Can you record a Google Meet?

Yes, it’s possible to record a Google Meet meeting natively—but not for everyone. Google limits the recording feature to users with these Google Workspace editions:

• Workspace Individual Subscriber
• Google One subscribers (with 2 TB or more storage space)
• Business Standard and Plus 
• Essentials, Enterprise Essentials, and Enterprise Essentials Plus 
• Education Plus and users with Teaching and Learning Upgrade license
• Enterprise Standard and Plus

Before recording the meeting, check whether you’re using one of these Workspace accounts and if your Workspace administrator has enabled the recording feature. If the answer is no, read on for other solutions.

Here’s how to check: 

Step 1: Open Google Meet on a computer. 

Step 2: Select “New Meeting”. 

💡Note: You can also set up or start a new Google Meet video meeting from Gmail, Google Calendar (unavailable for Essentials Workspace users), Google Chat (mobile devices only), or a scheduling system with the Google Meet option.

Step 3: Select “Start an instant meeting”.

Step 4: Check whether the Record button is available. 

If you’re on the free plan (a free Gmail account with no Workspace), the recording feature will be grayed out. 

If your Workspace meets Google’s requirements for recording Google Meet calls and the recording feature is unavailable, ask your Workspace administrator to turn on Meet recording before the meeting starts.

If you’re a Google Workspace administrator and manage Google Meet for your business or organization, follow these steps to allow meeting recording:

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console using your administrator account.
2. Check if the recording option is available on your Workspace account.
3. Ensure the users have Google Drive and Google Docs turned on to save and access Google Meet recordings.
4. Select Menu > Apps > Google Workspace > Google Meet in the Admin console.
5. Select Meet video settings. To apply the setting for certain users, select a child organizational unit or configuration group. To apply for everyone, select the top organizational unit selected.
6. Click Recording and check the Let people record their meetings box.
7. Select Save.

💡Note: The changes can take up to 24 hours to effect. 

Google’s recording requirements impact Google Meet meeting participants, too. You can’t record a Google Meet call if:

• You’re not a meeting host or co-host
• You’re in a breakout room
• The recording option is turned off for all or specific participants 
• You join only to present while already in a video conference room
• The meeting was created on a conference room device
• The meeting was generated by another process like a Chrome plugin

With that out of the way, let’s look at the device-based steps to record a Google Meet meeting.

How to record a Google Meet meeting on any device

When using the built-in recording feature, you can only record Google Meet calls on a computer. 

If you’re using a mobile device, the recording feature will be unavailable even if your Workspace allows it. However, we’ll show you different workarounds for recording a Google Meet call on a mobile device later in this post. 

Ensure your Workspace administrator turns on recording for your account, then follow the steps below to record a Google Meet on your computer.

How to record a Google Meet on Windows and Mac

There are different ways to record a Google Meet meeting on a Windows or Mac computer. You can use the Google Meet app or a built-in or third-party screen recording tool. 

💡Note: For this guide, we’re using a Google Business Standard Workspace account to record a Google Meet call.

Here’s how to record Google Meet videos on a computer:

1. Start a Google Meet meeting

Go to Google Meet in a web browser on your computer and select Start a new meeting. 

2. Enable your microphone and camera

Select Allow microphone and camera to enable audio and video or select Continue without microphone and camera to join without enabling audio/video. 

3. Invite other participants to the meeting

Select Add others to invite other participants to the meeting or copy and share the joining information with them.

4. Record the meeting

Select the blue Activities icon (if visible) or select More (ellipsis) to access additional meeting controls.

Depending on your Workspace settings, you’ll see the Record meeting or Manage recording option. 

If you see Manage recording, select it, then select the blue Activities icon at the bottom right corner of your screen.

Select Recording.

Click Start Recording to record the meeting.

A pop-up will appear reminding you to obtain consent from all participants before recording. If you’ve already done that, select Start to record.

Participants outside your organization, mobile app users, and people who dial in using a phone will be notified when you start or stop the recording.

When the recording starts, you’ll see a red recording icon on the upper left corner of your screen.

5. Stop the recording

When you’re done with the meeting, select the Stop recording button at the top left corner or bottom right side of your screen.

The recording will end immediately. You’ll get a notification that your recording will be saved to the meeting organizer’s Meet Recordings folder in My Drive. This will be followed by an email with the recording link to access the recording files. 

Google Meet recording files contain: 

• The active speaker
• Files presented during the meeting
• Meeting captions
• Chat conversation log (.SBV file) 

You can replay Meet chat recordings on a media player like VLC Media Player (Windows) and QuickTime Player (Mac) or via the YouTube player in Google Drive.

How to record a Google Meet on iPhone and Android

You can’t record a Google Meet on an iOS or Android device. But you can use your phone’s native screen recording tool to record the meeting—even if you don’t meet Google’s recording requirements. 

Here’s how.

1. Join a Google Meet

Download the Google Meet app on your iPhone or Android device then tap the app to launch it. Click the link provided by the meeting host or open the Google Meet app and enter the meeting code.

2. Turn on your phone’s screen recording

Swipe down from the top of your phone’s screen to access the Quick Menu settings on your Android phone. On an iPhone, swipe down to access the Control Center, tap the gray Screen Recording button.

3. Click the microphone icon to screen record with audio

Select Media and mic on your Android phone to screen record with audio.

4. Start recording

Tap Start recording on your Android phone. 

On iPhone, exit the Control Center to start recording your screen. A red status bar will appear at the top of your screen when recording.

5. Stop the recording

When the meeting ends, tap Stop on your Android phone to stop recording.

On an iPhone, swipe down to open the Control Center and tap the red Record button. Or tap the red status bar, then tap Stop to stop recording. 

