How to record a Zoom meeting as the host or a participant
To record a Zoom meeting, open it in the Zoom desktop app and click Record, then Record on this Computer. The file is saved to the Documents/Zoom folder after the meeting ends. If you are a participant, ask the host to allow you. To keep your own copy with a transcript, record the call on your Mac with Viddy: no bot joins, and you tell everyone you are recording.
What is the difference between Zoom local and cloud recording?
Zoom has two built-in recorders. Local recording, which Zoom now calls computer recording, saves the file on the computer that made it. Cloud recording saves it to your Zoom account, where you open it from the Recordings & Transcripts page in the web portal.
Local recording works on the free Basic plan and in the desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux. Cloud recording needs a licensed user on a paid plan, and it is the only kind that works in the iPhone, iPad and Android apps.
- Basic (free): local recording only, and meetings are limited to 40 minutes.
- Pro and Business: local recording plus 10 GB of cloud storage per license.
- Enterprise: local recording plus unlimited cloud storage.
- Checked November 2026 on Zoom's pricing page and Zoom's computer recording and cloud recording help articles.
How do you record a Zoom meeting as the host?
Use this method on a laptop or desktop with the Zoom app installed. The setting Record to computer files must be on in your Zoom web settings, and an admin can lock it for a company account.
- 1
Start or join the meeting in the Zoom desktop app
Local recording needs the Zoom app for Mac, Windows or Linux. It is not available from the iPhone, iPad or Android app.
- 2
Click Record
Click Record in the meeting controls. If a menu opens, select Record on this Computer. On a paid plan the same menu offers Record to the cloud.
- 3
Pause or stop when you need to
Click Pause or Stop Recording at the bottom of the window. Click Resume Recording to continue after a pause.
- 4
End the meeting and wait for the conversion
Zoom converts a computer recording after the meeting ends. If a recording did not convert, it shows a Convert button in the app.
- 5
Open the file
On a Mac the default folder is /Users/[your name]/Documents/Zoom, and on Windows it is C:\Users\[your name]\Documents\Zoom. Cloud recordings appear on the Recordings & Transcripts page of the Zoom web portal instead.
How do you record a Zoom meeting as a participant?
Zoom only lets a participant record after the host allows it. Ask the host in the chat or out loud. The host opens Participants, clicks More next to your name and selects Allow Record, and you get a notification that you can now record.
Once you are allowed, click Record and choose Record on this Computer, the same as the host. The host can take the permission back with Forbid Record. Checked November 2026 on Zoom's Starting a computer recording article.
Some company accounts also let participants send the host a permission request, and an admin can set those requests to be approved automatically. Whether you see that option depends on the host's account settings.
Can you record a Zoom meeting without the host's permission?
Not with Zoom's recorder. A participant can record only after the host selects Allow Record, so ask the host for permission in Zoom first.
Otherwise, ask everyone on the call, and record on your own Mac, with Viddy or another screen recorder, only with their consent. Consent laws differ by country and state, and some require everyone in the call to agree.
This is not legal advice, so check the rules where you and the other people are.
How do you record a Zoom call on your Mac with Viddy?
Viddy records the call on your Mac, so no bot joins the meeting. It captures your screen, your microphone, and the sound your Mac plays, which is where the other people's voices come from.
It works on the free Zoom plan too. Tell everyone you are recording and get consent where the law requires it, and ask the host first in a meeting you do not host.
- 1
Set up Viddy once
Install the Mac app from the download page and sign in with Google. Grant Screen Recording and Microphone in the macOS prompts, then reopen Viddy so macOS applies the screen permission.
- 2
Check that call audio is on
Open Preferences and make sure Record other people's audio is on. It is on by default and puts the other side of the Zoom call in the video and the transcript.
- 3
Choose Screen, not Window
Pick Screen so Viddy records the whole display along with the call's sound. Then talk for a second and check that the mic level meter moves.
- 4
Start Viddy before you click Join
Click record or press Cmd+Shift+R, then join the Zoom meeting and tell everyone you are recording. Cmd+Shift+P pauses if the host calls a break, and that stretch is cut from the video.
- 5
Mark moments during the call
Press Cmd+Shift+I when something important is said, or Control+N and type a note like "send the deck to Priya". The note box is not captured in the video, and each mark keeps the time you pressed the key.
- 6
Stop and open the recording
After you leave the meeting, click Stop on the floating bar or press Cmd+Shift+R. Your Mac makes the transcript, and with uploads set to While recording the share link is ready right away.
How do you find what was said in a recorded Zoom call?
