Where Do Google Meet Recordings Really Go?

I’ve used Google Meet for countless meetings, lectures, and even social gatherings during the pandemic. One of the most valuable features of Google Meet is its ability to record meetings, allowing us to revisit important conversations and take notes we may have missed. But have you ever wondered where these recordings actually go?

In this blog post, I’ll answer all your burning questions about the destination of Google Meet recordings. From where they are saved to how long they are kept, I’ll cover everything you need to know to ensure you never lose an important recording again.

Understanding Google Meet: What It Is And How It Works

Before diving into the specifics of Google Meet recordings, it’s important to understand what Google Meet is and how it works. Google Meet is a video conferencing platform developed by Google as part of the G Suite family of products. It allows users to conduct virtual meetings, video conferences, and webinars with up to 250 participants at a time.

Google Meet is a cloud-based platform, which means that all meeting data, including recordings, are saved to Google’s servers rather than on your local device. This makes it easy to access and share meeting recordings from anywhere with an internet connection.

Recording a Google Meet session: How To Do It

Now that we have a basic understanding of Google Meet, let’s talk about recording a meeting. To record a Google Meet session, simply click on the “More” button at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and select “Record meeting.”

Once the recording has started, a notification will appear on the screen to inform all participants that the meeting is being recorded. When the meeting is over, the recording will automatically stop and be saved to Google’s servers.

Default Location: Where Google Meet recordings Are Saved

By default, Google Meet recordings are saved to the organizer’s Google Drive in a folder called “Meet Recordings.” This makes it easy to access and organize all your recordings in one place. However, it’s worth noting that this folder may not be immediately visible on your Drive homepage, so you may need to search for it using the search bar.

Google Meet Recording Storage Location
Organizer’s Google Drive
Folder: “Meet Recordings”

Choosing Your Own Location: Customizing Google Meet Recording Save Locations

If you’d like to save your Google Meet recordings to a different location, you can customize the save location by changing the settings in your Google Meet account. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click on the gear icon in the top right-hand corner of your Google Meet homepage.
2. Select “Settings.”
3. Click on the “Recording” tab.
4. In the “Recording Save Location” section, select “Choose a folder” and then select the folder where you’d like your recordings to be saved.

Storage duration: How Long Google Meet Recordings Are Kept

One important factor to keep in mind is that Google Meet recordings are not kept indefinitely. By default, recordings are stored in your Google Drive for 30 days, after which they are automatically deleted. However, if you’d like to keep your recordings for a longer period, you can change the default storage duration by following these steps:

1. Click on the gear icon in the top right-hand corner of your Google Meet homepage.
2. Select “Settings.”
3. Click on the “Recording” tab.
4. In the “Recording Retention” section, select the desired retention period from the drop-down menu.

It’s worth noting that changing the retention period will only affect future recordings and not any recordings that have already been saved.

READ >> How Much Google Drive Storage Is Free?

Accessing Your Recordings: How to Find & Play Your Google Meet Recordings

Once you’ve recorded a Google Meet session and it has been saved, you can easily access it from your Google Drive. To find and play your Google Meet recordings, follow these steps:

1. Open your Google Drive homepage.
2. Locate the “Meet Recordings” folder or the folder you have chosen to save your recordings in.
3. Click on the recording you want to play.
4. The recording will open in a new tab, and you can use the playback controls to pause, rewind, or fast-forward as needed.

It’s important to note that only the organizer of the meeting or the person who started the recording will have access to the recording by default. However, the organizer can choose to share the recording with others by giving them access to the recording link or adding them as viewers or editors.

Downloading Recordings: How to Save Google Meet Recordings For Offline Use

If you’d like to save your Google Meet recordings for offline use, you can easily download them from your Google Drive. To download a recording, follow these steps:

1. Open your Google Drive homepage.
2. Locate the recording you want to download.
3. Right-click on the recording and select “Download” from the drop-down menu.
4. The recording will be downloaded to your local device and can be played offline using a media player.

It’s worth noting that the download speed may vary depending on the size of the recording and the speed of your internet connection.

Sharing Recordings: How To Share Google Meet Recordings With Others

As mentioned earlier, the organizer of the meeting can choose to share the recording with others by giving them access to the recording link or adding them as viewers or editors. To share a Google Meet recording, follow these steps:

1. Open your Google Drive homepage.
2. Locate the recording you want to share.
3. Right-click on the recording and select “Share” from the drop-down menu.
4. In the “Share with people and groups” section, add the email addresses of the people you want to share the recording with.
5. Choose the desired access level for each person (viewer, commenter, or editor).
6. Click “Send” to share the recording with the selected people.

Deleting Recordings: What Happens When You Delete Google Meet Recordings

If you want to delete a Google Meet recording, you can easily do so from your Google Drive. To delete a recording, follow these steps:

1. Open your Google Drive homepage.
2. Locate the recording you want to delete.
3. Right-click on the recording and select “Remove” from the drop-down menu.
4. A confirmation dialog box will appear. Click “Remove” to delete the recording.

Once a recording is deleted, it will be permanently removed from your Google Drive and cannot be recovered.

Privacy Concerns: Addressing Potential Issues With Google Meet Recordings

With the rise of virtual meetings and online conferences, privacy concerns have become a major issue for many people. When it comes to Google Meet recordings, there are a few potential privacy concerns to keep in mind.

First, it’s important to ensure that all meeting participants are aware that the meeting is being recorded. By default, Google Meet will display a notification on the screen when a meeting is being recorded, but it’s always a good idea to remind participants before starting the recording.

Second, it’s important to be mindful of the content of the meeting when recording. If the meeting contains sensitive or confidential information, it may be best to avoid recording it altogether.

Finally, it’s important to keep your Google account secure to prevent unauthorized access to your recordings. This includes using a strong password, enabling two-factor authentication, and keeping your device and software up to date.

FAQs:

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, Google Meet recordings are a powerful tool for keeping track of important meetings and presentations, but it’s important to know where they go, how to access them, and how to manage them properly. With the steps outlined above, you should be able to easily record, access, download, share, and delete Google Meet recordings.

In my line of work, I’ve used Google Meet recordings many times and have found them to be incredibly useful. In fact, I recently used a Google Meet recording to help a colleague who missed an important meeting due to a family emergency. By sharing the recording with them, they were able to catch up on what they missed and stay informed.

I hope this article has helped answer your questions about Google Meet recordings. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. When using Google Meet recordings, be mindful of privacy concerns and take the necessary precautions to keep your recordings secure.