.webp)
Table of contents:
Key takeaways:
- To record a Google Meet, you need to have a Google Workspace plan, and have recording enabled on your account. Recording is only available on desktop.
- You can also record a Google meet using screen recording software, but with some limitations.
- Riverside lets you host virtual meetings for free, in high quality, on both desktop and mobile.
Are you struggling to record a Google Meet? While Google Meet events can be recorded, how you do it depends on your account type, permissions, and device.
Here we’ll walk you through how to record a Google Meet step by step, and share the best ways to capture high-resolution meetings on any device.
Let’s do this!
Can you record a Google Meet?
You can record a Google Meet using the tool’s built-in recording function, but only if certain conditions are met. In particular, you’ll need:
- A desktop or laptop (recording is not available on mobile.)
- An eligible subscription: Individual, Business, Essentials, Education or Enterprise Google Workspace plans, or a Google One subscription with 2TB+ of storage.
- The right permissions: You must be the meeting host or co-host. The host can promote other meeting participants to co-hosts.
- If you have an organizational account: Your Google Workspace administrator must enable recording features in the Admin console.
- Google Drive must be active for the meeting organizer: Recordings are saved directly to their Drive, and won’t start if Drive is disabled or out of space.
If any of these elements are missing, you won’t be able to record using Google Meet’s built-in feature. However, there are other options for recording the meeting, which we’ll cover later on.
How to check if you can record a Google Meet
Not sure whether you can record a Google Meet or what you should do next?
Here’s how to check your setup:
Step 1: Go to Google Meet on your computer and select “New meeting.”
Step 2: Select “Start an instant meeting.”
Step 3: Click the three dots menu or the Activities menu (circle, square and triangle).
If it shows “Recording is unavailable”, your plan may not support recording.
If it says “You don’t have permission”, your Workspace administrator may need to enable recording.
How to enable a Google Meet recording as the admin
If you’re a Google Workspace admin, here’s how to enable recording in your organization:
Step 1: Sign in the Google Admin console using your administrator account.
Step 2: Navigate to Menu > Apps > Google Workspace > Google Meet.
Step 3: Click on “Meet video settings.”
Step 4: Click on “Recording.”
Step 5: Check the box labeled “Let people record their meetings.”
Step 6: Click “Save.” It can take up to 24 hours for changes to take effect.
How to record Google Meet: Step by step
Now that you have everything in place to record, here’s how to start recording a Google Meet step by step.
Step 1: Go to Google Meet to start a meeting,or join the event directly from your Google Calendar. If prompted, enable your microphone and camera.
Step 2: Wait for your participants to join, or invite them by sharing your meeting link.
Step 3: Click “Activities” (circle square and triangle) or “More” (ellipses). The recording menu location depends on your Google account.
Step 4: Select “Recording.” Here you can activate automatic captions and a transcript (in English only).
Step 5: Click “Start Recording.” A prompt will appear reminding you to obtain consent from all participants. Confirm by clicking “Start.”
A red recording icon will appear in the top-left corner, alerting all participants that the meeting is being recorded.
Step 6: To stop recording, click the red recording button in the top left of your screen, and then “Stop recording.”
The recording will also end automatically when all participants have left the meeting.
Accessing your Google Meet recordings
The recording will be saved to the meeting organizer’s Google Drive, in a folder called Meet Recordings. An email with the recording link will also be sent to the meeting organizer and the person who started the recording.
Depending on the length of the meeting, the recording may take time to process. If it’s not available in Google Drive,. just wait for the confirmation email before trying to access it.
How to record a Google Meet using your device’s native recorder
Don’t have a Workspace account or the right permissions? No problem. You can still record your Google Meet using screen recording software.
Here’s how to do it on PC, Mac, and mobile devices.
How to Record Google Meet on Windows PC
If you’re on Windows, your best option is to record directly with the built-in Xbox Game Bar screen recorder. It comes pre-installed on most Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices.
Here’s how to record a Google session on a Windows PC:
Step 1: Open your Google Meet event and select the window it’s using.
Step 2: Open Xbox Game Bar from the apps in your Start Menu, or press Windows + G.
Step 3: In the Game Bar overlay, click on the “Settings” icon. Under the “Capturing” section, select “All” to capture all system sounds, including meeting audio.
Step 4: Start or join your Google Meet event.
Step 5: In the “Capture” widget (camera icon), click the “Start Recording” button (a circle icon or press Windows + Alt + R to begin recording immediately.
Step 6: To stop recording, click the “Stop Recording” button or press Windows + Alt + R again.
You can find your video recordings in the Videos folder of your Windows system directory.
How to record Google Meet on Mac
Modern Macs come with a native screen recording feature that works perfectly to record a Google Meet call.
Follow these steps to record Google Meet videos on your Mac:
Step 1: Press and hold the Command + Shift + 5 keys on your keyboard to open the scree recording controls.
Step 2: Select “Record a single window” and choose the one you are using for your meeting.
Step 3: Click “Record” to start recording.
Step 4: Click the “Stop” button to end the recording.
Step 5: A thumbnail of your recording will appear on your screen. Click on it to select where to save the file.
How to record Google meet on your phone
Both iPhone or Android have built-in tools you can use to record a Google Meet.
Let’s take a look at how to do that on both Android and iPhone.
How to record Google Meet on Android phones
Most Android devices running Android 11 or later come with a built-in screen recording feature. Here's how to use it:
Step 1: Swipe down to open the Quick Settings panel and find the Screen Recorder app.
