How to Record a Zoom Meeting
Start, pause, and stop a Zoom recording, choose between saving to your computer or the cloud, and find the MP4 file after the meeting ends.
You want a copy of a meeting to review later or share with people who missed it. Zoom records the video, audio, and any shared screen, and saves a video file once the meeting ends.
Start the recording
In the meeting toolbar, click Record. If it is not visible, click More and choose Record. Shortcut: Alt + R (Mac: Cmd + Shift + R). Free accounts start recording right away. Paid accounts show two options:
- Record on this Computer saves the file to your hard drive.
- Record to the Cloud saves to your Zoom account, where it can be shared by link and includes a transcript on most plans.
A Recording indicator appears in the top left of the window, and every participant sees a notice that recording has started.
Pause or stop
Click the Pause button next to the indicator to skip part of the meeting, then Resume when ready. Click Stop to end the recording without leaving the meeting. Shortcut: Alt + P (Mac: Cmd + Shift + P) pauses and resumes. Ending the meeting for everyone also stops the recording.
Let the file convert
For local recordings, a window titled "Converting meeting recording" appears with a progress bar when the meeting ends. Do not close it or shut down the computer until it finishes. A long meeting can take several minutes.
Find the file
Local recordings go to Documents, Zoom, in a folder named with the date, time, and meeting topic. The video is the .mp4 file; there is also a separate .m4a audio-only file. To change the folder, open Settings (gear icon), Recording, and click Change next to the storage location.
Cloud recordings appear at zoom.us under Recordings after processing, which can take a while for long meetings. Zoom emails you when they are ready.
Who can record. Only the host can record by default. A participant who wants to record must ask the host to click their name in Participants and choose Allow to Record, or be made a co-host. If the Record button is missing from your toolbar, this is why.
On a phone. The Zoom mobile app can only record to the cloud, so it needs a paid account. Tap More, then Record to the Cloud. Local recording is desktop only.