In a perfect world, it would only take one Zoom meeting to get your entire team in the loop and into action. However, the reality is that team members aren't always free to attend. Even when they do, they may forget the details, daze off, or doze off.If you don't want your Zoom meetings to turn into one big “expectations vs. reality” meme, recording them is the right way to go. But before you start capturing every second, you might wonder: Where do Zoom recordings go once all is said and done?Read along to learn where you can find your meeting recordings by default and how you can customize your file path.
Where do Zoom recordings go?
There's no need to organize a virtual search party to find your Zoom recordings. Your files are nothing like the end of the rainbow — they're easy to access and definitely exist. Every meeting is saved locally on your computer or on the cloud. Here's what you need to know about what happens to your video recordings by default.
Local recordings
When you use your computer every single work day, saving your files on it can make life a whole lot easier. If you have a free Zoom account, Zoom will automatically store all your meeting recording files on your computer — and this is an option for paying users, too!As soon as you enable the video conferencing service to create a default recording location, it'll create a Zoom folder on your computer. No matter what operating system you use — Windows, Mac, or Linux — this Zoom folder will be tucked within your Documents folder. Here's what the file paths look like for each operating system:
- Mac: /Users/[Username]/Documents/Zoom
- Windows: C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\Zoom
- Linux: home/[Username]/Documents/Zoom
Each time you stop recording, you'll be able to access a .mp4 file with the full Zoom recording. And if you don't want to sit and stare at your coworkers all meeting long, you can also pull up a .m4a file (audio version) of the recording, too.Using the Zoom desktop client? No need to manually hop over to your computer's Zoom folder. You can also follow these easy steps to speed up your search:
- Select the "Meetings" tab.
- Tap "Recorded," then tap on the meeting you want to watch or listen to.
- Select "Open" to open the recording folder on your desktop, or tap "Play Video" or "Play Audio" to instantly play the meeting with your computer's media player.
Zoom cloud recordings
Paying for a Zoom account naturally has its perks. Pro, Business, and Enterprise users have the option to record to the cloud — rather than taking up precious file space — each time they tap the record button. You can also automate cloud recording to ensure your video files are always saved to the web.So where do Zoom recordings go once they're saved to the web portal? Well, there are two simple ways to access them.First, you can wait for Zoom to send you an email — which will hit your inbox as soon as your recording is fully saved on the cloud — and tap on the link to view it.Or, you can follow these three steps:
- Log into the Zoom web portal from zoom.us/signin.
- If you're an admin, tap "Account Management," then select "Recording Management." If you're a standard user, simply head to the recordings tab. This will pull up a list of your meetings.
- If desired, filter your meetings by status or date range — or search for a specific recording by fields like meeting ID, host, or topic — to access the Zoom recording you want.
From the web portal, you can simply view your recording or choose to play audio only. Accessing your cloud recordings is no pain, all gain — just the way we like it.
How to customize your local recording file path
Just because your Zoom meeting recordings go somewhere doesn't mean they're going where you want them to be. Luckily, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to reroute your files. Cloud recordings will always go to the same place — the web, where it's convenient and easily shareable with your team — but local recordings can be saved anywhere on your desktop.To adjust your settings for your recordings, make sure you're signed in on the Zoom desktop platform, rather than the Android or iOS Zoom app. Then, follow these steps:
- Tap your profile picture.
- Click "Settings."
- Click "Recording."
- Next to "Local Recording," tap "Change" to update your recording location.
Just like that, you'll have a custom file path for all your Zoom recordings!
How to share your Zoom recordings
https://giphy.com/gifs/americangrit-john-cena-fox-tv-l1J3vV5lCmv8qx16MYou've found your meetings — great! The next step is helping your team members find them too. While finding Zoom recordings is easy using the steps above, you can keep things even simpler for your team by sending relevant Zoom meetings directly their way.For cloud recordings, you can simply share the link you receive in your email. Or, from your Zoom web portal, you can head back to the "Recording Management" section, which is the same section you initially used to access your meeting files. When you find the recording file you want to share, tap "Share" to grab a link you can send to your team members.To share local recordings, you'll need to use a third-party platform like Google Drive or Dropbox. Upload your video or audio file to your desired file-sharing platform, then send the recording to your team members from there.You can also use video platforms like YouTube or Vimeo to host your recording. However, you'll need to pay attention to your privacy settings before you upload. Spilling your business secrets gets a no from us.If you'd prefer to upload your cloud recordings to a third-party platform before sharing, you have the option to do so, too. All you need to do is download the file from the "Recording Management" section instead of sharing it — but keep in mind that only standard users have this option. Admins will only be able to share recordings using the link.
Improve your meeting recaps with Anchor AI
Whether you're running a board meeting or hosting a webinar, Zoom recordings can help you keep your team members on the same page — even if they couldn't attend the meeting in the first place. So where do Zoom recordings go? You can store them on your computer with a customizable file path or you can store them on the cloud.Hot tip: You don't have to limit yourself and your team to just listening to Zoom recordings. Automated meeting notes enable your team to quickly catch up on what was said, without having to listen to the entire meeting.Let Anchor AI do the work for you to create automated meeting notes you can share with your teams. Each time you record a meeting with our product, you'll get a time-stamped transcription complete with action items, keywords, and more helpful notes. This way, your Zoom meeting note taking can be a completely hands-off experience.Sign up for Anchor AI and make your Zoom recordings actionable!