How to record Google Meet, with or without the record button
If your Google plan includes recording, open Meeting tools, select Recording and click Start recording. The video saves to the organizer's Google Drive. If you do not see that option, you can record the call on your Mac with Viddy, which captures your screen, your mic and the other people's voices without adding a bot to the meeting.
Who can record in Google Meet?
Google Meet only shows the record button on some paid plans, and only after an administrator allows recording. Free personal Gmail accounts are not on Google's list.
Even on a plan that includes it, the host decides. A participant can record only if the host has permission to record, and people who join only to present cannot record. Checked November 2026 on Google's Record a video meeting help page.
- Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Essentials, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus and Workspace Individual Subscriber.
- Education Plus (Staff license) and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade.
- Google One plans with 2 TB of storage or more.
- Google lists only computers and Android devices for recording, so iPhone and iPad are left out.
How do you record with Google Meet's built-in recorder?
Use this method when your plan includes recording and you are the host or have the host's permission. It is free on those plans and everyone in the call is notified when it starts.
- 1
Join the meeting on a computer
Open the meeting in Google Meet and click Join. Recording is not available from the iPhone or iPad app.
- 2
Open Meeting tools, then Recording
At the bottom right, click Meeting tools and select Recording. You can also choose to record captions here.
- 3
Click Start recording
Click Start recording, then Start in the pop-up. Everyone in the meeting, including people on phones, is told that the meeting is being recorded.
- 4
Stop the recording
Open Meeting tools, select Recording and click Stop recording. Recording also stops when everyone leaves, and Google caps a recording at 8 hours.
- 5
Find the file in Google Drive
The recording goes to the organizer's Google Drive in the Google Meet folder. Google emails the link to the organizer and to whoever started the recording, and adds it to the Calendar event.
What does a Google Meet recording include?
Google records the active speaker and anything presented. Other windows and notifications are not captured, and pinning a participant does not change who appears in the recording.
If the organizer's Drive, or the organization's shared storage, is out of space, the recording cannot start. Checked November 2026 on Google's help page.
How do you record a Google Meet call on a Mac without the record button?
Record the call on your own Mac. No bot joins the call: Viddy captures your screen, your microphone, and the sound your Mac plays, which is where the other people's voices come from. It works on any Meet plan and in any meeting you can attend.
Meet does not know Viddy is recording, so nobody gets a notice. Tell the other people in the call that you are recording before you start.
- 1
Install Viddy and allow access
Download Viddy for Mac, sign in with Google, and allow Screen Recording and Microphone when macOS asks. Viddy needs a relaunch after you allow Screen Recording.
- 2
Keep other people's audio on
In Preferences, Record other people's audio is on by default. It records what your Mac plays, so the other side of the Meet call is in the video and the transcript.
- 3
Pick what to record
Choose Screen (not Window) to record the whole display, so the call's sound comes with it. Check that the mic level meter moves when you talk.
- 4
Start recording
Click record or press Cmd+Shift+R. You can pause with Cmd+Shift+P, and the paused time is left out of the video.
- 5
Mark moments as they happen
Press Cmd+Shift+I to mark an important moment, or Control+N to type a short note. Each one is pinned to that second of the recording.
- 6
Stop and get your link
Click Stop on the floating bar or press Cmd+Shift+R again. The transcript is made on your Mac, and with uploads set to While recording the share link is ready when you stop.
What can you do with the recording after the call?
Open the video and click any line of the transcript to jump to that second. Your marked moments and notes show as dots on the timeline, so you can go straight to the part that mattered.
To ask about the call, connect Viddy once to Claude, Claude Code or Cursor through MCP, using your own Claude or Cursor account. Then ask something like "what did we agree on pricing in Tuesday's Meet call?" and it reads your transcript and notes to answer, with the times things were said.
You can also cut the recording by deleting lines in the transcript, then share a link that anyone can watch without signing in, or keep it private.
Should you use Google Meet's recorder or Viddy?
Use Google Meet's recorder when your plan has it and you want the file in the organizer's Drive with a notice to everyone. Use Viddy when you do not see the record button, when you are not the host, or when you want the transcript, marked moments and notes in one place you can ask Claude about.
- Google Meet: paid Workspace or Google One plans with recording turned on, host permission, saved to Drive.
- Viddy: any Meet call on your Mac, no bot in the meeting, transcript made on your Mac, marked moments and notes pinned to the second.
- Viddy transcripts are English only and do not label who is speaking.
Can you record Google Meet without installing anything?
Yes. Open Viddy's browser recorder, choose Tab, and pick the tab with your Meet call so its sound is included. Turn your mic on so your own voice is in the recording too.
This works in a recent Chrome or Edge on a computer. The video uploads while you record, so the link is ready when you stop.
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 can't I see the record button in Google Meet?
Recording only appears on some paid Google Workspace and Google One plans, after an administrator allows it, and only for the host or people the host's settings allow. It is also missing on iPhone and iPad. Checked November 2026 on Google's Meet help page.
Can I record Google Meet with a free Gmail account?
Not with the built-in recorder: free personal accounts are not on Google's list of plans that can record. You can record the call on your Mac with Viddy, which records your screen, mic and the call audio without joining the meeting.
Can I record a Google Meet if I'm not the host?
With Google's recorder, only if the host has recording permission and the host's settings let participants record. With Viddy you record your own screen and audio, so host settings do not apply. Tell the other people that you are recording.
Does Google Meet notify others when you record?
Yes. When the built-in recording starts or stops, everyone in the meeting is notified, including people outside your organization and people on phones. A recording made on your Mac with Viddy sends no notice, so tell people yourself.
Where do Google Meet recordings go?
Into the meeting organizer's Google Drive, in the Google Meet folder. The organizer and the person who started the recording get an email with the link. Viddy recordings go to your Viddy library with a share link, or stay only on your Mac if you choose Keep on this Mac.
How long can a Google Meet recording be?
Google stops a built-in recording at 8 hours. Viddy uploads long calls in pieces while you record, and your plan's monthly recording hours apply.
Can I record Google Meet on an iPhone?
Google's recorder works on a computer or an Android device, not on iPhone or iPad. Viddy has no phone app, so for Viddy you join the call from your Mac.
Does Viddy make a transcript of the Meet call?
Yes. A recording made in the Mac app is transcribed on your Mac, and the audio is not sent anywhere for that. Transcripts are English only and do not label speakers.
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