How To Find Zoom Recordings, Step By Step With Photos

Zoom is undoubtedly the first choice communication tool for companies with teams. Everyone from Fortune 500 firms to small business owners with tens of employees use it regularly. Those with Zoom plans can retrieve recordings for their meetings. If you’ve looked at our Zoom guide and even figured out how to record your meetings, but still can find your recordings, don’t worry. Our simple guide will help you locate your Zoom recordings whenever you like.

Types of Zoom Recordings

First off, it’s good to distinguish between “local” and “cloud” recordings. The default setting is for Zoom to save your recordings locally, meaning they’ll be saved onto your computer and take up some storage space. Usually, this is around 200 MB per hour of recording. If you’re a free user, this will be your only option for recording your Zoom videos. To share your local recording, you’ll need to upload it to a cloud service, such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

If you sign up for any Zoom paid plans, then an alternative option is available. Your meetings are automatically saved as a “cloud” recording. So, it won’t take up space on your PC, as it resides on Zoom’s cloud platform. As a premium subscriber, you can share your cloud recording. Send out a link to the recording once the meeting ends.

How to Find Recordings on the Zoom Website

This method of recording works on PC and mobile devices. Remember, you can only save recordings on a local computer. You also have to use a browser on your mobile to find your recordings, as you can’t view them in the Zoom app. First, let’s look at how to local your recordings on a PC and then a mobile.

Step 1: Go to the Zoom website and log in to your account

Click the Sign Up Free button in the top right corner and the Sign In button a little to the left on the next page. You can then sign in with your email address and password or various other options, such as a Google or Facebook account.

Step 2: Open the “Recordings” tab

Here, click the Recordings tab in the menu on the left. You can view your cloud-based recordings under the “Cloud Recordings” tab, or your locally saved recordings under the “Local Recordings” tab. You can open the recording or delete it from this page.

How to Find Zoom Recordings Using the Zoom Client

Another way to find your recordings is using the Zoom desktop client. Find out how below.

Step 1: Open the Zoom Client and Log In

Find the Zoom client on your computer. For Windows 11, this will be in the “All apps” menu within the “Start” menu. For Mac, this will be in the “Applications” folder. Log in as usual.

Step 2: Go to the “Meetings” Tab

Along the top bar, you’ll see “Meetings”. Click this option.

Step 3: Go to Your Recorded Meetings

Now you can click the “Recorded” tab next to “Upcoming”. This will show locally saved recordings, along with their location.

How to Find Local Recordings on Your Computer

Yet another way is to bypass Zoom entirely and locate the files on your PC. This is how to do it.

Step 1: Find the “Zoom” Folder

If you’re using Windows, locate and open your documents folder. On a Mac, you’ll want to open a Finder window. Look for a folder called “Zoom”. Alternatively, you can search “Zoom,” which should bring up your recordings folder.

Step 2: Find Your Recording

Open the “Zoom” Folder. Your recordings will be in folders labeled with details like your name and the recording date.

Step 3: View Your Recording

Now you can open this folder to find your recording in .mp4 format. Simply double-click to open the recording in your default video player.

In the following video, Anthony English demonstrates how to locate Zoom files on your computer. He also shares how to change the directory where your Zoom folders are saved and how to rename your Zoom video and audio files.

How to Change the Save Location for Your Recordings

By default, Zoom recordings are saved in your “Documents” folder, regardless of your operating system. You can change this to somewhere more intuitive, particularly if you share your computer with others. We’ve illustrated this easy process below.

Step 1: Open the Zoom Client and Log In

As before, open the Zoom application on your computer and log in.

Step 2: Open Your Settings

Once logged in, click your profile icon in the top right and then navigate to the “Settings” tab.

Step 3: Change the File Path Under the “Recording” Tab

Next, open the “Recording” tab in the menu on the left. Click the file path at the top and “Choose a new location” to change the saved location. You can also adjust all your recording settings here, such as adding a timestamp, separating audio files for each participant or even enabling the option of choosing a save location each time a recording ends. This can be a timesaver if you need to save each recording in a different location.

How to Share Your Zoom Recordings

Now that you know how and where to find your Zoom recordings, you might be wondering how you can share these.

Wrapping Up

Finding your Zoom recording may be counterintuitive, but it’s simple once you know how. Whether your Zoom recording is saved on the cloud or locally on your computer, you can locate them by logging into the Zoom website. Alternatively, you can find them within the Zoom client or even by searching for the files in your documents folder. You can’t save local recordings on your mobile or view them in the Zoom app – only cloud recordings can be saved from a mobile device.

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The image featured at the top of this post is ©ymphotos/Shutterstock.com.