Starting a computer recording

Computer recording is available to free and paid subscribers. Computer recording allows participants to record meeting video and audio locally on a computer. Computer recordings can include participant names, separate audio tracks for each participant, timestamps, and other options. computer recordings capture the meeting as the participant recording sees the meeting, meaning the recording will capture the meeting in speaker view, if that is what video layout is currently in use. 

You can upload recorded files to a file storage service such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or a streaming service like YouTube or Vimeo. You will find computer recording files in the default Zoom recording folder on your system.

This article covers:

• Limitations for computer recording
• How to start a computer recording
• How to stop or pause a computer recording
• How to assign recording privileges to a participants
• How to change computer recording settings
• How to record multiple recording audio files

Prerequisites for computer recordings

• Basic (Free) account or above
• Zoom desktop app for Windows, macOS, or Linux: Global minimum version or higher

Limitations for computer recording

Computer recordings don't support the following features:

• Record Active Speaker, Gallery View, and shared screen separately
• Audio transcription
• Shared screen recording layout with active speaker thumbnail or without any thumbnails (computer recordings will always show a thumbnail gallery view with the shared screen)
• Record using the iOS or Android app
  Note: If you require these features, use cloud recording.

Computer recordings also do not capture nonverbal feedback or meeting reactions. 

How to start a computer recording

The host must record the meeting or grant the ability to record to a participant. You can record the meeting in different layouts including Active Speaker, Gallery View, and shared screen.

1. Start a Zoom meeting as the host.
2. In the meeting controls toolbar, click Record .
3. If there is a menu, select Record on this Computer.
   Participants will see the following indicator in the top-left corner while the recording is active.
   
4. Click Participants to see which participants are currently recording.
   
   Note: Dial-in participants will hear a message informing them that the meeting is now being recorded unless disabled by the host.

After the meeting has ended, Zoom will convert the recording so you can access the files. Once the conversion process is complete, the folder containing the recording files will open.

Note:

• By default, the recording files are formatted in a certain way. The audio/video file (MP4) will be named video[number].mp4. The audio-only file (M4A) is named audio[number].m4a.
• If the meeting unexpectedly shuts down or if the conversion process is interrupted, the recording files could become corrupted and non-recoverable. Restarting or shutting down your computer, putting the hard disk to sleep, or closing your laptop will interrupt the conversion process.
• If the conversion process is not successful after the meeting has ended, you can try to manually convert the recording. 
• After the file has completed converting, if you choose to rename the file from the default naming convention, we recommend you use a unique file name. We recommend you do not use the words Zoom, Personal Meeting Room, or My Meeting when saving your meeting files.

How to stop or pause a computer recording

During a Zoom recording, a participant can Stop or Pause the recording. If a participant stops the recording and starts it again, a new video file will be created for the next recording segment. If a participant pauses the recording and starts it again, Zoom will record to the same video file for the recording segment.

1. After a recording has been started, click Pause or Stop Recording at the bottom.
   
   The recording can also be stopped or paused in the top right-left corner by clicking the recording indicator
   
2. When a recording is paused, the following indicator will be displayed in the meeting.
   
3. At the bottom, click Resume Recording to resume the recording
   
   In the top left corner, clicking the indicator will also resume the recording.
   
4. After you stop the recording, you can access the computer recording files on your computer.

How to assign recording privileges to a participant

1. As the host in a Zoom meeting, click the Participants  icon.
2. In the participants menu, navigate to the participant who you want to grant recording privileges to and click More next to their name.
3. Click Allow Record.
   The participant will receive a notification about recording privileges. When a participant is recording, the participant menu will display a recording icon next to the participant's name.
4. To disable the participant's ability to record, click More next to the name, then click Forbid Record.
   The participant will receive a notification about no longer having recording privileges.
   

How to change computer recording settings

To change computer recording settings in the Zoom desktop app:

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop app.
2. In the top-right corner, click your profile picture, then click Settings.
3. Click the Recording tab.
   This will open your recording options that you can change using the app.

Note: Setting the default location to a cloud syncing folder (such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or One Drive), an external drive, or network storage device may cause issues with saving and converting the computer recording. Zoom strongly recommends keeping the default location on a local drive for recordings.

How to record multiple audio files

When recording locally, the host can record all participants' audio streams as separate audio files, one file for each participant. To enable this option:

1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop app.
2. In the top-right corner, click your profile picture, then click Settings.
3. Click the Recording tab.
4. Enable Record a separate audio file for each participant. 
5. Record and save the meeting to your computer.
6. Once the meeting is over and the recording has been processed, open the recording folder. 
7. Within the folder, open Audio Record.
   Once in the Audio Record folder, each participant's audio track will be listed as its own file. Each file name begins with the participant's name.