Where Zoom Recordings Live
Zoom records in two places. Local recordings land on your computer, by default in a Zoom folder inside Documents, one subfolder per meeting. Each contains the full video (MP4) and a smaller audio-only file (M4A), and the audio file is all you need for a transcript. Cloud recordings, available on paid plans, live in your account on zoom.us and can be downloaded as the same file types: sign in, open Recordings, and use the Download button on the meeting.
Once the meeting ends, the recording is an ordinary media file that most transcription tools can read. One access note: recordings belong to the host, so if you only attended, ask the host for the file.
Does Zoom Transcribe Recordings Itself?
Yes, but only for cloud recordings on paid plans, where Zoom can generate an audio transcript and attach it as a VTT file. If that covers you, it is the shortest path; check the recording settings in your account.
Everyone else, including free accounts recording locally, is left with a video and an audio file and no transcript. The rest of this guide fills that gap. The same method also helps when a cloud transcript exists but you need speaker labels or a format Zoom does not export.
Transcribe the Recording (Free, Offline, Speaker Labels)
- 1Locate the recording. For local recordings, Zoom's Settings → Recording shows the exact folder path (by default a Zoom folder inside Documents); grab the audio_only M4A (or the MP4; both work). For cloud recordings, download from the Recordings page at zoom.us.
- 2Open file transcription in Spokenly (free on Mac and Windows) and drop the file in.
- 3Choose a local Whisper model to keep the meeting on your machine, and enable speaker labels. The first run downloads the model once; after that it is ready offline.
- 4Export the result: plain text or Markdown for notes and minutes, SRT/VTT if you need subtitles over the video.
Length does not matter to the price: local models have no per-minute fees and no upload limits, though a long file naturally takes some processing time on your hardware. For interview-style calls, the review-and-formatting workflow from our interview transcription guide applies directly.
Why the No-Bot Approach Matters
Meeting assistants like Otter join your calls as a visible participant, record on their servers, and keep the transcript in their cloud. That model suits teams that want automatic notes for every meeting. Transcribing the file afterward is the opposite trade, where nothing joins the call and nothing is stored outside your machine, and you decide per meeting whether a transcript is worth making. One etiquette rule stays the same either way: tell participants the meeting is recorded. The full comparison lives at Spokenly vs Otter.ai.
Teams and Google Meet Recordings Work the Same Way
Microsoft Teams and Google Meet also save MP4 recordings; the platforms differ only in where the file is stored (OneDrive/SharePoint for Teams, Google Drive for Meet). Download the recording, drop it into file transcription, and the rest of this guide applies unchanged.
FAQ
Can Zoom transcribe a recorded meeting?
Partially. Zoom generates an audio transcript for cloud recordings on paid plans, delivered as a VTT file alongside the recording. Local recordings (the default on free accounts) get no transcript from Zoom. In that case, transcribe the saved file yourself with a transcription tool; the recording is an ordinary M4A/MP4 file.
How do I transcribe a Zoom recording to text for free?
Find the recording folder (Zoom saves a video MP4 and an audio-only M4A per meeting), drop the M4A into Spokenly's file transcription on Mac or Windows, choose a local Whisper model, enable speaker labels, and export as text or subtitles. Nothing is uploaded and there are no per-minute fees.
Can I transcribe a Zoom meeting after it was recorded?
Yes. Transcription does not need to happen live. Any saved recording, from yesterday or from 2021, transcribes the same way: it is just an audio or video file on disk.
Where does Zoom save local recordings?
By default, in a Zoom folder inside your Documents folder, organized by meeting date and name; each meeting folder contains the MP4 video and an audio_only M4A. The exact location is configurable in Zoom's recording settings, which also show the current path.
Can I get speaker labels in the transcript?
Yes. Spokenly's file transcription supports speaker labels, which tag each segment by voice. On a multi-person call this turns the transcript into a readable dialogue; expect to correct the occasional overlap where two people talk at once.
Does this work for Microsoft Teams or Google Meet recordings?
Yes. Teams and Meet recordings are also ordinary video/audio files (typically MP4). Download the recording, then transcribe it exactly like a Zoom file. The platform only changes where you fetch the file from.
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