How to Record a Zoom Meeting

Keep track of your past Zoom meetings.
Ash Ash (362)
5 minutes

A simple way to keep track of your past Zoom meetings is to record them. Zoom has integrated recording features, although the host of the meeting will need to grant permission to do so. I'll also show you a workaround if you don't have permission.

Let's get started!

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Zoom Recording Permission

After setting up the Zoom meeting, the host needs to allow recording access for attendees. If you are the host of the meeting, recording is enabled by default. You can use these steps to allow users to record.

  1. Log in to your Zoom account on the Zoom website.
  2. Choose My Account.
  3. Select Recordings from the left-hand menu.
  4. There are two tabs on this screen, one for local recordings and another for cloud recordings. Local recordings are stored on your machine and cloud recordings on the cloud. Choose Settings on the one you want to edit.
  5. On this screen, you can grant recording permissions. There are additional features you can adjust here like automatic screen recording and recording consent notifications.
Zoom Recording Location

There are two places you can store your recordings:

  1. Store recordings in the cloud (paid subscribers only)
  2. Store recordings locally (free and paid subscribers)

Store Zoom recordings in the cloud

This option is for paid Zoom users only.

  1. Cloud recording must be enabled to work. Go to Account Management > Account Settings > Recording. Set Cloud Recording to enabled.
  2. Access the meeting you want to record. Only hosts and co-hosts can initiate cloud recording.
  3. Click Record to the Cloud using the Recording icon at the bottom of the meeting window.

Store Zoom recordings locally

If you're saving the recording to your machine locally, you may want to choose a specific location for the files.

  1. Launch Zoom.
  2. Open the Settings screen.
  3. Choose the Recording selection from the left-hand menu.
  4. Use the drop-down menu on the Local Recordings tab to choose a specific folder.
Zoom Record Desktop

You can record from your desktop using either the Zoom application or web interface.

  1. Open Zoom and join the meeting you want to record.
  2. Tap the Record button located at the bottom of the window. You'll know the recording is active if you see Recording… in the top-left.
  3. You can use the pause button to temporarily stop recording. The stop button will end the recording and save it to a file.

Mobile recording is an option for paid subscribers. These recordings are stored remotely in the cloud.

  1. Launch the Zoom app on your mobile device.
  2. Open the menu in the bottom-right with three dots.
  3. Android users can select the Record option to start recording. iOS users will see the option to Record to the Cloud.
  4. Use the recording icon in the top-right to pause or stop recording the meeting.

If you don’t have permission from the host of the meeting, you can still record it with a third-party application.

macOS: Quicktime

  1. Launch QuickTime.
  2. Go to File > New Screen Recording.
  3. Use the drop-down arrow to adjust the recording settings. Be sure to include sound!
  4. Press record, and choose whether to record the whole screen or drag and drop a window to select a portion.

Windows: Capture

  1. Open the Start Menu and search for Captures Settings.
  2. Under Captures, choose a location to save the recording.
  3. This screen refers to games but the settings apply to applications. Make sure recorded audio is enabled. You can also set the quality and FPS settings for the recorded video.
  4. To start recording, press Windows Key + G and click the record button.

You may also want to check out our guide on how to add a custom background in Zoom.

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