Do you ever finish an amazing Zoom call full of productive conversation, only to realize you forgot to record it? Or perhaps you did record, but now that epic brainstorm, star interview, or viral dance party is lost in a sea of video files?
If this sounds familiar, you‘re not alone. Over 300 million people are now using Zoom every day for meetings, webinars, and hangouts.
And with hybrid work becoming the norm, demand for Zoom has surged an astounding 370% since 2019.
Zoom has seen incredible growth since 2020:
| Year | Daily Meeting Participants |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 10 million |
| 2022 | over 300 million |
With so many important moments happening over Zoom, saving recordings is critical.
But if you can‘t find those videos afterwards, what‘s the point?
This guide will teach you how to easily locate recordings no matter how you save them locally or to the cloud. Follow these best practices, and you‘ll never lose track of memorable meeting moments again!
Local vs Cloud Recordings: Key Differences
Before diving in, it‘s important to understand the two main types of Zoom recordings, as the method for saving and finding them differs significantly:
Local Zoom Recordings:
- Saved directly to your device‘s hard drive
- Take up storage space on your computer
- By default, stored in Documents > Zoom folder
- Must be manually uploaded to a cloud service to share
- Only option on free Zoom plan
Cloud Recordings:
- Hosted on Zoom‘s cloud servers
- Don‘t use any local storage space
- Accessible via Zoom‘s website to view or share
- Shared viewable link, no upload needed
- Automatic with all paid Zoom plans
Average video file size per hour of HD Zoom recording:
| Quality | File Size/Hour |
|---|---|
| HD | 200 MB |
So an average team meeting will generate at least a 200 MB file – that adds up fast! For cloud recordings, you offload that storage need to Zoom.
But cloud recordings, while convenient, can lead to less control and increased cost. Let‘s compare the major pros and cons of each method:
| Local Recordings | Cloud Recordings |
|- Easier to organize in folders on device|- Accessible from anywhere with Internet|
|- Full control over storage and sharing|- Automatic uploading and sharing |
|- No ongoing subscription fees|- Subscription fees for paid Zoom plans|
|- File size limits total hours stored|- Unlimited storage on Zoom‘s cloud |
Now that you know the key differences, let‘s get into the step-by-step process for actually finding your recordings using either method.
How to Find Local Zoom Recordings
If you have local recordings saving directly to your device‘s hard drive, there are three ways to access them:
1. Zoom Website
- Log into Zoom
- Click Recordings in left menu bar
- Select Local Recordings tab
- Locate or delete videos
Tip: Only local recordings will show for free accounts
2. Zoom App
- Open Zoom app and log in
- Click Meetings
- Select Recorded tab
- View/open local recording files
3. File Explorer
- Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac)
- Navigate to Documents > Zoom folder
- Open subfolders with recording names/dates
- Double-click file to play video
I recommend mastering all three methods above to avoid any "lost" local recordings.
Pro Tip: Change default save folder from Documents to keep better organized:
- In Zoom, click profile pic > Settings
- Choose Recording > Local Recording Folder
- Select desired save location
Now let‘s go over how to access cloud-based recordings.
Finding Zoom Cloud Recordings
For Zoom plans with cloud storage, the steps are simpler as your videos automatically upload to be accessed from anywhere:
- Go to Zoom and sign in
- Click Recordings
- Choose Cloud Recordings
- View, share or delete videos
See – no digging through apps or file folders required!
Pro Tip: Share cloud recordings easily:
- From list, select recording
- Click Share icon
- Send viewable link URL to contacts
No manual uploads needed to distribute cloud videos.
Troubleshooting Missing Recordings
If you don‘t see a recent video you expected to save from an important meeting or call:
- Verify recording started – It‘s easy to forget to hit record or have setting disabled
- Check end time – Leaving early could prevent full recording from saving
- Review account limits – Free has 40-minute max session duration
- Confirm cloud recordings on – Enable auto-saving of cloud videos in settings
Also remember local vs cloud recordings have different default save locations – so be sure to check both!
Key Takeaways
Finding your Zoom recordings is easy when you know where and how they are saved. To recap:
- Local recordings take up hard drive space and require manual sharing
- Cloud recordings upload automatically for instant sharing
- Use Zoom website, desktop app, or file explorer to locate local videos
- Cloud recordings only accessible through Zoom account online
With over 300 million participants now on Zoom, saving critical meeting moments as recordings is essential.
I hope these best practices for organizing, accessing and sharing recordings help you relocate lost videos in seconds! Never miss an important call again.
Christine Smith is a technology writer specializing in software and productivity tools for both personal and professional contexts.
