How to record a Zoom meeting

Local or cloud: which Zoom recording do you have?

Zoom has two built-in ways to record. Which one you can use depends on your plan and your device. This guide was checked against Zoom's support site in October 2026; Zoom renames buttons from time to time, so if a label looks different, look for the closest match.

How to record a Zoom meeting to your computer

Local recording is the option most people want: it's free, there are no storage limits beyond your own disk, and the file is yours. First make sure it is switched on.

Turn on local recording (one time)

1. Sign in at zoom.us in your browser.
2. Open Settings, then the Recording tab.
3. Switch on Record to computer files. If the toggle is greyed out, your company's Zoom admin has locked it and you'll need to ask them.

Start the recording

1. Start the meeting from the Zoom desktop app (not the browser) as the host.
2. Click Record in the meeting toolbar. If you don't see it, it may be under More.
3. If a menu appears, choose Record on this Computer. A recording label appears at the top left for everyone.
4. Use the recording controls to pause or stop whenever you need to.
5. End the meeting and wait. Zoom converts the recording, then opens the folder with the finished files.

Don't shut down, restart or close the laptop lid while Zoom is converting. Zoom warns that interrupting the conversion can corrupt the files.

How to record a Zoom meeting to the cloud

Cloud recording needs a licensed user on a paid plan (Pro, Business or Enterprise) with cloud recording enabled. It's the only way to record from the Zoom phone apps, and it's handy because the file is ready to share without uploading anything.

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop app and start or join the meeting as host or co-host.
2. In the meeting toolbar, click More, then Record.
3. Choose Record to the cloud.
4. Stop the recording or end the meeting. Zoom processes the file, and it appears in your recordings once it's ready.

Cloud recordings count against your plan's cloud storage, so long or frequent meetings can fill it up. If an admin has enabled it, Zoom can also create an audio transcript of the cloud recording.

Where do Zoom recordings go?

• Local recordings on Windows: C:\Users\<you>\Documents\Zoom
• Local recordings on a Mac: /Users/<you>/Documents/Zoom
• Inside that folder: one subfolder per meeting, named with the date and meeting name, holding a video file (.mp4) and an audio-only file (.m4a).
• Cloud recordings: the Recordings & Transcripts page of the Zoom web portal, and in Zoom's desktop app. You can stream or download them from there.

To change where local recordings go, open the Zoom app, click your profile picture, then Settings > Recording and change the location. Zoom recommends a folder on your own drive rather than a cloud-synced, external or network folder.

How to record a Zoom meeting when you're not the host

By default, Zoom only lets the host record. If you're a participant, the Record button either asks the host for permission or tells you recording isn't allowed. You have three honest options.

1. Ask the host for permission

Click Record and Zoom sends the host a request. The host can also grant it directly: in the Participants list, they click More next to your name and choose Allow Record. Once allowed, you record to your own computer as above. Making you a co-host also works for cloud recording.

2. Ask the host to record and share it

Often simplest of all, especially for webinars and company all-hands. The host can share a cloud recording link afterwards.

3. Record your own computer's audio

Zoom's permission system only controls Zoom's built-in recorder. Anything that plays through your computer can be captured by a recorder running on that computer, such as OBS, Audacity or a meeting recorder like Hark. See how to record computer audio for the options on each system.

How to record Zoom meetings with Hark

Hark is a free desktop app that records meetings on your own computer. It doesn't plug into Zoom at all: it records your microphone and the sound your computer plays, so it works the same in Zoom, Teams, Google Meet or anything else, whether or not you're the host. No bot joins the meeting, so nobody sees a "notetaker has joined" participant. That's also why you should tell people you're recording.

1. Download Hark for Windows, Mac or Linux and sign in with a free account (an emailed code, no card).
2. The first time you record, Hark downloads its speech models (about 730 MB). After that, transcription works offline.
3. Start recording in Hark, then join your Zoom call as usual.
4. Watch the live transcript while you talk, and type your own notes alongside it.
5. Stop recording when the call ends. Hark makes a more accurate transcript and works out who spoke by their voice.
6. Listen to a short clip of each voice and name it once. Hark recognises that person in future meetings.

What Hark records on each system

• Windows and Linux: both sides of the call. Your microphone and the computer's audio (everyone else) are recorded as separate tracks, then mixed.
• Mac: your microphone only. Hark can't capture a Mac's computer audio yet, so other people are only recorded if their voices play out of your speakers into the mic. On a Mac, Zoom's own local recording plus Hark's import (below) is often the better route.

Already recorded in Zoom? Import it

Drag the .m4a or .mp4 from your Documents/Zoom folder into Hark (or use File > Import). Hark transcribes it on your computer and labels the speakers, just like a meeting it recorded itself. More on that in how to transcribe a Zoom meeting.

What's free and what isn't

Recording, transcription, speaker recognition, editing, your own notes and export are free forever with no usage limits, because they run on your computer. AI meeting notes written by Claude, automatic titles and sync between computers come with a $12/month subscription, and new accounts get a 2-day preview. Transcription is English only. When you use the AI features, the transcript text (not the audio) is sent to Claude; free use sends nothing anywhere.

Zoom recording problems and fixes

• No Record button: look under More in the toolbar. If it isn't there either, recording is off in your web settings, or the host hasn't allowed you to record.
• "Record on this Computer" is missing on your phone: local recording only exists in the desktop app. On iPhone, iPad and Android you need cloud recording on a paid plan.
• Recording settings are greyed out: a company or school admin has locked them. Ask them to change the setting.
• The recording never appeared: Zoom may not have finished converting. Reopen Zoom; if conversion failed, Zoom's support site explains how to convert the files manually.
• Cloud storage is full: download older recordings and delete them from the cloud, or record locally instead.

Want notes without anyone seeing a bot? Read about AI note takers without a bot, or see the same steps for Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.