Where Do Zoom Recordings Go? 3 Locations You Should Check

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Where Do Zoom Recordings Go? 3 Places You Should Check

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Find out where your Zoom recordings are stored with this easy guide. Learn how to locate, access, and manage your recorded meetings in just a few simple steps.

Anastasia Muha

August 27, 2024

5 min read

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Zoom recordings are saved in one of two places: on the computer that recorded the meeting, by default in the Documents folder inside a folder named Zoom, or, on paid plans, in the Zoom Cloud, which you open from the Zoom web portal.

Which one applies depends on how the meeting was recorded. Recordings saved to your device are now called computer recordings (formerly local recordings) and are available on every plan, while cloud recordings require a paid Zoom plan.

This guide shows you exactly where to find your Zoom recordings on your computer, in the cloud, and in the Zoom Workplace app, how to change where they are saved, and how to play, share, and download them.

If you would rather not hunt for recordings at all, MeetGeek works as a Zoom AI note-taker that records, transcribes, and organizes your meetings automatically, so the insights are always a click away.

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Where to Find Your Zoom Recordings

Finding Zoom recordings is easy once you know where to look, whether you saved them on your computer or in the cloud.

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Here are the three places your Zoom recordings can be:

Computer storage: the default Zoom folder on the computer that recorded the meeting.
Zoom Cloud: log in to the Zoom web portal and open the Recordings and Transcripts page (paid plans only).
Zoom Workplace app: open your recordings directly from the desktop app.

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By default, recordings are saved to the Zoom folder on the computer that recorded the meeting. On the free Basic plan, recordings can only be saved this way. With a paid plan, the host can also record to the Zoom Cloud and choose which option to use.

Let us walk through every way to find your Zoom recordings and how to change the default save location.

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Where to Find Zoom Recordings on Your Computer

Recordings saved directly to your hard drive, known as computer recordings (or local recordings), are available to all users, on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

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Here is where to find Zoom recordings on a computer:

Open the file manager on your computer. On Windows this is File Explorer, and on Mac it is Finder.
Open the Documents folder, since this is where Zoom saves recordings by default.
Look for the folder named Zoom. Open it to see all your recorded meetings.

The exact default paths are:

Windows: C:\Users\[Username]\Documents\Zoom
Mac: /Users/[Username]/Documents/Zoom
Linux: home/[Username]/Documents/Zoom

The Zoom folder contains subfolders organized by meeting date. Each subfolder holds the recording files for one meeting, including the video, audio, and chat files.

Zoom recording subfolders organized by meeting date

NOTE: If you chose a different save location, open that folder instead to play, share, or move your recordings.

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How to Access Zoom Cloud Recordings

If you have a paid Zoom plan (Pro, Business, or Enterprise), the host and co-hosts can save recordings to the cloud and reach them from anywhere.

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Here is where to find Zoom recordings in the Zoom Cloud:

Go to the Zoom web portal at zoom.us and log in to your account.
In the navigation menu, click Recordings and Transcripts.
Open the Cloud recordings tab to see your recorded meetings, organized by date. Each entry shows the topic, date, and duration, and you can filter by meeting ID, title, or date range.

Zoom cloud recordings in the Zoom web portal

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Where to Find Your Recordings in the Zoom Workplace App

You can also reach your recordings straight from the desktop app, which is handy when you are working from your computer.

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Here is where to find meeting recordings in the Zoom Workplace app:

Open the Zoom Workplace app on your desktop and make sure you are logged in.
On the Home tab, below your list of meetings, click Open recordings.

Open recordings button in the Zoom Workplace app

You are taken to the Hub, under My files and Meeting recordings, where the Cloud recordings and Computer recordings tabs hold all your Zoom recordings.

Cloud recordings and Computer recordings tabs in the Zoom Workplace app

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Zoom meeting recordings are a valuable resource for reviewing content, sharing information, and keeping records. Here is how to make the most of yours by playing, sharing, and downloading them.

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How to Play Zoom Meeting Recordings

Need to replay a recorded Zoom meeting? Here is how, depending on where it is stored:

Computer recording: go to the folder where it is saved and double-click the file to open it in your default media player.
Cloud recording: log in to the Zoom web portal, open Recordings and Transcripts, and click Play next to the meeting you want to watch.

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How to Share Zoom Meeting Recordings

Sharing your Zoom recordings lets others access meeting content, which is especially useful for teams working with clients.

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Computer recording: upload the file to a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox and share the link, or email the file directly if it is small enough.
Cloud recording: open Recordings and Transcripts in the Zoom web portal, click Share next to the recording, and copy the link. You can also set who is allowed to view it.

