Guides / Recording calls and meetings

Where do Zoom recordings go on a Mac?

Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.

Zoom saves a local recording on a Mac into a Zoom folder inside your Documents folder, in a sub-folder named after the meeting date and topic, once the meeting ends and the file has been converted. The exact path is shown in the Zoom client under Settings > Recording. Cloud recordings are not on the Mac at all; they live in the Zoom web portal. If the host disabled recording, a system audio recorder such as AirCheck is the fallback.

Where do Zoom recordings go on a Mac?

There are two kinds, and they go to different places.

• Local recording ("Record to computer"). The Zoom client writes into the folder shown in Zoom > Settings > Recording under Store my recordings at. By default that is a folder named Zoom inside your Documents folder, ~/Documents/Zoom, and each meeting gets its own sub-folder named with the date, time and meeting topic. Zoom describes computer recording as recording "video, shared content, audio files, chat messages, and closed captions" on the device, so a finished sub-folder holds a video file and a separate audio file.
• Cloud recording. Nothing is written to the Mac. The host finds it in the Recordings section of the Zoom web portal and shares a link. If you were a participant and the host recorded to the cloud, there is no file on your Mac to search for.

The quickest check: open the Zoom client, go to Settings > Recording, and click Open next to the path. If the folder is empty, the recording was cloud, or conversion did not finish; see below.

How do you find a Zoom recording on a Mac step by step?

1. Open the Zoom desktop client and sign in.
2. Click your profile picture > Settings > Recording. The path under Store my recordings at is where every local recording of this Mac goes. Click Open to jump there in Finder.
3. In Finder, press Shift-Command-G and paste ~/Documents/Zoom if you kept the default.
4. Sort by Date Modified; each meeting is a sub-folder.
5. If nothing is there, press Command-Space and search for zoom_0.mp4 or audio_only, which are the file names Zoom uses.

If you changed the path to a cloud-synced folder such as Dropbox or iCloud Drive, look there and consider moving it back: Zoom converts the recording after the meeting, and a syncing folder can interfere with that step. Tested on macOS 26.4.1 with the Zoom client; the Settings location may move in future versions, but the Recording tab has kept its name.

Why is my Zoom recording missing or still converting?

• Conversion did not run. Zoom writes raw data during the meeting and converts it when the meeting ends. If you quit Zoom or shut the Mac before that finished, the sub-folder contains a .zoom file instead of an .mp4. Open Zoom and double-click that file to start conversion again.
• You were not allowed to record. Zoom's computer recording setting lets account admins decide "Who can request host permission to record?" and whether internal or external participants may start computer recording automatically. If you saw no Record button, the host or their admin did not grant it, and there is nothing to find.
• The host recorded to the cloud. No file on your Mac; ask for the link.
• The path changed. Settings > Recording shows the current one.
• Disk full mid-meeting. Zoom stops writing; the partial file may not convert.

None of these is a macOS fault. macOS permissions matter only for Zoom's screen share and microphone, not for where the file lands.

How do you get audio only from a Zoom recording on a Mac?

Three cases:

1. You have a local recording. The meeting sub-folder already contains a separate audio file alongside the video, because Zoom's computer recording stores audio files as part of the set. Use that.
2. You only have an .mp4 (downloaded from the cloud or shared by the host). Extract the track; the free ways are in how to extract audio from a video file on a Mac.
3. You could not record at all. Capture the meeting's system audio while it happens. On macOS 14 or newer AirCheck does that through ScreenCaptureKit, no virtual driver, into ~/Music/AirCheck: a one-hour meeting is 0.14 GB as MP3 320 kbps or 0.97 GB as 24-bit 48 kHz WAV. It contains what the Mac plays, so every other participant, and not your own microphone. The full procedure is on record Zoom audio on a Mac.

What if the host has disabled recording in Zoom?

Then the Record button never appears for you, and no Mac setting changes that; the control sits in the host's account. You have three honest options. Ask the host to record and share, or to grant you permission; Zoom's setting can auto-approve such requests if the admin allowed it. Record the audio locally with a system audio recorder, knowing that Zoom notifies nobody and the file lacks your own voice. Or take notes. If you record locally, say so in the meeting first: Zoom's own recorder shows a recording indicator to everyone, a local capture shows nothing, and the consent rules quoted in is it legal to record a call on a Mac apply regardless of the tool. For the related case where the meeting is a webinar and you are an attendee, see how to record a webinar on a Mac.

This feature allows hosts and participants to record meetings directly on their devices.

Zoom, Enabling or disabling computer recording

Where each kind of Zoom recording ends up on a Mac (Sept 2026)

Default local path as shown in the Zoom client on the tested Mac; check Settings > Recording on yours.

Where AirCheck fits

AirCheck is the fallback when the host will not or cannot let you record: it captures the Zoom app's output through ScreenCaptureKit on macOS 14 or newer, with no BlackHole and nothing in Audio MIDI Setup, and saves a WAV or 320 kbps MP3 to ~/Music/AirCheck with the date and time in the name. $39 once, 14-day refund. It never contains your own microphone, so it suits meetings where you listen more than you talk.

When you do not need it: If you can press Record in Zoom, do that: the local recording gives you video, a separate audio file and everyone's voices including yours, and it shows a recording indicator to all participants. AirCheck adds nothing in that case.

Questions people ask

How do I find Zoom recordings on my Mac?

Open Zoom > Settings > Recording and click Open next to Store my recordings at. The default is a Zoom folder in Documents, one sub-folder per meeting. Cloud recordings are not on the Mac; find them in the Zoom web portal.

Why is Zoom not giving me the option to record?

Recording is controlled by the host and their account admin. Zoom's setting decides who can request host permission to record and whether participants may start computer recording. If the button is missing, ask the host or record the audio locally.

Can I record Zoom audio only on a Mac?

Yes. A local Zoom recording already includes a separate audio file. Without recording rights, a system audio recorder such as AirCheck captures the meeting audio you hear, at 0.14 GB per hour as MP3, without your own microphone.

How do I convert a Zoom recording that did not finish?

Open the meeting's sub-folder in ~/Documents/Zoom and double-click the .zoom file with the Zoom client running; Zoom converts it into the usual video and audio files. Keep the recording folder on the local disk, not in a syncing folder.

Sources

• Zoom: Enabling or disabling computer recording
• Zoom: Roles in Zoom Webinars

Related guides

• How to record a webinar on a Mac
• How to record a Teams meeting on a Mac
• How to extract audio from a video file on a Mac
• Is it legal to record a call on a Mac?
• How to record a FaceTime call on a Mac
• How to record a Google Meet on a Mac without being the host
• Recording calls and meetings: all guides
• Every guide, by topic