- Recording a Zoom meeting to your computer as the host
- Letting a guest or colleague record your Zoom meeting
- Recording a Zoom meeting from your phone or tablet
- Where your Zoom meeting recording ends up
- Telling people you're recording a Zoom call
- Using a Zoom meeting recording once you have it
- If you can't record a Zoom meeting
- Frequently asked questions
To record a Zoom meeting, start it as the host in the desktop app, click Record in the meeting controls and choose Record on this Computer if asked. The catch: Zoom says phones and tablets can't record to the device, so mobile hosts need cloud recording instead.
Client calls, training sessions, a webinar you want to reuse: if you run a small business, a lot of your best material happens live on Zoom and then vanishes. Recording it means you can send a replay, pull out quotes for social posts or just check what you promised on Tuesday's call.
The slightly annoying part is that Zoom has two kinds of recording and the right one depends on your account and your device. I'll walk through both, following Zoom's own support pages, so you hit Record once and know the file will exist afterwards.
Recording a Zoom meeting to your computer as the host
Zoom calls this computer recording (you'll also hear it called local recording). According to Zoom's help pages, it needs a Basic account or higher and the Zoom desktop app on Windows, macOS or Linux. Here's the route:
- Start your meeting in the Zoom desktop app as the host.
- Click Record in the meeting controls at the bottom of the window.
- If a menu appears, choose Record on this Computer.
- Look for the recording indicator in the top-left corner. That's your sign it's running.
- Click Participants if you want to check who is currently recording.
When the meeting ends, Zoom converts the recording before it hands you the files. Zoom's help says the folder opens once conversion finishes, with a video saved as an MP4 and an audio-only version saved as an M4A. Let the conversion finish before you shut your laptop, because cutting it short is how recordings go missing.
Letting a guest or colleague record your Zoom meeting
By default the host is the one in charge of recording. Zoom's help says a participant can record too, but only if the host has given them permission. During the meeting, click Participants, select More next to that person's name and choose Allow Record.
From the participant side, Zoom's controls list shows options such as Record to this computer (when the host allows it) and Request to record to this computer. If the host can't see a Record button on your side, ask them to switch it on or to hit Record themselves.
Recording a Zoom meeting from your phone or tablet
This is where most people get stuck. Zoom's help says computer recording is not supported on iOS, iPad or Android. On a phone you need cloud recording instead, and Zoom says cloud recording is for its Pro, Business, Education and Enterprise accounts.
So if you're a host on a Basic account and you only ever dial in from your phone, the realistic choices are to start the meeting from a desktop app, or to ask someone else to record. A participant on mobile can request cloud recording from the host, but they can't start one themselves.
Where your Zoom meeting recording ends up
The two types land in different places, and mixing them up causes plenty of 'where did it go?' panic.
| Question | What Zoom's pages say |
|---|---|
| Where do computer recordings go? | Into the default Zoom recording folder on your computer |
| What file types do I get? | An MP4 video and an M4A audio-only file |
| Where do cloud recordings go? | Zoom's cloud, shown in the Recording tab of the web portal |
| Which accounts can use cloud recording? | Pro, Business, Education and Enterprise |
| Can I record on a phone? | Only with cloud recording, requested through the host |
Zoom also suggests keeping the default save location on a local drive. Saving into a folder that syncs to the cloud, an external drive or network storage can cause saving or conversion problems, so move the finished file afterwards instead.
Telling people you're recording a Zoom call
Zoom shows an indicator in the top-left corner while recording is on, and phone dial-in guests hear a message that the meeting is being recorded unless the host has switched that off. I'd still say it out loud at the start, in plain words, and put a line in your invitation. Recording rules differ depending on where you and your guests are, and I'm not a lawyer, so check the rules that apply to you or ask a professional if the call is sensitive.
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The same courtesy applies if you use an AI note-taker. I've written about why in my piece on AI note-takers joining client calls uninvited, and it's worth a read before you let any tool listen in.
Using a Zoom meeting recording once you have it
A recording is raw material, so it's worth deciding what it's for before you record:
- Replay for people who couldn't attend: share the file or link afterwards.
- Training library: keep the best sessions in one folder with clear names.
- Content: pull a short clip or a quote for a post, with the speaker's agreement.
- Notes: skim it once, write three action points and send them the same day.
If you're recording a webinar, my guide to finding your webinar recording after a Zoom call covers where the file turns up when it isn't where you expected.
If you can't record a Zoom meeting
When the Record button is missing or greyed out, work through these in order:
- Check you're on the desktop app, not a phone, tablet or browser.
- Check you're the host, or that the host has used Allow Record for you.
- Ask whether an admin has switched computer recording off. Zoom says account owners and admins can turn the Record to computer files setting off or lock it.
- Update the Zoom app, then leave and rejoin.
- If it still won't appear, contact Zoom through its support centre, because it can see account settings you can't.
Related: writing for us on lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I record a Zoom meeting on my computer?
Start the meeting as the host in the desktop app, click Record in the meeting controls and choose Record on this Computer if a menu appears. A recording indicator shows in the top-left corner while it runs.
Can I record a Zoom meeting if I'm not the host?
Only if the host gives you permission. They click Participants, select More next to your name and choose Allow Record. Otherwise ask the host to record.
Can I record a Zoom meeting on my phone?
Not to the device. Zoom's help says computer recording isn't supported on iOS, iPad or Android, so phones rely on cloud recording, which is for Pro, Business, Education and Enterprise accounts and is requested through the host.
Where is my Zoom recording saved?
Computer recordings go to the default Zoom recording folder as an MP4 video and an M4A audio file once conversion finishes. Cloud recordings appear in the Recording tab of the web portal.
Do people know when I record a Zoom meeting?
Yes. Zoom shows an indicator in the top-left corner, and dial-in guests hear a message unless the host has disabled it. Tell guests anyway and check the rules that apply to you.
