MotionShineShort answer: use the meeting app's own Record button first. In Zoom the host clicks Record, then Record on this Computer. In Teams you choose More actions, then Record. In Google Meet you choose Meeting tools, then Recording, then Start recording. Slack huddles have no recording button on the help page we read. If the app will not let you record, a Mac screen recorder works, but it must capture your Mac's own sound or the other people will be silent.
Facts about each app come from that maker's own help page, read on 24 October 2026: Zoom's "Starting a computer recording", Microsoft's "Record a meeting in Microsoft Teams", Google's "Record a video meeting" and Slack's huddles help article. None of them shows a publish date, so menus can change with an update. Apple facts come from Apple Support. Where a page does not say something, this post says "not found". It is a guide to what the pages say, not a hands-on test of each app.
The four apps side by side
| App | Who can record | Where to click | Where the file goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom | The host, or a participant the host allows. Free (Basic) accounts and up, in the desktop app | Record, then Record on this Computer | The default Zoom recording folder on your computer. The page gives no Mac path |
| Microsoft Teams | People in the organizer's organization who have a qualifying license and admin permission. Guests, other organizations and anonymous users cannot | More actions, then Record | The organizer's OneDrive for Business, and the meeting chat or channel |
| Google Meet | The host, with a Google Workspace admin having turned recording on, plus some co-hosts and teachers. Computer or Android only | Meeting tools, then Recording, then Start recording | The organizer's Google Drive, in a "Google Meet" folder |
| Slack huddles | Recording: not found. Live captions can be turned on | Not found for recording | Captions "will not be saved once the huddle ends" |
Zoom
Zoom's page says computer recording works on a free account, in the Zoom desktop app for macOS, Windows or Linux. The steps:
- Start the meeting as the host.
- In the meeting controls, click Record.
- If a menu appears, choose Record on this Computer.
- Open Participants to see who is recording.
An indicator shows in the top-left corner while it records. To pause or stop, use the buttons at the bottom or click the indicator. Zoom says pausing and resuming writes to the same file, while stopping and starting again makes a new one.
If you are a guest, the host has to allow it. Zoom's page says the host opens Participants, clicks More next to a name and chooses Allow Record. To take it back, choose Forbid Record.
Two warnings from Zoom. After the meeting ends, Zoom converts the recording and then opens the folder. Restarting, shutting down, sleeping the disk or closing a laptop during that step can corrupt the files permanently, so keep the Mac awake until the folder opens. And computer recordings cannot separately record the active speaker, the gallery view and the shared screen, and they have no audio transcription. Zoom points to cloud recording for those. The full walkthrough is in how to record a Zoom meeting on Mac, and best Zoom recording software for Mac compares the options.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft's page says only some people can start or stop a recording, and the organizer must have the cloud recording policy turned on. A person needs a qualifying license (it names Office 365 Enterprise E1, E3 or E5 and Microsoft 365 Business Premium as examples), recording turned on by an IT admin, and to be in the organizer's organization. Guests, people from other organizations and anonymous users cannot record.
The desktop steps:
- Start or join the meeting.
- Select More actions, then Record.
- Choose your spoken language and what to record, then select Confirm.
For audio only, choose Audio only in the "Choose what to record" menu first. To stop, select More actions, then Recording, and choose Recording to stop the recording and live transcription, or Transcribing to stop only the transcription.
Microsoft says one person can record at a time and that everyone is notified automatically when a recording starts. The recording is saved to the organizer's OneDrive for Business and appears in the meeting chat or channel.
Google Meet
Google's page says a Google Workspace admin must first turn on recording for your account. You can record if the host has recording permission and you are the host, a co-host promoted from outside the host's organization, or a teacher or co-teacher in a Google Classroom meeting. Education accounts differ by edition, and Google lists them one by one. You can only record on a computer or an Android device.
The steps on a computer:
- Click Start or Join in Google Meet.
- Click Meeting tools, then Recording. You can choose a caption language here.
- Click Start recording, then Start in the pop-up.
