Where do Zoom recordings go? It might sound like an odd question, but it’s one you’ll need to answer if you’re recording your meetings regularly. Whether you’re capturing audio, video, and messaging content for compliance, training, or just business insights, you need to be able to track those assets.
Unfortunately, finding your Zoom recordings can be a little trickier than it seems. Zoom actually offers several ways to store meeting recordings, depending on the plan you have and your business policies.
Today, we’re going to officially answer the question, “Where do Zoom recordings go?” and ensure you know how to manage all of your files, both locally and in the cloud.
An Introduction to Zoom Meeting Recordings
While there are plenty of add-ons out there that can help you record and store meeting content from a range of different platforms compliantly, Zoom also has its native solution.
Zoom supports meeting recordings on every plan (even if you’re using the service for free). However, if you use the free service, you can only store recordings locally. Alternatively, if you’re using one of Zoom’s “Zoom One” plans, you’ll have more options.
Pro and Business account holders can store up to 5GB of meetings in the cloud. While Business Plus users get 10GB of cloud storage, and Enterprise customers get unlimited cloud storage. Whether you record sessions locally or use the cloud is up to you.
The good news is that recording your meeting couldn’t be easier either way. Zoom was designed to be easy to use, and when you start a session, you’ll only see a few buttons, one of which allows you to start recording a conversation immediately.
The issue is with actually finding your recordings once your meeting is over.
Where Do Zoom Recordings Go? The Basics
So, where do Zoom recordings go? The simple answer is that it depends on your plan and recording policy. Your recordings will either be in the cloud or on the meeting host’s computer.
With cloud recordings, you immediately upload your video and audio content to Zoom’s cloud services. You’ll find them located within your account on the Zoom platform. This is an excellent way to save some storage space. Plus, sending recordings to the cloud does make them a little easier to share with team members.
However, you need a paid subscription for Zoom to access this feature, and some of the cheaper plans don’t offer a lot of storage capacity.
Local recordings store your meeting information directly on the device used by the meeting host. This is your only option if you’re a free Zoom user, and it has some downsides. For instance, local recordings don’t support shared screen layouts or audio transcription. Plus, you can’t record directly from your mobile app.
With this strategy, you won’t have to pay for extra cloud storage. However, you’ll likely run out of hard drive space quickly.
Where Do Zoom Recordings Go? Finding Local Recordings
If you choose the local Zoom recording option, there are a few ways to find your assets. The easiest option is to use the Zoom desktop app. By default, Zoom will save your recordings in a “Documents” folder on the C Drive of your computer.
You can find your recordings directly by opening the Zoom app on your computer, clicking the “Meetings” button, and then selecting “Recorded.” Then, just open the recording you want. Zoom even lists the location of your file above the “view” button.
If you want to go directly to your recording without Zoom, you can search your computer files. Here’s how to find recordings on a Mac or Windows PC:
On a Mac
On a Mac device, your Zoom recordings are in the following file path: /Users/[Username]/Documents/Zoom. To find them, click the “Finder” button on the bottom left side of your screen, then:
- Click on “Documents” in the left menu.
- Select the “Search” option.
- Type “Zoom” into the search box.
- Click on the Zoom folder
All your recordings are listed here, organized by title and date.
On a Windows PC
On a Windows PC, you’ll find your recordings via the following file path: C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\Zoom. To track them down, click on the “Start” button in the bottom left of your screen, then:
- Click the “Documents” icon
- Use the search bar to type “Zoom”
- Click on the Zoom folder
- Select the recording you want
It’s as simple as that.
Where Do Zoom Recordings Go? Finding Cloud Recordings
If you save your Zoom recordings to the cloud, you can access them anytime, anywhere, provided you have your Zoom login details.
All you need to do is sign into your Zoom account on the website and click on the “My Account” tab in the navigation bar. Click on the “Recordings” tab, and you’ll see two options: “Local Recordings” and “Cloud Recordings”.
Select “Cloud Recordings,” and you’ll see a list of all the recordings saved to the cloud. You can sort through them using the meeting ID, date range, or title. Notably, you’ll only see the recordings you’ve saved to the cloud if you’re not an administrator.
If you are an admin and want to view all of the recordings for your client at once, log into your account and click “Account Management.”
From there, select “Recording Management”; you should see a list of all the available recordings. You should see a list of recordings, and you can share them directly with other users from there. Notably, Zoom recordings upload automatically to the meeting host’s account if you have the recording setting switched on.
This is true even when a participant or co-host starts a recording before the host arrives. This means users can still see the full recording if they arrive at a meeting late.
Finding Recordings on a Mobile Device
Finding your files is a little different if you’re recording meetings from your smartphone. Once again, you’ll need to make sure you’re the host of a meeting if you want to be able to access the recorded file.
Currently, local Zoom recording isn’t available on mobile devices. This means your content will automatically upload to the Zoom cloud. It also means you’ll need a paid plan for Zoom to record any meetings on your phone.
If you have the proper subscription, you can find your recordings on mobile by:
- Going to the Zoom.us website and logging into your account
- Clicking “Recordings” on the left menu bar
- Selecting “Cloud Recordings”.
How to Change the Location of Recordings
If the answers to “Where do Zoom recordings go?” above have you concerned about compliance or other factors, you can always make changes to your settings. First, you can set all of your Zoom meetings to start recording automatically, either locally or to the cloud.
Start by logging into your Zoom account and clicking on “Settings.” Next, click the “Recording” option. Scroll down to “Automatic Recording” and toggle it on. You can choose whether to record locally or send recordings to the cloud here.
If you don’t want to record every meeting in the same place automatically, you can use individual settings for each session. Go to the “Home” tab on the Zoom desktop app and click “Schedule.” Then click the arrow next to “Advanced Options”.
Check the box for “automatically record meeting, ” then choose from local or cloud recording.
If you’re hosting a meeting from a web-based account, you’ll follow a similar process. Click on “Schedule a Meeting” under the “Meetings” tab, then scroll to “Options”.
Click “Show,” then check the box to automatically record the meeting, and select your desired location.
You can also choose where recordings will go within a Zoom active meeting. When you click “Record,” Zoom will prompt you to decide where the recording will be stored. Plus, there’s an option to change the location of local recordings, too.
Go to the Zoom desktop app, click on your profile picture, then select “Settings” and “Recording.” You should see a box at the top of the screen that says “Store my recordings at:” followed by a file path. Click on that box and select “Choose a new location.”
Finding and Managing your Zoom Recordings
Hopefully, this guide has answered the question, “Where do Zoom recordings go?” for you once and for all. Now, all you need to do is decide on the right recording strategy for your business.
If you’re on a budget and you’re not restricted by any compliance guidelines, local recording might be the best option – after all, it is free. However, remember you won’t be able to access certain information in recordings, and you can’t record from your phone.
If you want more storage space in the cloud or you’re required to hold recordings in a specific space, the cloud-based recording option might be the best solution.
