How to Record a Zoom Meeting to Watch Later
Zoom can record your meetings so you can rewatch them or send them to someone who missed the call. How to record, where files go, and how to share.
4 min read · 6 steps · Checked April 2026
Step 1. Start a Meeting as the Host
Open Zoom and start or join a meeting as the host. Participants join after you. Make sure everyone knows you plan to record — Zoom shows a notification. But it is polite to say "I am going to record this call" verbally as well.
Step 2. Click the Record Button
In the meeting toolbar at the bottom, look for the "Record" button (it has a red circle icon). Click it. A red "Recording…" indicator appears in the top-left corner of the Zoom window, along with a timer showing how long you have been recording.
Quick Tip
Quick Tip: If you do not see a Record button, click "More" (…) in the toolbar. It may be hidden there. If you still do not see it, you may not have recording permission — only the host or co-hosts can record.
Step 3. Pause or Stop the Recording
To pause (temporarily stop without ending the recording): click the "Pause" button (appears where Record was). To stop completely: click "Stop Recording." You can start and stop multiple times during a meeting — Zoom saves each segment as a separate file or combines them, depending on your settings.
Step 4. Wait for Zoom to Convert the Recording
When the meeting ends, Zoom automatically converts the recording. A progress bar appears on your screen. Do not close your computer until conversion finishes — this can take a few minutes for longer meetings. Once done, Zoom opens the folder containing your recording file.
Step 5. Find and Watch Your Recording
Your recording is saved in DocumentsZoom → [Date of Meeting] on your computer. Open the MP4 file with any video player. On Windows, double-click to open in the Movies & TV app or Windows Media Player. On Mac, it opens in QuickTime.
Step 6. Share the Recording
To share with someone: upload the MP4 to Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud Drive, then share the link. Alternatively, upload to YouTube as an "Unlisted" video so only people with the link can watch it. This avoids email attachment size limits.
Warning
Only share recordings with all participants' consent. Sharing a recording of someone without their knowledge is considered a privacy violation and is illegal in some states.
Recording a Zoom meeting lets you save the video and audio of a call — perfect for revisiting a medical consultation, saving a family reunion call, reviewing a class or tutorial, or sharing with someone who could not attend.
Zoom has two types of recording: local recording (saves to your computer) and cloud recording (saves to Zoom's servers online). Local recording is available on the free Zoom plan. Cloud recording requires a paid Zoom subscription.
For most everyday uses, local recording works great. The recording saves as an MP4 video file on your computer. You can watch it in any video player, upload it to Google Drive or YouTube to share, or keep it for your own reference.
Only the meeting host and any participants granted recording permission can record a Zoom meeting. Participants receive a notification when recording starts so everyone knows the call is being saved. This is an important privacy consideration — always let participants know before you start recording.
The recording starts right away when you click Record and continues until you stop it or the meeting ends. For a 60-minute meeting, the file might be 200–400 MB depending on video quality.
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