How do I record my screen with Zoom meeting with audio?

Zoom has become one of the most popular video conferencing platforms, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many schools, businesses, and organizations now rely on Zoom for online meetings, classes, events, and more. An important feature in Zoom is the ability to record your meetings, with both video and audio, for future reference or to share with others unable to attend the live session.

This guide will walk through the steps for recording your Zoom meetings with audio from your computer, mobile device, or web browser. We’ll cover the prerequisites, how to start and stop recordings, select audio options, use recording controls, locate the indicator, save your recordings, and share them with others. By the end, you’ll understand the complete process for capturing your Zoom sessions with video and audio.

Prerequisites

In order to record a Zoom meeting with audio, you need to have Zoom installed as well as a Zoom account. The latest version of Zoom should be installed on your computer or device. You can download Zoom for free from the Zoom website (https://zoom.us/download). Zoom is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android devices that meet the system requirements.

Once Zoom is installed, you will need to create a free Zoom account if you don’t already have one. Signing up for a Zoom account is free and only takes a minute. You’ll need to provide your email address and set a password. Having a Zoom account allows you to host meetings and have access to all the Zoom features needed for recording, including cloud recording storage.

So in summary, have the latest version of Zoom installed and a Zoom account in order to get set up for recording your Zoom meetings.

Setting up Zoom

Before you can record a Zoom meeting, you need to enable permission to record locally in your Zoom settings. Here’s how to do it:

Open the Zoom desktop client and click on your profile picture in the top right corner.
Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
Navigate to the “Recording” tab in the settings.

Under “Local Recording”, make sure the box is checked for “Allow hosts to record the meeting locally.”
You can also check the box for “Record active speaker with shared screen” if you want the active speaker’s video to be recorded when sharing your screen.

By enabling local recording in your settings, you’re giving yourself permission to record Zoom meetings on your local computer. Just be sure to notify meeting participants that you intend to record the session.

For more details, refer to Zoom’s guide on enabling local recording.

Starting the recording

To start recording a Zoom meeting, you first need to locate the record button. The record button can be found at the bottom of the Zoom window once a meeting has started. On desktop, the record button is a circle icon with a small square inside it, located in the bottom toolbar. On mobile, tap the “More” icon in the toolbar to expand it, and the record button will be visible.

By default, the record button is only available to the meeting host. If you are not the host, you will need to request recording permissions from the host in order to access the record button. The host can enable recording for all participants through the web portal settings prior to the meeting.

According to the Zoom support documentation, the record button may be missing for some users, especially on mobile devices (1). If you don’t see the record button as the host, try updating your Zoom app or clearing the cache and data. You can also check your account settings in the Zoom web portal (2).

Sources:

(1) https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115001777826-No-Record-Button-in-the-Meeting

(2) https://www.instaminutes.com/blog/why-no-record-button-on-zoom

Audio Options

Zoom allows you to choose which microphone and speaker devices to use during your meeting. This is important to ensure high-quality audio.

To select your audio devices in Zoom, click the ^ arrow next to the microphone icon at the bottom left corner of the Zoom window. This will open the audio settings menu. Under “Microphone” you can choose which microphone you want Zoom to use from the drop-down menu. Do the same under “Speaker” to select which speaker or headphones Zoom should use.

You can test that you’ve selected the right microphone by clicking “Test Mic” in the audio settings menu. Speak into your microphone and Zoom will play back the audio so you can verify it is working properly. Click the blue “Test Speaker” button to play a test tone through your selected speaker device.

In addition to choosing devices, you can also adjust the microphone and speaker volume levels in the audio settings menu. Move the slider bars to increase or decrease the volumes. Getting these levels right ensures you and other participants can hear each other clearly during your Zoom meeting.

Recording controls

Once you start recording your Zoom meeting, you will see the recording controls at the top of your Zoom window. These allow you to pause, resume, and stop the recording as needed.¹ The main recording controls are:

Pause – Click this to temporarily pause the recording. The button will change to Resume.
Resume – Click this to resume a paused recording.
Stop – Click this to end the recording entirely.

Pausing the recording allows you to take a break or stop recording sensitive information, while still resuming the same recording file. Stopping the recording will end the recording and save it as a single file. Once stopped, you cannot resume again.

Using the recording controls strategically allows you to have full control over your Zoom meeting recording. Pause whenever you need to discuss something privately or take a break. Resume when you are ready to continue recording the public parts of your meeting. Then stop the recording when your full meeting has ended.

Recording indicator

To know if the Zoom meeting is being recorded, look for a recording indicator in the top-left corner of the Zoom window. According to the Penn State University Media Commons, “A recording indicator will appear in the top left of the meeting window” (https://mediacommons.psu.edu/2017/01/11/recording-a-zoom-audio-meeting/). The University of South Australia also notes that “At the top left of the screen you will see an indicator that the session is being recorded” (https://asklearnonline.unisa.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/2231/~/zoom%3A-recording).

The recording indicator is a small icon that shows a circle with a dot in the middle. When you see this icon, it means Zoom is recording the meeting. The indicator serves as a visual confirmation that recording is actively happening.

Saving the recording

After you finish your Zoom meeting, the recording will process and convert to an MP4 file. You can find your Zoom recordings in a few places:

On Windows, recordings are saved by default to C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\Zoom. On Mac, they go to /Users/USERNAME/Documents/Zoom.

You can also find recordings by going to the Zoom web portal and clicking “Recordings” in the left sidebar. This shows all recordings associated with your account.

The Zoom desktop app has a “Meetings” tab that contains all local recordings from your Zoom sessions. Click on a recording to open the folder containing the MP4 file.

Finally, when you end a Zoom meeting, a dialog box appears allowing you to open the folder containing your recording file. This is the quickest way to access the MP4.

The key is knowing where Zoom saves recordings by default on your computer. You can then easily navigate to the folder, open it and find the MP4 file for your most recent Zoom meeting.

Sharing the recording

Once you have finished recording your Zoom meeting, there are a few options for sharing the recording with others:

You can share a link to the recording. To get a shareable link, open the Zoom web portal and go to the Cloud Recordings tab. Click on the recording you want to share, then click the Share button and copy the URL (Source). This will let anyone view the recording if they have the link.

You can also download the recording as a file to your computer, then share or upload that file wherever you need. In the Cloud Recordings tab, click on the recording and select Download (Source). You can then email the file, upload to a website, etc.

For added security, you can password protect your cloud recordings so only those with the password can view them. In the Zoom web portal, click on a cloud recording and select Enable Password Protection. Set a password and then share that with viewers (Source).

Conclusion

In summary, recording your Zoom meeting with audio is easily accomplished by enabling local or cloud recording from the main Zoom interface. Zoom provides multiple options for configuring audio from different devices, such as your computer’s microphone, external USB mic, dial-in phone audio, or even your computer audio playback. With the recording indicator showing during the meeting, meeting participants can clearly see that the Zoom session is being recorded. Saving and sharing recordings only takes a few clicks once the session ends.

Here are some additional tips for best practices:

Use a wired internet connection whenever possible for the most reliable recording quality.
Test your audio devices before an important meeting to ensure proper levels and reduce echos or feedback.

Inform participants at the start of the meeting that recording is taking place.
Store confidential meeting recordings securely if sensitive information is discussed.