Zoom was founded in 1983 in Tokyo, Japan. Zoom initially developed sound generator LSI, rhythm machines and MIDI synchronizer systems for other brands.

In 1989, the first Zoom branded product was unveiled: the 9002, an ultra-compact multi-effects processor designed to be attached to a guitar strap. This was followed by the rack-mountable 9010, which featured the world's first 4-In/4-Out individual signal processing. In 1992, the high-end 9200 came to market and soon became a fixture in studios everywhere.

The popular Zoom Player series of guitar effects was launched in 1994, along with the Zoom Studio series, which continue to be found in the racks of many musicians today.

The following year, the Zoom 500 series of footpedals was introduced, including the 506 bass pedal and the popular 505 guitar pedal, the best-selling multi-effects pedal ever.

In 2006 released the revolutionary H4 Handy Recorder. Small enough to be held in the palm of your hand, the battery-powered H4 offered an onboard X/Y stereo microphone, the ability to record up to four tracks of 96/24 audio directly to SD card in either WAV or MP3 format, built-in effects including a guitar tuner and metronome, and a USB port that allowed the H4 to be connected to a computer. A smaller Handy Recorder, the H2, was released in 2007, followed by the H4n in 2009.

In 2013, the third-generation H6 Handy Recorder was announced—a six-track recorder which offers a slew of advanced features, including a system of interchangeable microphone capsules which can be swapped out as easily as the lens of a camera.