How to Record on Google Meet (Host, Guest, or Without Premium)

When it comes to virtual meetings and online collaboration, being able to record your Google Meet sessions is a game-changer. 

Whether you're running the meeting or simply attending, the ability to record conversations and presentations can come in handy. It gives you the flexibility to revisit them later or share them with colleagues who couldn't attend.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of recording a meeting in Google Meet for both meeting hosts and guests. We'll also go through a few other essential details, like how to access your recordings, troubleshoot, and add captions. 

Table of contents

What's included in a Google Meet recording?

Google Meet recording essentials

How to record on Google Meet as a meeting host

How to record on Google Meet as a guest

How to record on Google Meet without Workspace premium

How to enable meeting recording in Google Meet as an administrator

Why Google Meet recording may be disabled

How to play, share, download, or save a Google Meet recording

Frequently asked questions

What's included in a Google Meet recording?

When you record a meeting, it captures the person currently speaking and anything being shared on the screen. You can also include captions in the recording if needed.

But remember, it won't record other open windows or pop-up notifications, and even if you pin someone during the meeting, it won't change who appears in the recording. The chat conversation log is saved during the entire meeting as well. 

All the chats are stored as .SBV files in the meeting organizer's Google Drive. You can play these chat recordings on media players like VLC Media Player, and the chat messages will appear as subtitles, making it easier to follow the conversation.

Google Meet recording essentials

Before we get into the step-by-step process, let's go over some key points about recording meetings in Google Meet:

Recording on a Computer: At the moment, you can only record meetings on computers. Unfortunately, mobile devices don't support this feature.

Meeting Recording Time Limit: You can record meetings for up to 8 hours. After 8 hours, the recording will automatically stop.

Eligible Google Workspace Editions: Meeting recording is available for users with specific Google Workspace editions, including:

• Essentials
• Business Standard
• Business Plus
• Enterprise Starter
• Enterprise Essentials
• Enterprise Standard
• Enterprise Plus
• Education Plus
• Teaching and Learning Upgrade
• Workspace Individual Subscriber
• Google One subscribers with 2 TB of storage space

Administrator's Role: To start recording meetings, you'll need help from a Google Workspace administrator. They have to activate this feature for your account. Simply contact your administrator or IT department to check if recording is set up for your organization. If you're an administrator, keep reading. We'll break down how you can allow others to record meetings. 

Meeting Host or Guest: Your ability to record a meeting depends on your role and your organization's settings. We'll explain how to do it if you're the host or a guest, so you'll be covered no matter your position.

Meeting Resolution: When you record a meeting, and someone shares their screen, the resolution of the largest shared screen determines the video quality you'll get. Typically, it can be as high as 1080p, which is quite good. Keep in mind, though, that administrators can opt for different recording resolutions if that suits their organization's needs better.

How to record on Google Meet as a meeting host

Now, let's get into how to record a Google Meet session as a meeting host. Just like recording meetings in Zoom, it's relatively straightforward. Let's get into it.

Start or join a meeting

First things first, head over to meet.google.com to start or join your meeting. To join a meeting, either enter the code or meeting link given by the host and click Join. To start a meeting, hit New meeting.

 Once you're in the meeting, look to the bottom right-hand corner of your screen and click on the symbol for Activities. 

2. Get ready to record 

Next, the Activities panel will pop up on the right-hand side of your screen. Click Recording at the bottom.

3. Add captions

If you use captions in Google Meet, now's the time to choose to include them in your meeting recordings. 

To record your meeting captions, choose a language. 

Keep in mind that sometimes, if you play the recording on Google Drive, the recording file may be ready a few hours before the captions become available.

Also, don't worry if you neglect to record captions in Google Meet. You have a few other options if you decide that you want them later. 

If you watch the recording in Google Drive using the YouTube player, you can click on the Closed Caption (CC) button. This will show captions while you're watching the recording.

Or, if you download the recording, you have the option to play it and turn on subtitles using apps like VLC Media Player or QuickTime Player. Last but not least, there are a ton of apps that make it easy to add subtitles to videos.

4. Start recording 

Now you're all set to start recording. Simply hit Start recording. 

You'll be asked one more time if you're ready to get started. This is also your chance to double-check that you've received consent from all meeting participants to begin the recording. Once you do, you're all set to hit Start. 

Next, you'll notice a red square appear at the top left-hand corner of your screen. This tells you that your meeting is being recorded. Everyone in the meeting will receive a notification at the top left of their screen telling them that the meeting is being recorded. 

5. Stop recording

When you're ready to stop the recording, you may need to reopen the Activities panel in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. Once you do, click on Recording.

 Then, click Stop Recording.

Finally, you'll be asked one more time if you're ready to stop the recording. When you're all set, hit Stop Recording.

Alternatively, the recording will stop automatically when all participants leave the meeting.

How to record on Google Meet as a guest

Now, let's take a look at how to record a Google Meet session as a guest. 

1. Join the meeting

As a guest, your first step is to join the Google Meet meeting using the code, nickname, or link you were provided.

2. Get access to record

Google Meet has no generic "grant recording permission" button, so how you record as a guest depends on your relationship to the meeting. In every case, the meeting's host must also be on a plan that allows recording — a participant can't record a meeting whose host isn't eligible to record.

• If you're in the host's organization: you can record when the admin has Host Management turned off — as long as you're on an eligible Google plan yourself.
• If you're an external guest: the host has to promote you to co-host (in the People panel, next to your name), after which you can start recording.

If none of that applies — you or the host is on a free or ineligible plan, or the host won't make you a co-host — skip to recording the meeting from your side with a screen recorder instead.