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How to Download Zoom Meeting Recordings

Downloading your Zoom recordings gives you a backup and lets you move them elsewhere.

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Computer recording: the file is already on your computer, so you can copy or move it wherever you need.
Cloud recording: log in to the Zoom web portal, open Recordings and Transcripts, and click Download next to the meeting. The file is saved to your computer.

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How to Change Your Zoom Recording Storage Location

On any plan, you can change where computer recordings are saved and adjust your Zoom recording settings so they work the way you want.

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Here is how to change where Zoom recordings are saved:

Open the Zoom Workplace desktop app and log in.
Click your profile picture in the top-right corner and select Settings.
Click the Recording tab in the list on the left.
Under Local recording storage, find the Storage location. Click Change to pick a new folder, or Open to view the current one.

Changing the Zoom recording storage location in settings

Zoom also offers extra options you can turn on or off:

Record a separate audio file for each participant: useful when you want to isolate audio tracks.
Optimize for third-party video editor: choose this if you plan to edit the video later.
Add a timestamp to the recording: stamps the date and time onto the video.
Record video during screen sharing: decide whether to include the presenter video while sharing.

If your plan includes cloud recording, you can enable it and set options like recording an audio transcript and choosing whether to capture participant video. Your changes save automatically when you close the window.

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How to Automate Zoom Meeting Recordings with MeetGeek

Recording Zoom meetings can be tricky if you do not have the right plan or permissions, and storing, labelling, and sharing them by hand gets messy fast. With executives alone spending close to 23 hours a week in meetings, capturing every call automatically is worth real time.

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There is a free way to automate the whole process, called MeetGeek. This Zoom AI note-taker automatically joins, records, transcribes, summarizes, and stores your meetings in one dashboard, so all your Zoom data is in a single place.

MeetGeek dashboard with recorded and transcribed meetings

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If you already use Zoom cloud recording, you can sync your recordings into MeetGeek through Zapier. Here is the step-by-step setup guide.

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Here is what MeetGeek does for your Zoom meetings:

Joins Zoom meetings for you: it can attend and record when you are unavailable, documenting and transcribing everything for later.
Extracts key points and action items: AI highlights the most important parts so you can focus on what matters.
Shareable meeting summaries: it generates clear AI meeting summaries so teammates can catch up without watching the full recording.
Works with your tools: it integrates with apps like Slack and Notion to share summaries and recordings in your workspace.
Searchable transcripts: find a specific topic in seconds instead of scrubbing the video.
Centralized library: every recording and transcript lives in a searchable repository your team can access anytime.
Automated follow-ups: it can draft follow-up emails that cover the essentials after a call.
Mobile access: catch up on meetings from the MeetGeek mobile app wherever you are.

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Want the AI angle? See how MeetGeek compares with the Zoom AI Companion.

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Zoom Meeting Recording FAQ

Why Is My Zoom Recording Not Showing Up?

If your Zoom recording is missing, check a few things:

Make sure recording was actually started during the meeting. If no one clicked record, there is no recording.
If you did record to the cloud, give it time to process. Longer meetings can take a while to appear in the web portal.
For computer recordings, check the default save location (the Zoom folder in Documents). If it is still missing, restart the Zoom Workplace app or your computer.

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Do Zoom Recordings Go Away?

Zoom recordings do not disappear on their own, but storage and retention rules matter, especially in the cloud.

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Cloud recordings stay until you delete them or until your account admin applies a retention or auto-delete policy. When a cloud recording is deleted, it sits in the web-portal trash for 30 days, after which it is permanently removed within 24 hours. To be safe, download anything important or expand your cloud storage.

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Computer recordings stay on your device until you delete them, after which they move to your computer trash or recycle bin.

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What Is the Difference Between Cloud and Computer Recordings in Zoom?

The difference is where the file is stored and who can use it:

Cloud recordings are stored on Zoom servers and reachable from anywhere through your account, but they are only available on paid plans.
Computer recordings (local recordings) are saved on the device that recorded the meeting. They work without an internet connection but use your device storage, and they are available on every plan, including free.

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Make the Most of Your Zoom Recordings with MeetGeek

Finding and managing your Zoom recordings does not have to be complicated. Whether you save them on your computer or in the Zoom Cloud, knowing where to look is the key to getting value from every meeting.

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Ready to go further? With automated transcription, searchable archives, and easy sharing, MeetGeek helps you get more out of every Zoom call.

Article updated on

June 30, 2026