You can access your video recordings from your Android phone gallery or Photos app on iPhone, then edit or share with others.

How to record a Google Meet without the built-in recording function

As we’ve covered, you can record a Google Meet if your Workspace account meets Google’s recording guidelines and you have permission to record.

The permission part is easy. It’s generally best practice to get that permission from everyone on the call anyway, along with letting them know how you'll use the recording. 

For example, let them know the recording is for training, quality assurance, or general record-keeping. This tells people why you need to record the meeting and eases any concerns they might have.

But what if your Workspace account doesn’t meet Google’s recording guidelines? There are ways around that. Use the steps below to record a Google Meet meeting when you don’t have access to the Google Meet record button:

1. Choose a free screen recording software

Use the built-in screen recorder on your computer—Xbox Game Bar for Windows or QuickTime player for Mac—or use the native screen recording tool on your mobile device. 

If your phone lacks a built-in screen recorder, download one from Google Play Store or Apple App Store. 

2. Configure recording settings

Set up your audio and video settings on your computer or phone. 

For a Windows computer, press the Windows logo key and G on your keyboard to launch and set up the Xbox Game Bar. On a Mac, press Shift+Command+5 on your keyboard or open QuickTime player from the launchpad and select File > New screen recording. 

If you're using an Android phone or iPhone, swipe down from the top of the screen to open the Quick Menu or Control Center, and then tap the Screen Recorder icon.

3. Start Google Meet meeting

Open Google Meet in a web browser on your computer or tap the Google Meet app on your Android or iPhone to launch it. Then, click the meeting link or enter the meeting code to join the meeting.

4. Start recording

Click Start recording on your Windows device or Record on a Mac to record the meeting. 

Tap Start recording if you’re using an Android phone. If you’re using an iPhone, exit the Control Center to start recording. A red status bar will appear indicating the recording is in progress. 

When the meeting ends, click Stop on your computer or phone to stop recording.

Software to record a Google Meet in high-quality

You can record your screen on your computer or mobile device using its native recording tool. 

However, many built-in screen recorders limit you to just recording. If you need extra tools to create quality audio or video, you'll need a dedicated screen recording tool to manage your recordings in the same place.

Plenty of third-party screen recording software options can handle the job, but here are our top three picks.

Descript

Descript is an all-in-one audiovisual editing tool with built-in screen recording, transcription, publishing, and exporting features for all types of online meetings. 

With its online screen recorder, you can record a video on a PC, phone, or webcam, edit, save, export, and publish—all on one platform.

Features:

• High-quality screen recording
• Automatic transcription 
• Remote recording
• Video and podcast editing
• Overdub
• Filler word removal
• Multi-user collaboration tools
• Publishing features
• Various file export options

Pros:

• Offers free plan
• High-quality recording output
• Intuitive, user-friendly interface
• Sophisticated editing tools

Cons:

• No mobile app

Camtasia

Camtasia is also good for recording Google Meet calls on your computer and creating professional-looking explainer videos, webinars, and more. 

Record your screen and audio, add text, sound effects, or transitions, then upload it to YouTube or Vimeo.  

Features:

• Built-in video editing suite
• Video templates
• Built-in export features
• Transitions and annotations
• 1000+ royalty-free assets
• Screen recorder
• webcam recorder
• Interactive quizzes
• Path smoothing

Pros:

• Robust editing tools
• Fast rendering
• Multimedia file format support

Cons:

• Expensive compared to other options
• No mobile app

Zappy

If you just want to record a Google Meeting call and share with others without the hassle of editing or changing different settings, Zappy is worth considering. 

Zappy records whatever is happening on your screen, but lacks editing capability. You can add basic text, boxes, or arrows while recording, but that’s as far as the tool goes. The recording files will be saved locally on your device or the cloud (for paid subscribers).

Features

• Screen recorder
• Annotation tools

Pros:

• Free to use 
• Simple and user friendly

Cons:

• Only available on MacOS
• No editing capability 

Easily record any meeting with Descript

There’s a lot to like about Descript. 

Its online screen recorder captures your Google Meet session in high quality. Descript’s AI transcription tool will transcribe your file and generate a full transcript of the recording in seconds. 

You can edit the transcript like you would a Word doc, highlight and delete (or move) any unwanted words or phrases, and add captions for accessibility. You can even edit your video as you edit your audio, saving you tons of time and effort.

To record a Google Meet meeting, open Descript in a browser on your computer or use the desktop app. Then, start a new project to record your Google Meet call. When you finish recording, the video will be uploaded to Descript. You can edit, save, or export it in different formats, or publish it on YouTube.

Besides great screen-recording features, Descript offers Studio Sound, which filters out ambient and background noise for quality, studio-grade audio.

Try Descript for free to record your Google Meet meetings and make professional-quality videos quickly and easily.

How to record a Google Meet FAQs

Why can't I record a Google Meet?

If you’re having trouble recording a Google Meet call, check whether you meet Google’s guidelines for recording meetings. The recording feature is only available on a computer and to users in eligible Workspace accounts. If you’re on a free Google account, you can’t record a Google Meet session. Before recording, confirm that you’re using an eligible Workspace account and your Workspace administrator has enabled the recording feature.

Can I record a Google Meet as a guest?

Meeting participants can only record a Google Meet call if they’re the meeting organizer/host or co-host or if they’re from the host’s organization and the Host Management option is turned off. You can’t record a Google Meet in a breakout room or if you’re joining only to present while already in a video conference room.

How do I enable recording on Google Meet?

To enable recording on Google Meet, you must be a Google Workspace administrator and manage Google Meet for your business or organization. If not, you can request your administrator to turn it on through the Google Admin Console before the meeting starts.