Every line of the transcript has a time. Search it for a word like "deadline" and click the line to play that moment. The moments you marked show as dots on the timeline.
You can also ask Claude. Connect Viddy once to Claude, Claude Code or Cursor through MCP with your own account, then ask something like "what deadlines came up in this morning's Zoom call?" It reads the transcript, notes and marked moments and tells you when each thing was said.
Transcripts are in English, as one stream of text with no speaker names.
How do you record a Zoom meeting on iPhone?
In the Zoom app on iPhone, tap Record, then Start Recording. This is always a cloud recording, so you need a Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise account and host or co-host rights. Checked November 2026 on Zoom's cloud recording on iOS and Android article.
A free Zoom account cannot record from a phone at all. Viddy has no phone app either, so join the call from your Mac if you want to record it with Viddy.
Should you use Zoom's recorder or Viddy?
Use Zoom's recorder when you host the meeting, or the host allows you, and you only need the video file. Use Viddy when you want your own copy with a transcript, marked moments and notes you can ask Claude about, and everyone in the call has agreed.
- Zoom local recording: free plan included, desktop app only, host permission for participants, file in Documents/Zoom.
- Zoom cloud recording: paid license, works on phones, file in the Zoom web portal.
- Viddy: any Zoom call on your Mac once everyone agrees, no bot in the meeting, transcript made on your Mac, marked moments pinned to the second.
Can you record a Zoom meeting without installing a recorder?
Yes, if you join Zoom in your browser. Open Viddy's browser recorder in a recent Chrome or Edge, choose Tab, pick the Zoom tab so its sound is included, and turn your mic on. Tell everyone in the call that you are recording.
If you use the Zoom desktop app instead, use the Viddy Mac app, because browsers do not record a window's sound.
Free or Pro
The free plan includes a monthly amount of recording. Pro removes the limit. Start free. Pro is $100 a year, or $10 a month.
| Feature | Free$0 | Pro$100 a year |
|---|---|---|
| Recording | 5 hours a month | Unlimited* |
| How long recordings are kept | 12 months | No time limit |
| AI task lists | 20 a month | |
| Live caption credit | Your own Deepgram key | 100 minutes included, or your own key |
| Share links, transcripts and timestamped notes |
* Fair use applies, and is printed on the pricing page.
Questions
Why is the Record button missing in Zoom?
As a participant, the host has not allowed you to record yet. As a host, Record to computer files may be turned off in your Zoom settings or locked by an admin. On a phone, you see Record only on a paid account with host or co-host rights.
Can I record a Zoom meeting on the free plan?
Yes. The free Basic plan includes local recording in the desktop app, but not cloud recording, and free meetings end after 40 minutes. Checked November 2026 on Zoom's pricing page.
Where are Zoom recordings saved?
Local recordings go to Documents/Zoom on Mac and Windows unless you changed the folder in Settings, Recording. Cloud recordings are on the Recordings & Transcripts page of the Zoom web portal. Viddy recordings go to your Viddy library, or stay only on your Mac if you choose Keep on this Mac.
Does Zoom tell others when you record?
Yes. Zoom shows a recording indicator in the meeting window, and people who dialed in by phone hear a message unless the host turned it off. Viddy records on your Mac and no bot joins, so tell everyone you are recording and get consent where the law requires it.
How do I ask the host for permission to record?
Send a chat message or ask out loud. The host then clicks Participants, More next to your name, and Allow Record. Some company accounts also let you send a request from the meeting, depending on the admin's settings.
Can I record a Zoom meeting on my laptop?
On a Mac, Windows or Linux laptop the Zoom desktop app records locally if you are the host or the host allows you. On a Mac, Viddy records the call on your own computer once everyone has agreed. Viddy for Windows is in early access.
Does Viddy join the Zoom meeting as a bot?
No. Viddy records your own screen and the audio your Mac plays, so nothing new appears in the participant list. Tell everyone you are recording before you start.
Can Viddy transcribe a Zoom meeting?
Yes. A call recorded with the Mac app is transcribed on your Mac, and the audio is not sent anywhere for that. The transcript is English only, without speaker labels.
Related
Record Google Meet
The built-in record button, and how to record a Meet call on your Mac.
Record a Teams meeting
The Record button in Teams, and how to record a Teams call on your Mac.
Screen record on Mac with audio
The free built-in way, and how to get your mic and your Mac's sound in one video.
Video transcription software
Record a video and get a timestamped, searchable transcript that Claude can read.
Record your next Zoom call on your Mac
No bot joins the meeting. Tell everyone you are recording, mark the moments that matter while you talk, then ask Claude what deadlines came up.