How to Record a Google Meet Video Call

Recording a Google Meet call is a great way to capture an important conversation, preserve a family reunion, or share a meeting with someone who couldn't attend. Before you try, though, there's an important thing to know: recording in Google Meet requires a Google Workspace account, which most people have through work, school, or a paid Google plan. If you have a standard free Gmail account (like name@gmail.com), the recording feature may not be available unless Google has added it to your free plan.

To check whether you have recording available, start or join any Google Meet call and look for the Activities panel. If you see a "Recording" option there, you're all set. If not, your account type may not include it.

Here's how to record when it is available. During an active call, click the Activities icon — it looks like three icons stacked together, found in the bottom-right area of the screen. In the Activities panel that opens, click Recording, then click Start Recording. A message appears reminding you that all participants will be notified when recording begins. Confirm by clicking Start.

Once recording is active, everyone in the meeting sees a red dot in the top-left corner of the screen — a clear signal that the call is being recorded. No one is silently recorded; Google Meet always announces it.

To stop recording, go back to Activities > Recording and click Stop Recording. The recording also stops automatically when everyone leaves the call.

After the meeting ends, the recording is processed and saved automatically to the meeting organizer's Google Drive in a folder called "Meet Recordings." Both the host and the person who started the recording receive an email with a link to the file.

If you're using a free Gmail account and don't have recording, consider alternatives like using Loom (free screen recording tool at loom.com) or Zoom's free tier, which allows recordings saved to your computer.