Google Meet recordings are saved in the meeting organizer's Google Drive, inside a folder called Google Meet, with one subfolder for each meeting. The organizer and the person who started the recording also get an email with a link. For meetings scheduled through Google Calendar, the link is also attached to the event.
Google introduced this folder in July 2026. The old Meet Recordings folder, which holds recordings made before then, was moved inside the Google Meet folder and renamed Legacy Meet Recordings.
If you didn't organize the meeting, the file is stored in the organizer's Drive, not yours, even if you pressed Record. Open it from the email, the Calendar event or a shortcut in your own Google Meet folder. On Google Workspace and Workspace Individual accounts, you can also use the Google Meet homepage. This guide covers finding, downloading and sharing a recording that already exists; to start one, see our guide on how to record a Google Meet.
Where Do Google Meet Recordings Go?
The recording is stored in the organizer's My Drive, under Google Meet > the meeting's subfolder. Other people who have access can open it through a link or a shortcut.
The three main meeting artifacts covered here now land in the same meeting subfolder:
| File | Where it's saved | Who gets the email | Calendar event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recording | Organizer's Drive: Google Meet folder, meeting subfolder | The organizer and the person who started the recording | Attached, for meetings scheduled in Calendar |
| Transcript | Same meeting subfolder, as a document | The host, any co-hosts and the person who turned on transcripts | Attached, for meetings scheduled in Calendar |
| Gemini notes (Take notes for me) | Same meeting subfolder, as a Google Doc | Depends on the organizer's sharing setting | Attached, for meetings scheduled in Calendar |
Table last updated: September 24, 2026.
What Changed in July 2026
Google rolled out the new structure from July 22, 2026 for Rapid Release domains and from July 30 for Scheduled Release domains, according to the Google Workspace Updates announcement. In practice, this is what you'll see in Drive:
- A new Google Meet folder: it sits in My Drive, with a subfolder for each meeting;
- One folder per recurring meeting: every week of a weekly sync shares the same subfolder;
- Shortcuts for attendees: invitees who have access to a meeting's files get shortcuts to them in their own Google Meet folder;
- Legacy Meet Recordings: the old Meet Recordings folder, moved inside the Google Meet folder and renamed. During the switch you may briefly see both. Old recording links still work after the move.
The change applies to all Google Workspace customers, and you can't switch back to the old layout.
How to Find a Google Meet Recording
You can usually open a recording from Drive, the email Google sends after processing, the Calendar event (for scheduled meetings) or the Google Meet homepage.
In Google Drive
- Open Google Drive and make sure you're signed in with the organizer's account;
- In My Drive, open the Google Meet folder;
- Open the subfolder for the meeting. File names usually include the meeting title and date;
- For a recording made before July 2026, open Legacy Meet Recordings inside the Google Meet folder.
If you can't spot the folder, type the meeting title into the Drive search bar. If you weren't the organizer, look for a shortcut in your own Google Meet folder, or under Shared with me if the organizer shared the file with you.
From the Email Link
- After the meeting, look for an email from Google saying your recording is ready;
- Click the link in the email to open the recording in Google Drive;
- Watch it there, or select Download to keep a copy on your computer.
You can forward that email to anyone who needs the recording, but they can only open it if they have access to the file in Drive.
From the Google Calendar Event
- Open Google Calendar and find the meeting you recorded;
- Click the event to open its details. The recording appears as an attachment;
- Click it to open the recording in Google Drive.
This only works for meetings created in Google Calendar, not for instant meetings started from Meet. Whether you can open the file depends on its sharing settings, so an invitee may still need the organizer to grant access. To schedule meetings in Calendar, see our guide on how to schedule a meeting in Google Meet.
From the Google Meet Homepage
Since July 2026, the Google Meet homepage also lists your past meetings with their recordings, transcripts and Gemini notes. The homepage is available on the web to Google Workspace and Workspace Individual accounts, according to Google's announcement of the new Meet homepage.
- Go to meet.google.com on your computer;
- Find the meeting among your past meetings. Use the week or month view to see earlier meetings;
- Open the recording, transcript or notes from the meeting.
How Long Does It Take for a Google Meet Recording to Show Up?
Google doesn't publish a fixed processing time. The recording is prepared after the meeting ends, and the email arrives once it's ready.
If the recording is in Drive but says "Still processing", Google is still preparing it for online playback. You don't have to wait: select the file, click More, then Download, and play it on your computer. Captions can take a few hours longer than the recording, according to Google.
One limit to know: a single Google Meet recording stops automatically after 8 hours. That is separate from how long the meeting itself can run on each plan, which our guide to Google Meet time limits covers.
Where Are Google Meet Transcripts and Gemini Notes Saved?
Transcripts and Gemini notes go to the same place as recordings: the organizer's Google Meet folder, in the meeting's subfolder. For meetings scheduled through Google Calendar, both are also attached to the Calendar event.
Transcripts are available in 8 languages (English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish) and only on certain paid Google Workspace editions.
Gemini's Take notes for me creates a Google Doc shortly after the meeting ends. Who receives the notes depends on the sharing setting chosen for the meeting: all invited guests, only guests inside the organization, or only hosts and co-hosts. People with access also get a shortcut in their own Google Meet folder. To set it up, see our guide on how to turn on Gemini notes in Google Meet.
How to Download and Share a Google Meet Recording
To download a recording, open it in Google Drive (from the folder, the email or the Calendar event) and select Download, or right-click the file in Drive and choose Download.