3. Start recording

Once you're a co-host (or recording is enabled for you), you can start the recording by following the same steps we outlined above.

How to record on Google Meet without Workspace premium

Google Meet's built-in recorder is only available on eligible paid Google plans (most paid Workspace editions, Workspace Individual, or Google One 2 TB+), and not everyone in a call can start it. If your plan doesn't include recording — or you're a guest who wasn't given access — the record button simply won't appear.

The workaround is to record the meeting from your side with a screen recorder. Tella is a screen recorder that captures your screen and the meeting's audio — plus your camera if you want — so you can save a recording regardless of your Google plan, admin settings, or role in the call.

1. Open your Google Meet in a browser tab, then start a recording with Tella (there are web, Mac, and Windows recorders).
2. Choose Screen Recording and share your Google Meet browser tab, then enable the Share tab audio option so everyone's voice is captured (in the Tella Mac app, enable system audio instead). Turn on your microphone and camera if you'd like to appear on the recording.
3. Hit the record button and run your meeting. When you're done, click stop — your video is saved automatically, ready to trim, share via link, or download as an MP4.

Because you're recording your own screen, this works on any Google account and in any role — host or guest. As with native recording, let the other participants know you're recording and get their consent before you start.

How to enable meeting recording in Google Meet as an administrator

If you're an administrator, you have the authority to enable meeting organizers and participants in your organization to record Google Meet meetings and calls. This feature comes in handy for sharing meetings with those who couldn't attend and keeping a record of important discussions. Here's how to go about it:

1. Sign into your admin account

Sign in to your Google Admin console using your administrator account.

2. Check recording availability

Ensure that you have a Google Workspace edition that supports recording. 

3. Enable Google Drive & Docs

To let users access and save recordings in Google Drive, it's important to ensure that they have both Drive and Docs enabled. This means giving them permission to create new files in Google Drive.

4. Turn recording on or off for Google Meet

• In your Admin console, head over to Apps > Google Workspace > Google Meet
• Click on Meet video settings.
• Decide if you want to apply this setting to everyone in your organization or only to specific groups or units.
• Check or uncheck the Let people record their meetings box.
• Click Save

Keep in mind that changes in settings can take up to 24 hours but often occur more quickly.

Why Google Meet recording may be disabled

If you run into any issues and aren't able to record your meetings in Google Meet, it might be due to the following reasons: 

• Your administrator has turned off recording.
• Your Google Workspace edition doesn't support recording.
• Your Google Drive is disabled.
• You aren't allowed to record a specific video meeting.
• You're in a breakout room (breakout rooms don't support recordings).

How to play, share, download, or save a Google Meet recording

Once a meeting is recorded, you can access and manage the recording as follows:

In Google Drive

Recordings are saved in the meeting organizer's My Drive folder under Meet Recordings.

To share a recording, select the file and click Share. You can also copy and share the link. For the best playback experience, download the recording by selecting the file and clicking More > Download. You can then double-click the downloaded file to play it. 

From an email link

An email containing the recording link is sent to both the meeting organizer and the individual who started the recording. If you've scheduled a meeting using Google Calendar, the person who set up the meeting is the meeting organizer. It's basically the person who took the initiative to create the event on the calendar. 

If you're wondering who the meeting organizer is when you create meetings on the Meet homepage, Gmail, or Jamboard, it's simply the person who starts the meeting or generates the meeting code.

So, you and the person who hit the record button will receive that email with the link. In the email, click the link to access the recording. You can play, share, or download it from there.

In the Google Calendar event

If the recording starts at the scheduled meeting time, it's automatically linked to the Google Calendar event. If you're a meeting participant from the same organization as the organizer, you'll get automatic access to the recording. But remember, groups won't get access automatically, so keep that in mind.

Wrapping up

To sum it up, recording your Google Meet sessions can be a big help for getting work done and collaborating effectively. Just like recording in Microsoft Teams, recording in Google Meet is easy and straightforward. And if the built-in recorder isn't available on your plan, a screen recorder like Tella lets you capture the meeting yourself — host or guest. Now that you know how to go about it, you're all set to capture and share important moments and discussions.

Frequently asked questions

Can you record a Google Meet without premium?

Google Meet's built-in recording is only available on eligible paid Google plans — most paid Google Workspace editions, plus Workspace Individual and Google One subscribers with at least 2 TB of storage. A standard free Google account won't show the record button. If native recording isn't available to you, you can screen record the meeting instead with a separate tool like Tella, which captures your screen, the meeting audio, and your camera regardless of your Google plan.

How do I record a Google Meet if I am not the host?

Only eligible users can use Google Meet's native recorder, and the meeting's host must be eligible to record too — a participant can't record a meeting whose host isn't. As an outside guest you'd also need the host to make you a co-host; if you're in the host's organization you may be able to record when Host Management is turned off. Otherwise, you can record your own screen with a separate screen recorder like Tella — because you're capturing your own screen and audio, it works from your side regardless of your role in the meeting.

Why can't I record my Google Meet meeting?

The record button is usually missing because your administrator has turned recording off, your Google plan doesn't include recording, your Google Drive is disabled, you haven't been given permission for that meeting, or you're in a breakout room. If native recording isn't available to you, screen recording the meeting with a separate tool like Tella is the simplest workaround.

Is Google Meet recording free?

Native Google Meet recording isn't a standalone free feature — it requires an eligible paid Google plan (most paid Workspace editions, Workspace Individual, or a Google One plan with 2 TB or more). If your plan doesn't include it, you can screen record the meeting yourself with a separate tool like Tella instead.