How to record a Zoom meeting (local, cloud, mobile, and with AI notes from Circleback)
To record a Zoom meeting, the host clicks Record in the meeting toolbar and picks Record on this computer or Record to the cloud. Local files land in Documents/Zoom on your computer, and cloud recordings appear under Recordings & Transcripts in the Zoom web portal. If you want searchable notes and action items instead of a video you will never rewatch, we recommend Circleback, which records the call with a bot or without one and turns it into notes.
This guide covers every way to record: on your computer, to the cloud, on your phone, as a participant, and with AI notes.
How do I record a Zoom meeting on my computer?
Computer recording, also called local recording, is available to free and paid Zoom accounts. It needs the Zoom desktop app for Windows, macOS, or Linux. It does not work in the Zoom mobile app.
To record locally:
- Start or join the meeting in the Zoom desktop app as the host, or as a participant the host has allowed to record.
- Click Record in the meeting toolbar. If you also have cloud recording, choose Record on this computer.
- Stop the recording from the toolbar, or let it run until the meeting ends.
- When the meeting ends, Zoom converts the recording. The folder opens when conversion finishes.
The output is an MP4 video file, an M4A audio file, and a chat text file if chat was saved.
Where do Zoom recordings save on Mac and Windows?
By default, local recordings go to a Zoom folder inside Documents:
- Mac:
/Users/[Username]/Documents/Zoom - Windows:
C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\Zoom - Linux:
home/[Username]/Documents/Zoom
How do I change where Zoom saves recordings?
Open the Zoom desktop app, click your profile picture, then Settings. Go to the Recording tab and find Local recording storage. Under Storage location, click Open to see the folder or Change to pick a new one. Zoom recommends a folder on a local drive, not a cloud sync folder, an external drive, or a network drive.
How do I record a Zoom meeting to the cloud?
Cloud recording needs a paid Zoom account with a licensed user, and cloud recording turned on. It is on by default for paid subscribers. The host or a co-host starts it. A regular participant cannot start a cloud recording unless the host makes them co-host.
To record to the cloud:
- In the meeting toolbar, click More, then Record, then Record to the cloud.
- Stop the recording from the toolbar or end the meeting.
- Wait for processing. Zoom says it takes about twice the length of the recording, and sometimes up to 24 hours.
- Open the Zoom web portal and go to Recordings & Transcripts. The host also gets an email when the recording is ready, if notifications are on.
Cloud recordings stay in your Zoom account, so they do not take up space on your computer.
Local vs cloud recording in Zoom
| Question | Local recording | Cloud recording |
|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | Free and paid accounts | Paid accounts with a licensed user |
| Who can start it | Host, or a participant the host allows | Host or co-host |
| Devices | Desktop app on Windows, macOS, and Linux | Desktop app, plus the iPhone, iPad, and Android app |
| Where files go | Documents/Zoom on your computer | Recordings & Transcripts in the Zoom web portal |
| When it is ready | After conversion, when the meeting ends | After processing, about twice the meeting length |
| Sharing | You send or upload the file yourself | Kept in your Zoom account, opened from the portal |
How do I record a Zoom meeting if I'm not the host?
If you join someone else's meeting and do not have permission, Zoom gives you two buttons:
- Request to record to this computer. The host approves, and you record locally in the desktop app.
- Request host to record to the cloud. The host starts a cloud recording on their account.
The third way is to ask the host to make you a co-host, which lets you start a cloud recording yourself.
If you do not need Zoom's own file and want notes from the call, the Circleback desktop app records from your own computer without asking the host to change anything. You should still tell everyone on the call. It is covered in the section on recording with or without a bot below.
How do I record a Zoom meeting on my phone?
On an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone, Zoom supports cloud recording, not local recording. You need to be the host or a co-host on a paid, licensed Zoom account.
To record on mobile, tap More, then Record, then Start recording. The file goes to Recordings & Transcripts in the Zoom web portal after processing, the same as a cloud recording from the desktop app. On a free account there is no Record option on mobile.