Step 2: Configure your recording settings. Choose “Record one app” and under Record audio choose “Device audio and microphone.”
Step 3: You will be prompted to select an app. Choose Google Meet.
Step 4: As soon as you do this, your recording will begin after a 3-second countdown. Start your Google Meet event.
Step 4: Join your Google Meet event.
Step 5: To stop the recording, tap the red recording button in the top left of your screen and then “Stop recording.”
The video will be saved to your device's gallery or photos app, usually under Screen Recordings.
How to record Google Meet on iPhone
iPhones also have a built-in screen recording feature you can use to overcome Google Meet’s mobile recording limitations.
Just follow these step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Open “Settings” and select “Control Center”.
Step 2: Locate “Screen Recording” and tap on the “+” next to it to add it to your Control Center.
Step 3: Go back to the Home screen and open your “Control Center.”
Step 4: Press and hold the “Record” button.
Step 6: Choose where your downloaded file will save after recording. Tap the Microphone icon to turn it on.
Step 7: Tap on “Start Recording.” Your video screen will be recorded after the countdown.
Step 8: Open the Google Meet app to join your meeting.
Step 9: To stop the recording, tap the red status bar at the top of your screen and confirm by tapping “Stop.” The video will be saved to your Photos app.
Note: iOS's screen recording feature captures audio from the microphone, not directly from the app. This means you may not capture other participants' voices unless they are audible through your iPhone's speakers and picked up by the microphone.
You can use Speaker Mode during your call to help here, although overall audio quality will be impacted. A simple alternative is to use Riverside’s mobile app to capture your call in high quality (it’s free).
Google Meet recording troubleshooting tips
Can’t get your Google Meet recording to work? Here are some common problems — and how to fix them.
Problem: Can’t record a Google Meet
- You don’t have a Google Workspace Account that supports recording. → Upgrade to a Google Workspace plan that includes recording. You could also use screen recording software or move your call to Riverside toinvite up to 9 guests with a simple link (no downloads required) and record for free.
- Your Google Workspace Admin hasn’t enabled recording on your account. → Ask your admin to enable recording.
- You aren’t the meeting host or co-host. → Ask the meeting host to make you a co-host.
- The meeting organizer’s Google Drive is inactive or full. → Ask the meeting organizer to activate their Drive or clean up some space.
Problem: Can’t find my Google Meet recording
- Google hasn’t processed the recording yet. → Longer recordings can take a while to be processed. When the recording is ready, it will appear in the meeting organizer’s Google Drive in a folder called “Meet Recordings.”
- You aren’t the meeting organizer. → The recording is automatically saved to the meeting organizer's Google Drive in the Meet Recordings folder. An email containing the recording link is sent to both the meeting organizer and the individual who initiated the recording.
Problem: Google Meet recording won't save
- You don’t have adequate storage space in Drive. → Verify that there's adequate storage available in the organizer's Drive.
- Meeting was accidentally stopped or terminated. → If a meeting ends abruptly without properly stopping the recording, it might not save correctly. When this happens the recording could be lost or take longer to process.
Problem: There’s no audio in the Google Meet recording
- Your microphone is muted or incorrectly configured. → Check Google Meet settings (three-dot menu > Settings > Audio) to ensure the correct mic is selected and unmuted. You can also test your mic using our Mic Test.
- Your screen recorder needs to be reconfigured. → Screen recorders like the Xbox Game Bar don’t capture audio by default. Check the settings to ensure audio is set up to capture system sounds, app audio, and microphone input.
FAQs on recording Google Meet
Can you legally record a Google Meet?
In the United States, it’s generally legal to record a conversation if at least one party consents to recording it. In a few states, however, all participants have to consent to a recording.
If you are recording directly through Google Meet, every participant will be notified that they are being recorded, so consent is taken care of. If you are using external recording software, always inform and get consent from all participants..
Can you record on Google Meet for free?
No. Recording requires a Google Workspace subscription. These plans start at $18/month.
How to record with audio on Google Meet?
Google Meet records audio and video together — you can’t record audio only.
If you want to record audio only (in high quality), you could use Riverside. You’ll get separate audio and video tracks after the recording, so you can easily download one, the other, or both.
Can you record Google Meet without showing participants?
Yes. If you don’t want to show participants in your Google Meet, just turn everyone’s cameras off and the recording will show only their profile pictures or initials. During the recording, these static images are shown when the person speaks. You could also share a presentation or slides during the recording to minimize participant visibility.
How do I know if Google Meet is recorded?
When the recording starts, a red recording button will appear in the top left of each participant’s screen. However, if someone is using an external screen-recording software, nobody will know that the meeting is being recorded.
How do I allow someone to record my Google Meet?
Recording in Google Meet is available for specific Google Workspace editions: Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise, Education Plus, and Teaching and Learning Upgrade. The Google Admin must enable “Let people record their meetings” under “Meeting video settings.” (We covered how to do this above).
If recording is enabled, the host can assign recording privileges to another person in the meeting by making them a co-host. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Start or join your Google Meet session.
Step 2: Click on the “Host controls” icon (shield with a lock) at the bottom right.
Step 3: Under "Host management," click “Co-hosts.”
Step 4: Enter the participant's name or email address to assign them as a co-host.
If you prefer not to assign co-hosts, you can disable Host Management entirely, allowing participants from your organization to record:
Step 1: Click on the “Host controls” icon.
Step 2: Switch off the “Host management” setting.
Note: With Host Management disabled, any participant from your organization can start/stop recording.