Who else can download depends on when the recording was made. For supported Google Workspace editions, new Meet recordings created from April 30, 2026 let viewers download and copy them by default, unless the recording owner or a Workspace admin restricts it. Recordings made before that date keep the old setting, as described in Google's announcement of the new download default.
To share a recording with someone who wasn't invited:
- In Google Drive, right-click the recording and select Share;
- Add the person's email and give them Viewer access;
- For a wider audience, change General access to Anyone with the link. Your organization's admin may block sharing outside the company.
Why Can't I Find My Google Meet Recording?
When a recording seems to be missing, first check the four places above: the organizer's Google Meet folder, the email, the Calendar event for scheduled meetings and the Meet homepage. If it isn't in any of them, check these common causes:
- You're signed in to the wrong account: only the organizer's Drive stores the file. Switch to the organizer's account, or use the link from the email or the Calendar event;
- You're looking for the old folder: Meet Recordings is now called Legacy Meet Recordings and sits inside the Google Meet folder. New recordings go to the meeting's own subfolder;
- It's still processing: if the file is in Drive but says "Still processing", download it early as described above;
- The organizer or time changed: if someone else became the event's organizer, or the meeting happened outside its scheduled Calendar time, Google may send the recording link to the original event creator. Ask them for it;
- Someone deleted it: the organizer can restore it from the Drive Trash, but Google Drive deletes files in the Trash for good after 30 days;
- The recording never started: see below.
Why There Is No Record Button
If the option to record never appeared in the meeting, nothing was recorded. The usual causes:
- Your Google plan doesn't include recording: recording is available on Business Standard, Business Plus, Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Workspace Individual and Google One with 2 TB or more, according to Google Meet Help. Business Starter and free Gmail accounts can't record;
- Your admin hasn't turned it on: in a company account, recording has to be enabled in the Google Admin console;
- You don't have the right role: you can record if you're the host, an external user promoted to co-host, or in the host's organization with Host Management turned off. In Google Classroom meetings, teachers and co-teachers can record. The host also needs recording permission, or nobody in the meeting can record;
- Your Drive storage is full: recording may be unavailable if either your personal Drive or your organization's Drive has reached its storage quota;
- You're on an iPhone or iPad: recording works on a computer or an Android device only;
- You're in a Google Meet breakout room, where recording isn't available, or Google Drive is disabled for your account.
Keeping Meeting Recordings Where Your Team Can Find Them
On a team where different people organize different meetings, recordings end up in many different Drives, and nobody has one place to search them. Meetings on a plan without recording aren't recorded at all.
An AI notetaker is one way to keep these recordings together. MeetGeek's Google Meet integration sends a notetaker to your scheduled calls, whether you're the host or just a participant, and works with any Google account, free or paid. The host may still need to admit it from the waiting room, depending on the meeting's settings. If you'd rather not add a bot to the call, the MeetGeek desktop app records from your computer instead.
Every meeting is then saved in one searchable library, with the transcript, summary and action items. Transcription covers 100+ languages. You can search across all your meetings with AI Chat and send summaries and action items to Slack, Notion or your CRM through native integrations or automation platforms such as Zapier, Make and n8n.
If your team already uses Gemini notes, the main differences are where the notes are stored and which tools you can send them to. Gemini notes are saved as a Google Doc in the organizer's Drive, require an eligible Google Workspace edition or Google AI plan, and currently support 8 languages. MeetGeek's library also includes your Zoom and Microsoft Teams calls, and it sends summaries and action items to the tools your team already works in. For a wider comparison, see our list of the best AI note takers for Google Meet.
MeetGeek's free plan includes 3 hours of transcription per month, with transcripts, summaries and audio storage. Video storage is available on the Business plan, as listed on MeetGeek's pricing page.
Even when you record without a bot, letting participants know and following consent and privacy rules is still your responsibility.
Key Takeaways
- Google Meet saves recordings in the organizer's My Drive, in the Google Meet folder, with one subfolder per meeting;
- Recordings made before July 2026 are in Legacy Meet Recordings, inside the Google Meet folder;
- The organizer and the person who started the recording get an email link, and meetings scheduled in Google Calendar also show it on the event;
- On supported Workspace editions, viewers can download recordings made from April 30, 2026 by default, unless the owner or an admin restricts it;
- A file marked "Still processing" can already be downloaded and played on your computer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Change Where Google Meet Saves Recordings?
No. Google Meet always saves recordings in the organizer's Google Meet folder, and you can't change the folder layout. Once the file is there, you can move it, copy it or download it like any other Drive file.
Can I Record a Google Meet on My Phone?
Yes on Android, no on iPhone or iPad. The recording still goes to the organizer's Google Meet folder in Drive. Our guide on how to record a Google Meet has the steps for each device.
What Does a Google Meet Recording Include?
The recording captures the active speaker and anything presented on screen. Other windows and notifications on your computer aren't recorded, and pinning someone in your own view doesn't change who appears in the recording.
How Long Are Google Meet Recordings Kept?
Recordings stay in Drive until someone deletes them, unless your organization has retention rules that remove files sooner. A deleted recording stays in the Drive Trash for 30 days before it's gone for good.
How Do I See My Google Meet Call History?
Google Calendar shows your past meetings, and Workspace admins can see detailed call logs in the Admin console. Our guide on how to see your Google Meet history walks through each option.
Is Google Meet Recording Free?
No. Recording needs an eligible paid Google Workspace edition or a Google One plan with 2 TB or more, and Business Starter doesn't include it. Our Google Meet pricing breakdown compares what each plan includes.
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