Why is the Record button missing in Zoom?
Run through this checklist:
- You are not the host and have no permission. Ask the host to allow you to record, or use the request buttons above.
- Your admin turned recording off. Admins can turn off Record to computer files for the account, a group, or a single user in the web portal under Settings, then Recording. If the setting is grayed out, an admin locked it. Cloud recording also has to be enabled on the account.
- You are on mobile without a paid license. Mobile supports cloud recording, which needs a paid, licensed account.
- Your account has added HIPAA security. Some of these accounts have cloud recording disabled.
How to record a Zoom meeting with or without a bot
Zoom's recording gives you a video file. Circleback gives you the recording plus notes you can search and act on. There are two ways to set it up, and you can use both.
With a bot. Connect your calendar, and Circleback's bot joins your meetings that have a Zoom link automatically. You choose which meetings it joins in Settings, then Calendar, then Joining preferences, and you can turn it off for any single meeting. Nobody has to remember to click Record. The Zoom integration page shows how the bot works on Zoom calls.
Without a bot. The Circleback desktop app for macOS and Windows records the Zoom call from your computer, and no bot joins. It captures your microphone and your computer's audio, so it hears you and everyone else on the call. It saves an audio and video recording of the meeting automatically. Every plan includes the desktop app. The tradeoffs between the two methods are in bot vs desktop recording.
Either way, here is what you get after the meeting:
- A transcript with each line labeled by speaker.
- Notes that summarize the call, and action items with owners.
- Transcription in more than 100 languages.
- A recording synced to the transcript. Click any word in the transcript and the recording jumps to that moment.
- Notes that include what was on screen, read from the saved video.
- Search across past meetings, plus Ask Circleback, which answers questions about them and cites its sources.
- Automations that send notes and action items to Slack, Linear, Notion, and other tools.
Say a client call ends with a list of follow-ups. Instead of scrubbing through the video, you open the notes, see each follow-up with an owner, and click into the transcript where the client asked for it. Weeks later, you search the client's name and find every call where they came up.
Already recorded the meeting with Zoom? Import the MP4 or M4A file into Circleback from the New meeting menu. Circleback transcribes it and writes notes and action items the same way it does for a live meeting.
For how Circleback handles Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex side by side, read a reliable AI notetaker for Zoom, Meet, Teams and Webex.
FAQ
Is it legal to record a Zoom meeting, and do I need consent?
It depends on where you and the other participants are. Recording laws vary by country and state, and some places require consent from everyone on the call. The safe habit is to tell participants at the start that the meeting is being recorded. Zoom also shows a recording indicator to everyone in the meeting. This is not legal advice; read the guide to recording consent for AI meeting notes and check the rules that apply to you.
Can I record a Zoom meeting without the host knowing?
Not with Zoom itself. A participant needs the host's permission to record, and Zoom shows a recording indicator to everyone. The Circleback desktop app records from your own computer without adding a participant to the call, but that does not change your duty to tell people. Tell everyone the meeting is being recorded and follow the consent rules where you and they are.
How long are Zoom cloud recordings kept?
Zoom keeps cloud recordings until someone deletes them, unless the account admin sets an automatic deletion period. If a paid account is downgraded to free, its cloud recordings become inaccessible and are set to be deleted after 30 days unless the account resubscribes.
Where do Zoom recordings save on Mac and Windows?
Local recordings save to the Zoom folder inside Documents: /Users/[Username]/Documents/Zoom on a Mac and C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\Zoom on Windows. To find or change the folder, open the Zoom desktop app, click your profile picture, then Settings, Recording, and Local recording storage. Cloud recordings live under Recordings & Transcripts in the Zoom web portal.
Can I record a Zoom meeting for free?
Yes. Local recording works on free Zoom accounts in the desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Cloud recording needs a paid Zoom account. For notes, a transcript, and action items on top of the recording, the Circleback desktop app is included on every plan and records Zoom calls without a bot.