To stop, go to Meeting tools, then Recording, then Stop recording, and confirm. Google says recording stops by itself after 8 hours or when everyone leaves. The file goes to the organizer's Google Drive in a "Google Meet" folder, with a sub-folder for each meeting, and an email with the link goes to the organizer and the person who started the recording. Google also says participants get a notification when recording starts or stops, and that admins can require explicit consent before features such as Record or Transcribe. That setting is off by default.
Slack huddles
Slack's huddles help article does not mention recording. That is not found, and it does not prove there is none, so check your own plan. What the article does say: live captions can be turned on from the huddle's actions menu, they are only in English, and they "will not be saved once the huddle ends". Each huddle has a message thread for notes, links and files, and a canvas for meeting notes. The article links to a guide on using AI to take notes in a huddle but does not explain which plans include it. It also says free huddles are limited to two participants, and paid plans allow up to 50.
If you need the audio of a huddle, the usual route is a Mac screen recorder, described next, with everyone's agreement.
When the app will not let you record
You are a guest, your account has no recording license, or the app has no Record button at all. The fallback is a screen recorder that runs on your Mac. It records what you can see and hear on your Mac, so the host's permission is not what makes it work. Two things decide whether it is any good.
1. The other voices. In a meeting, the other people's voices come from your Mac's speakers, not your microphone. A recorder that only captures your microphone records you and silence. Our Mac audio guide lists which Macs and macOS versions let the built-in recorder capture the Mac's sound, and how to record computer audio on Mac without a plugin has the options. Use headphones with a microphone so the speakers do not leak into your own mic and cause an echo. That is general advice.
2. Permission. If the clip is blank, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Screen & System Audio Recording, and turn the app on. That is Apple's setting for letting an app record the screen and audio.
The built-in steps are Shift-Command-5, choose the window or the screen, pick your microphone in Options and click Record. How to screen record on Mac lists every setting.
Tell people and check the rules
Zoom, Teams and Meet announce their own recording to the group. A recorder running on your own Mac is separate, so nobody sees a notice. Tell the group at the start and wait for a yes. Rules about recording conversations differ by country, state and workplace, and this page is not legal advice. When in doubt, ask the host or your employer. Never save a recording you were not allowed to make, and keep it somewhere private, since a meeting can contain other people's names, numbers and screens.
A cleaner copy for demos and walkthroughs
A recording of a meeting is a record. A recording of a walkthrough you give inside a meeting is a video people will watch, and that wants zooms, a clean cursor and a trim. MotionShine, by the maker of this site, is a free Mac screen recorder with auto zoom, a smooth cursor and an editor. It records your display, one window or an area, along with your microphone and your Mac's sound. It is not the tool to pick if you just need the host's official copy of a meeting: use the app's own Record button for that. The free version exports up to 720p at 30 fps with no watermark and no time limit.
Quick fixes
- No Record button. You are not the host, or an admin turned it off. Ask for permission.
- No sound from the others. Your recorder only took the microphone. Add the Mac's sound.
- Missing file after a Zoom meeting. Zoom may still be converting. Keep the Mac awake.
- Blank video. Check the Screen & System Audio Recording setting above.
- File too big to send. The free video compressor shrinks it in your browser, and how to compress a video on Mac explains the choices.
FAQ
How do I record a meeting on a Mac?
Use the meeting app's own Record button if you are allowed to. If not, record the screen with a Mac screen recorder that also captures your Mac's sound.
Can I record a Zoom, Teams or Google Meet meeting if I am not the host?
Only if the app allows it. Zoom needs the host to choose Allow Record for you. Teams needs a qualifying license, admin permission and membership of the organizer's organization. Google Meet needs recording enabled by an admin and a role the page allows.
Can you record a Slack huddle?
Recording was not found on Slack's huddles help article. It does describe live captions, which are not saved after the huddle ends.
Do other people know when I record?
With the app's own recording, yes: Zoom shows an indicator, Teams notifies everyone and Google Meet notifies participants. A separate screen recorder gives no notice, so tell the group yourself.
Is it legal to record a meeting?
It depends on where you and the other people are and on your workplace rules. This is not legal advice. Ask for consent first.
Where do the recordings go?
Zoom saves to a folder on your computer, Teams to the organizer's OneDrive for Business and Google Meet to the organizer's Google Drive.
