How to Record Zoom Meetings for Free

As a small business owner, I was always juggling multiple tasks at once, and often found myself struggling to keep track of important details discussed during meetings. One day, while discussing a new product launch with my team, I remembered a customer I had interviewed who referenced exactly this topic, but I couldn’t remember exactly who suggested it or what the specifics were. After that experience, I realized the importance of recording our customer meetings and quickly learned how to do it on Zoom. Recording our meetings not only helped me stay organized and on top of my tasks, but it also allowed me to share the meeting with team members who couldn't attend and to refer back to it later for important details.

Before you can record a Zoom meeting, you'll need to make sure that recording is enabled on your Zoom account.

Step 1: Enable recording on your Zoom account

To enable recording on a Zoom account, you'll need to be the account owner or administrator. Follow these steps to enable recording for your account:

1. Sign in to your Zoom account on the web at https://zoom.us/signin.
2. Click on "Settings" in the left-hand menu.
3. Go to the "Recording" tab
4. Toggle the switch next to "Local recording" to enable it. This allows hosts to record meetings to their local device.
5. If you want to enable cloud recording, toggle the switch next to "Cloud recording." Note that cloud recording is available only for paid accounts.
6. You can also enable or disable other recording settings, such as automatic recording, recording disclaimer, and file type for local recording (MP4 or M4A).
7. Once you have enabled recording, the meeting host can start recording during a Zoom meeting by clicking the "Record" button in the meeting toolbar and selecting "Record on this Computer" or "Record to the Cloud" (if available).

Remember, only the meeting host or someone with the necessary permissions can start and stop recordings during a meeting.

Please note that enabling recording on your account does not automatically enable it for all users within your organization. You may need to enable recording for individual users or groups by managing their settings

‍Step 2: Start a Zoom meeting

Once recording is enabled, start a Zoom meeting as you normally would.

Step 3: Record the meeting

To start a recording during a Zoom meeting, follow these steps:

1. Join or start the Zoom meeting as the host or as a participant with recording permissions granted by the host.
2. Locate the meeting toolbar at the bottom of the Zoom window (it may be hidden when not in use; move your cursor over the window to reveal it).
3. Click the "Record" button on the toolbar.

You will see two options: "Record on this Computer" and "Record to the Cloud" (if available). Choose the option you prefer:
a. "Record on this Computer" will save the recording locally on your device.

4. b. "Record to the Cloud" will save the recording to your Zoom account's cloud storage (available only for paid accounts).
5. Once you've selected the recording option, the recording will start, and you'll see a "Recording" indicator with a red dot in the top-left corner of the Zoom window.
6. To pause or stop the recording, click the "Pause/Stop Recording" button on the meeting toolbar, or click the "More" button (three dots) next to the "Recording" indicator and select "Pause/Stop Recording" from the drop-down menu.
7. After the meeting ends or you stop the recording, Zoom will convert the recording to the appropriate file format (usually MP4) and save it to your device or cloud storage, depending on your selection. You will then be able to access, share, or manage the recording as needed.

Step 5: Share the recording

Sharing Zoom recordings with colleagues enhances communication and collaboration by allowing absent team members to catch up on meeting content, while also serving as a valuable resource for review, training, and accountability. This practice supports productivity and fosters a transparent work environment within the team or organization.

Here’s how to share:

For local recordings:

1. Locate the recording on your computer. By default, Zoom recordings are saved in the "Documents" folder under a subfolder named "Zoom." Inside the "Zoom" folder, you'll find folders for each meeting, labeled with the date and meeting name.
2. The recorded files usually include an MP4 video file, an M4A audio file, and a text file with the meeting chat (if applicable). Choose the file(s) you want to share.

To share the files, you can:

a. Attach the files to an email and send them to your colleagues.

b. Upload the files to a cloud storage service (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) and share the link with your colleagues.

3. c. Share the files using a file transfer service (e.g., WeTransfer, Filemail) if the files are too large to send via email.

For cloud recordings:

1. Sign in to your Zoom account on the web at https://zoom.us/signin.
2. Click on "Recordings" in the left-hand menu.
3. You will see a list of your recorded meetings. Click the "Share" button next to the recording you want to share.
4. In the "Share this recording" window, you can customize the sharing settings, such as adding a password, allowing downloads, or setting an expiration date for the shared link.
5. Click "Copy Link" to copy the sharing URL to your clipboard.
6. Share the copied link with your colleagues via email or a messaging app.

Remember that sharing settings and availability may vary depending on your Zoom account type and the specific permissions set by the account owner or administrator.

Upload your meeting recordings to CustomerIQ

Storing your customer meeting recordings in one place is beneficial for your team because it creates a single, easily accessible source of information, enabling members to review, learn from past discussions, and stay informed on decisions made. This practice promotes knowledge sharing, fosters collaboration, supports training and onboarding efforts, and maintains consistency and transparency within the team.

That’s why we built CustomerIQ. Now every team has access to precious customer insights. Sign up today!