How to change recording location in Zoom on Mac: steps for Zoom Workplace on macOS

Zoom saves local recordings to a folder on your Mac, and you choose which folder that is. The setting lives in the desktop app, not in the web portal. Once you know where it sits, the change takes a few clicks. The rest of this page covers what goes wrong after the change, from network drives to disk space, so you can avoid those problems.

Change the recording folder step by step on Mac

The steps in this guide use the Zoom Workplace desktop app for macOS. Zoom's desktop app was renamed from the Zoom app to Zoom Workplace, as an April 18, 2024 post from SMU ITconnect explains. Older articles may still use the old name. Some guides also label the field differently. Use the labels on your own screen, and follow the order below.

Before you start

• Sign in to the Zoom Workplace desktop app on the Mac that makes the recording. The web portal cannot change the local path.
• Check that your account can make computer recordings. Zoom's notes say a Basic account or above is required.
• Create the destination folder in Finder first, so you can pick it in one step.
• Stop any recording in progress, so you do not change the folder mid-capture.
• Write down the current folder. You will need it if you go looking for older files.

If the profile picture route does not match your screen, look for a gear icon in the navigation bar. Zoom's settings article says that icon opens Settings in versions 6.7.0 and higher. If your version does not show the icon, use the profile picture route instead.

Where your recordings are saved right now

Find the folder you use today before you move anything. On a Mac, the default computer recording folder is /Users/[Username]/Documents/Zoom. Replace [Username] with your macOS account name. The Storage location field shows the folder Zoom is using, and the Open button opens that folder so you can look inside.

Do not assume that changing the folder moves your old files. The Zoom support pages behind this guide do not say whether existing recordings move with the new setting. After the change, check the old folder. Copy anything you need somewhere safe before you delete the old folder, because a deleted folder is hard to get back.

Why the web portal cannot change the path

If you look for this setting in the Zoom web portal, you will not find it. The portal only lists computer recordings. Go to Recordings & Transcripts, then open the Computer recordings tab. A Location column shows where each file lives on the computer.

Playback works only on the device where the recording was made. That makes the Location column the one to trust when you hunt for a file. Check it before you assume a file is lost.

Cloud recordings follow a different rule. Admins set the Recordings and content location under Admin Center, then Settings, General, and Data & Storage. If you use a Business or Enterprise account, you cannot view or change that location yourself, so ask your admin first.

Pick a folder that will not fail mid-meeting

The folder has to be a valid local path with room to write. Zoom's troubleshooting article ties an invalid path to a bad network connection. Its storage article warns that a path not physically on your device, such as a network drive, can cause problems. A network drive can drop for a moment, and that alone can break a recording.

• Good: a folder inside Documents on the Mac's internal drive.
• Good, with care: an external drive that stays plugged in for every meeting.
• Risky: a network drive or file server, because a dropped connection can stop a recording.

Disk space is the other common failure. Zoom lists Error Code 614 for a computer that may be low on disk space when it records. Check the drive that holds the folder, not only the startup disk, because your folder may live somewhere else.

Fix the errors that show up after you change it

Zoom's troubleshooting notes cover the problems below, and each one has a different cause. Match the message on your screen before you change anything else. The table lists each case with the fix Zoom's notes give.

Error Code 614 is about space, not the folder. Free room on the drive, then delete old files you no longer need. Do this before the next meeting, not during it. Zoom's notes do not give a minimum amount of free space, so leave plenty of headroom.

Convert a .zoom file on a Mac

Some local recordings arrive as double_click_to_convert_01.zoom files. Zoom's troubleshooting article says that double-clicking one can do nothing on a Mac. Its manual workaround copies Transcode from the zoom.us package, in Contents and Frameworks, into Applications. Then, in Get Info, you set Open with to Transcode and double-click the file.

Two warnings apply. Renaming those files during conversion may corrupt them. The workaround also touches app files, so ask Zoom support before you try it, and keep a copy of the recording first.

Windows paths look different from the Mac path

Zoom's file directory article gives the local recording path only in Windows format. It starts with the system drive, then Users, your user name, and the Documents and Zoom folders. It gives no Mac path. On your Mac, use /Users/[Username]/Documents/Zoom and the Settings steps above. If you support both platforms, write the two paths down separately so nobody mixes them up.

A worked example: moving recordings to a new folder

Say you record client calls and want them in a folder called Client Recordings inside Documents. Create that folder in Finder first. Then open Settings from the profile picture, go to Recording, and click Change next to Storage location. Choose Client Recordings and check the Storage location field.

Next, record a short test by yourself. A test shows more than the settings screen does. Open the folder with the Open button and confirm the file is there. If it is missing, read the errors table before you schedule the next client call.

Mistakes people make with the recording folder

• Picking a network drive because it has the most free space.
• Changing the folder in the middle of a meeting, then searching for the file later.
• Deleting the old folder before checking whether anything is still in it.
• Looking for the setting in the web portal, which only shows where files are.
• Assuming a cloud storage location is the same thing as the local folder.
• Skipping the test recording, and finding out about a problem during a real call.

Keyboard shortcuts and menu labels

Zoom's support pages for this flow do not list a keyboard shortcut, so this guide does not give one. The steps use mouse or trackpad clicks only. The Settings window holds 13 tabs in the desktop app, from General to My account, so read the tab names before you click.

Version notes and what Zoom does not say

Zoom Workplace is the current name for the desktop app. Zoom's computer recording article gives no numeric minimum version for macOS. It only says the desktop app must be at the Global minimum version or higher. If your Settings window looks different from these steps, check for an update in the app.

A third-party tracker lists recent Zoom Workplace macOS builds, but Zoom's consolidated release notes page does not list version numbers. Treat tracker data as a guess. The steps on this page follow the menu labels, not a build number.

Once the folder is set and your test recording is safe, the next thing to check is your screen share. The guide to sharing your screen in Zoom on Mac covers the desktop steps and the black screen fixes.