MotionShineShort answer: if you are the host, click Record in the meeting toolbar and choose Record on this Computer. If you are a guest, the host has to allow it first. If you record with a Mac screen recorder instead, remember that the other people's voices are your Mac's own sound, which the built-in recorder captures only on some macOS versions. Whichever way you record, tell people before you start.
Zoom's steps come from its own help center pages "Starting a computer recording" and "Enabling or disabling computer recording", read on 18 October 2026. Neither page shows a date, so buttons can change with an update. Apple's recording facts are in the guides linked below.
Which way fits you?
| You are | Use | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| The host | Zoom's own recording, Record on this Computer | Nothing extra to install |
| A guest, and the host allows it | Zoom's own recording, after the host grants it | The host has to grant it |
| A guest, and you want your own copy with your own layout | A Mac screen recorder | It must capture your Mac's sound to get the other voices |
| Recording a call for a tutorial or demo | A recorder with an editor | A download |
Method 1: Zoom's own recording
Zoom's page says computer recording is available on a free (Basic) account or above, in the Zoom desktop app for macOS, Windows or Linux. Here is how it goes:
- Start the meeting as the host.
- In the meeting toolbar, click Record.
- If a menu appears, choose Record on this Computer.
- Open Participants to see who is recording.
- To pause, click Pause. To end, click Stop Recording.
Two details from Zoom's page. Pausing and resuming keeps one file, but stopping and starting again makes a new file. And when the meeting ends, Zoom converts the recording, then opens the folder. If the conversion is interrupted, for example by a restart, sleep or closing a laptop, the files may be corrupted and unrecoverable. Keep the Mac awake until the folder opens.
What you get
Zoom's page says the video is an MP4 named like "video1.mp4" and the audio-only file is an M4A named like "audio1.m4a". You can also turn on Record a separate audio file for each participant in Settings, then Recording, and Zoom saves one audio file per person in an Audio Record folder. Zoom's page links to the save location but gives no Mac path, and advises keeping the default folder on a local drive, because a cloud-synced, external or network folder can cause saving problems.
What it does not do
Zoom's page says computer recordings do not support separate recordings of the active speaker, the gallery view and the shared screen, and do not support audio transcription or capture reactions. Zoom points to cloud recording for those. Computer recording is also not supported on iPhone, iPad or Android.
If you are a guest: ask the host to allow it
Zoom's page says the host can give a participant permission to record from the Participants menu, under More, then Allow Record. Zoom's other page says an account admin can also let internal or external participants ask the host for permission, and can auto-approve those requests. Either way, the answer is to ask. Send the host a line before the meeting: "Could you allow recording so I can keep notes?"
Method 2: a Mac screen recorder
Any screen recorder on your Mac records what is on the screen. For a call, the question is sound, because the other people's voices come from your Mac's speakers, not your microphone.
- Your microphone only records you, and the other people are silent. This is the usual surprise with QuickTime Player and the Screenshot toolbar.
- Your Mac's sound as well records the other voices. Whether the built-in recorder can do it depends on your macOS version. The facts and the steps are in how to screen record on Mac with audio.
The built-in steps are in how to screen record on Mac: press Shift-Command-5, choose the Zoom window or the screen, pick a microphone in Options and click Record. Stop with the menu bar button or Control-Command-Esc.
If a recording is blank or has no sound, open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Screen & System Audio Recording, and check that the app is switched on.
With MotionShine
MotionShine is a free Mac screen recorder with a camera bubble, auto zoom on every click and a smooth cursor. It records your microphone and your Mac's own sound together, so the other voices are in the clip, and you set the volume of each in the editor. You can turn the webcam on before you record, and choose the display, one window or an area. That helps when the recording is a walkthrough you will share, for example showing a document in a call and explaining it.
It runs on macOS 13 and later. The free version exports up to 720p with no watermark and no time limit, and any paid plan unlocks 1080p up to 4K.
Tell people, and check the rules
Zoom shows a recording indicator in the top left corner of the meeting and a recording icon next to the name of anyone recording, according to its page. That is Zoom's own recording. A separate recorder on your Mac is a separate thing, so do not count on anyone seeing a notice: tell the group yourself at the start, and wait for a yes. Rules about recording conversations are different in different places and workplaces, and this page is not legal advice. When in doubt, ask the host or your employer.
It did not work: a short checklist
- No Record button. You are not the host, and the host has not allowed it. Ask for permission, or the admin may have turned computer recording off.
- The other people are silent in your recording. Your recorder captured only your microphone. Add the Mac's sound, using the audio guide.
- The file is missing after the meeting. Zoom may still be converting. Keep the Mac awake until the folder opens, as Zoom's page says.
- The video is blank. Check the Screen & System Audio Recording setting above.
- You hear an echo. Use headphones with a microphone.
Keep Zoom's recorder if
You are the host, or the host allows it, and you only need the meeting itself. It is free, it needs nothing extra and the host knows it is happening. Switch to a screen recorder when you want your own layout, a camera bubble, zooms or edits, or when the recording is a demo you will send on, not a copy of the meeting.
FAQ
How do I record a Zoom meeting on a Mac?
As the host, click Record, then Record on this Computer. As a guest, the host must allow it first. Or use a screen recorder, and make sure it captures your Mac's sound as well as your microphone.
Can I record a Zoom meeting on a free account?
Zoom's page says computer recording is available on a Basic (free) account or above, in the desktop app.
Where does Zoom save the recording?
In Zoom's default recording folder. Zoom's page does not give a Mac path. It advises keeping the default folder on a local drive.
Why is there no sound from the other people in my recording?
A screen recorder that only records the microphone does not record the other voices. They come out of your Mac's speakers, so you need a recorder or setting that captures your Mac's sound.
Does the other side know I am recording?
With Zoom's own recording, participants see an indicator. Do not rely on a notice from any other recorder: tell people yourself.
Can I record a Zoom meeting on my iPhone?
Zoom's page says computer recording is not supported on iPhone, iPad or Android.
