Are Zoom Meetings Recorded? (Answered)

“Oh no! Did I really just do that?! Did anyone just see me do that? I wonder if this meeting is being recorded. Are Zoom meetings recorded?” These might be some of the thoughts that are going through your head as you attend your morning work meeting via Zoom. We’ve all been there. Or maybe you’re wondering if your spectacular presentation will be recorded so you can view it later.

The answer is that Zoom meetings can be recorded, but they aren’t always.

What’s the Point of Recording a Zoom Meeting?

You may be wondering, “What’s the point of recording a Zoom meeting?” There are several reasons actually. If you’re giving a presentation over Zoom, you may want to leverage that presentation by recording it and using the footage to train or have people view it in the future. This way you don’t have to give the same presentation over and over again.

Another reason one might record a Zoom meeting is to archive what’s been said. This way there is no misunderstanding of what someone said at a certain date and time. It is the literal sense of the phrase “on the record”. Companies may do this to avoid a whole slew of problems.

Lastly, have you ever been to an event online? These are becoming incredibly popular today with the current state of the world. You’ll find that a lot of these events are recorded. This is so the participants can “relive” the experience after the event is over by rewatching it. Those putting on the event can also sell this video to people who were unable to attend the event live.

Related: How to Find Remote Jobs on LinkedIn (with pictures)

When is it Appropriate?

When is it appropriate to record a Zoom meeting? You might be wondering if this practice is ethical. There are two ways that one can record a Zoom meeting. The first way is by using the built-in recording feature on Zoom. When someone uses this native feature, everyone in the Zoom meeting can see that they are being recorded. More on this later.

However, people still have the ability to use their own screen recording software on their computer or their cell phone to record a Zoom meeting. This means that somebody can technically record a meeting without the participants being appropriately notified.

I can imagine this practice is pretty universally frowned upon. I do not recommend doing this, and I advise Zoom users to only use the built-in recording feature. Even though Zoom notifies participants in a meeting when they are being recorded, I still think it’s best practice to let the participants know on your own accord that they are being recorded. Maybe even let them know before the fact. It’s polite.

Who Can Record a Zoom Meeting?

Who actually possesses this all-mighty power of being able to record a Zoom meeting? Generally speaking, only hosts can record a meeting using the native recording feature. If someone else besides the host would like to record the meeting, the host must grant special permission to the participant for them to be able to record.

However, keep in mind as we talked about above that anyone with their own screen recording software or cell phone can record a Zoom meeting without you knowing.

How to Record a Zoom Meeting

If you are the host of the meeting or you have been given special permission from the host, recording is very easy. All you have to do is go to the bottom toolbar within your Zoom application and click on the record button as pictured below.

Are Zoom Meetings Recorded?

Once you’ve done that you will successfully begin recording. If you’d like to pause or stop the recording you will need to press the pause or stop button located in the bottom toolbar or on the top left-hand side of your window.

When recording a Zoom meeting using the built-in recording feature, there are two options. The first option is to store the recording locally on your computer’s hard drive. The second option is to store the recording in the Zoom Cloud. Saving your recordings in the Zoom Cloud will allow you to access them virtually anywhere without taking up space on your hard drive.

How Can You Tell if a Meeting is Being Recorded?

We’ve stated numerous times now that Zoom will notify participants when they are being recorded. So how exactly can you tell if a meeting is being recorded? If you’re in a meeting and it’s being recorded you will see a small red circle in the top left-hand side of the zoom window. There will also be a little bit of text to the right of the red flashing circle that says “Recording”.

Are Zoom Meetings Recorded?

When you see these two indicators in your zoom window you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your meeting is being recorded.

Why You Shouldn’t Worry

If you’re concerned that somebody is going to record you during a Zoom meeting doing something that you don’t want others to see, then don’t do it while you’re on Zoom in the first place! Remember that even though it’s only Zoom and not the physical office, you’re still at work (or school, depending).

There have been many humiliating stories that have come out over the last year or so of people doing things on Zoom meetings that they definitely did not intend for their colleagues to see. Always double-check to see that you have actually left your Zoom meeting. If you’re extra paranoid, you can even purchase one of those WebCam covers that cover your camera. This way even if you accidentally leave Zoom open, no one will be able to see you walking around your house in your underwear afterward.