Getting Started with Zoom Local and Cloud Recording

Zoom offers two types of recordings: computer and cloud. Computer recordings, available with all Zoom accounts, are saved directly to your computer. Cloud recordings, available with paid accounts, are temporarily stored on the Zoom Cloud before being transcoded to Kaltura My Media, allowing them to be viewed, shared, and downloaded.

Both options provide standard MP4 video, M4A audio, and chat text files.

Prerequisites for Computer or Cloud Recording

Make sure you meet the prerequisites for computer or cloud recording before following this article.

Start Recording

Once your meeting begins, you can start recording by clicking Record  at the bottom of your Zoom meeting window. If cloud recording is enabled, you may choose between Record to this Computer or Record to the Cloud. The recording will start when a recording indicator appears in the upper left corner of your Zoom window, accompanied by the word "Recording"

  • Click on the pause  icon if you want to pause the recording.
  • Click on the start  icon when you are ready to resume recording.
  • Click on the stop   icon when you’re ready to stop the recording.

Your Computer Recording

Your computer recordings are stored to your computer hard disk. By default, they’re in your Documents folder in a file named zoom. Here are more details on finding your computer recordings. You can also enable automatic recording, a setting that is off by default.

Your Cloud Recording

Your cloud recordings are stored in the Zoom cloud. They are in your Recording tab of your Zoom web portal, which you can password protect, share, and download. This feature is available to paid Zoom Pro, Business, Education, and Enterprise plan subscribers. One great thing about cloud recording is that you can do it from your mobile device, Zoom Room, as well as your desktop.

Other Settings

  • Save chat messages from the meeting/webinar: Allow hosts to save in-meeting chat messages in the computer recording files.
  • Save closed caption as a VTT file: Allow hosts to save closed caption files in computer recordings.

View Your Recording

  • Please note that users will access their Zoom cloud recordings on MyMedia. The Cloud Recordings are not accessible on Oklahoma.zoom.us.
  • How long until my Zoom recording is in my MyMedia account? The average process time is between 2-4 times the video length. Videos that have been edited are given lower priority and thus could take up to 24 hours.
  • What is the best way to securely share my Class Recordings with my Students in Canvas? You can embed them into a canvas page. This article describes how. 
  • Why are my students getting an “Access Denied Error”? The video URL was more than likely shared without changing the publish status to unlisted. If it is still private, it can be made unlisted, this will make the URL usable. Alternately, it can also be embeded.
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