So someone’s just sent you a Zoom recording link but maybe you’re not ready to watch it right now. By downloading the video you can watch it on your own time even if the link expires or you don’t have any internet connection. Here’s the breakdown of how to do exactly that.
Understanding Share Permissions
Before we roll up our sleeves, it's pretty crucial to get a grip on how sharing permissions for a Zoom recording can either be your green light or stop sign for downloading. If you've been handed a recording with just view-only access, you're basically stuck streaming it unless the sharer decides to grace you with download permissions. Moral of the story? Always double-check those share settings to ensure "downloading" is on the guest list.
Grabbing Cloud Recordings from a Shared Link
A ton of Zoom recordings find their cozy cloud space rather than sitting on your local drive. Here’s how you get them down from their cloud nine:
For the Desktop Dwellers:
- Click that shared link to bring up the recording in your browser.
- Spot the "Download" button under the video player? Click it.
- A dialog box will pop up. Here, you can choose to "Open" for an immediate watch or "Save" to store it on your device. Opting for "Save"? Decide where this MP4 file should live and confirm by clicking "Save" again.
- And just like that, you’ve downloaded a piece of the cloud.
On the Go with Mobile:
- Tap on the shared link, which should open up in the Zoom mobile app.
- Tap the three dots in the top right for more options, and select "Save to device."
- Your recording will now make a soft landing as an MP4 file in your Photos app. Pretty slick, right?
Downloading Locally Recorded Zoom Meetings
Got a recording that’s saved locally rather than on cloud nine? The approach shifts a bit.
Desktop Method:
- Click the shared link to access the recording.
- Click "Download" right below the video preview.
- A window will show up, pointing you to the folder where the Zoom files are partying. Copy this path.
- Head over to your file explorer, paste the path in the navigation bar, and voila! You should see the folder containing all the goodies. Copy this entire folder somewhere safe on your computer, and you've essentially downloaded the recording.
Mobile Users:
- Unfortunately, the mobile app doesn’t play ball with locally recorded meetings for direct downloads. Stick to the desktop method for a smooth experience.
Troubleshooting Common Download Dilemmas
Sometimes, the road to downloading isn’t as smooth as we’d like:
- Permissions Error: Double-check those sharing settings to make sure downloading is enabled.
- Page MIA: The recording might have been deleted or the share link revoked. Time to nudge the sharer for a new link.
- Recording Folder Playing Hide and Seek: Ensure you're copying the exact file path from the Zoom prompt.
- Video Shy of Playing: If the downloaded file is throwing a tantrum and won’t play, try downloading it again or opting for an MP3 format if it's just the audio you're after.
If all else fails, reaching out to the person who shared the recording is your best bet.
Never lose a meeting recording again with Claap
If the idea of recording your meetings, downloading files, buying video editing software, exporting files, uploading them, organizing them seems like too much work, try Claap’s all-in-one video solution.
Record all your meetings automatically, create quick async video updates in two clicks, and store all your videos in customizable channels all from a Chrome extension in your browser.
- Connect Claap to your calendar: Once you’ve logged into Claap, connect with your Zoom, Google or Outlook calendar so all your meetings will be recorded automatically and uploaded to your Claap workspace.
- Find your recording: All your recordings will be automatically saved into your Claap account. You can find your most recent claaps in the “My library” section.
- Trim your video: Click on the trim button to open the editing suite and cut out the parts of the video you don’t want to keep. You can even delete parts of the transcript to make that part disappear.
- Share it with your team: You can also configure your meetings so certain meetings are saved into appropriate folders inside your Claap workspace. These can then be connected to Notion or Hubspot so all your recordings are shared to your everyday tools.
When you record your meetings with Claap, they’re automatically saved into your workspace. You can configure your setting so any meeting recordings go into your “Watch Later” channel. You can even use speaker analytics to track who in your team has and hasn’t seen it.
In Conclusion…
So, what have we learned?
- Make sure you've got the green light with download-enabled sharing permissions.
- Cloud recordings can be smoothly downloaded as MP4 files, both on desktop and mobile, while locally recorded meetings ask for a bit more elbow grease.
- Run into snags? Troubleshooting steps or a friendly chat with the sharer can get you back on track.
- And if you're looking to up your Zoom game, Claap is the sidekick you didn’t know you needed, revolutionizing how you interact with your recorded meetings.
Armed with this knowledge, you're now set to tackle the world of Zoom recordings, ensuring you keep those important meetings and training sessions right at your fingertips, ready for a rewatch anytime.
