alternative Hosts in Webex

Alternative hosts have to be members of your Webex site or have their own host licenses if you want to make them an alternative host. Alternatively, you can still promote other participants to the role of co-host, but this can only be done when the meeting starts.

Mac

These are the steps for making someone a co-host on Webex for Mac:

Launch Webex on your Mac.
Start a meeting.
Invite some participants.
When the meeting starts, go to the “Participants” panel.
From the list of participants, right-click the name of the person to which you want to transfer the host role.
Select “Change Role To.”
Select “Make Cohost.” The participant will receive the co-host role.

You can also make someone a co-host beforehand, but they need to be members of your Webex site or have host licenses.

Launch Webex.
Sign in with your account.
Select “Schedule A Meeting.”
In the “Invitees” field, add the attendees with their names separated by commas or semicolons.
Select the human-shaped icon.
Designate an attendee to be co-host.

Windows 10

On a Windows 10 PC, you only need to follow the instructions below to make a participant a co-host during a meeting. They don’t have to be a member of your site or have a host license if you use this method.

Launch Webex on your Windows 10 PC.
Start a meeting.
Invite participants.
When the meeting starts, go to the “Participants” panel.
From the list of participants, right-click the name of the participant to whom you want to transfer the host role.
Select “Change Role To.”
Select “Make Cohost.” The participant will become co-host.

If the participant you want to make co-host is a member of your Webex site or has a host license, you can use this method to make them co-host before the meeting starts.

Launch Webex.
Sign in with your account.
Select “Schedule A Meeting.”
In the “Invitees” field, add the attendees with their names separated by commas or semicolons.
Select the human-shaped icon.
Designate an attendee to be co-host.

Android

If you want to make someone a co-host on your Android phone, follow these steps:

On your Android phone, launch the Webex app.
Start a meeting.
Invite and wait for the participants to arrive.
Select “Participants,” represented by a human-shaped icon.
Select the name of the person you want to make a host.
Select “Make Cohost.” The person will now have the role of host.

iPhone

The same steps on Android also work with Webex for iPhone.

On your iPhone, launch the Webex app.
Start a meeting.
Invite and wait for the participants to arrive.
Select “Participants,” represented by a human-shaped icon.
Select the name of the person you want to make a host.
Select “Make Cohost.” The person will now have the role of host.

How to Change Roles in Webex?

On all platforms, you can go to the Participants tab and select any attendee. By tapping or right-clicking their names, you can change their roles.

OK, You’re Now Host

Now that you know how to change hosts in Webex on all platforms, you can manage the meeting more efficiently. Having a co-host can also work wonders, especially if you need to leave the meeting. You can assign the role to anyone in the meeting you wish.

Do you like using the role assigning system in Webex? Are there some new roles you would like to see? Let us know in the comments section below.