How to Secretly Record Zoom Meetings on a Mac? | 3 Methods I Know That Work
by Chelsea Bruhl on Sep 26, 2024
Are you tired of missing out on important details during Zoom meetings?
Or perhaps you want to keep a record of virtual presentations or lectures for future reference?
If you're using a Mac, you're in luck!
There are several sneaky ways how to secretly record Zoom meetings on a Mac without anyone knowing.
The first method involves using QuickTime Player, a built-in app on Macs, where you can simply launch it, tap on "File," followed by "New screen recording."
The second method is by using the convenient keyboard shortcut of Command + Shift + 5, and the third method is by utilizing a third-party app like VLC Media Player and taking advantage of its built-in screen recording features.
In this article, we'll delve into the step-by-step instructions for each method, so you can confidently capture Zoom meetings without missing a beat.
3 Ways How to Secretly Record Zoom Meetings on a Mac
Method 1 -- Secretly Record Zoom Meetings on a Mac or MacBook using QuickTime
Mac users take note, recording Zoom meetings will trigger a notification to all the participants that you’re about having the screen recorded.
This may not sit well with everyone and since the host has to grant permission in order to use the screen recorder function, it’s best to use an alternative method and opt to do it privately.
Luckily, you will not have to worry about using the record feature in Zoom and can secretly record any meeting.
By using QuickTime player, you’re bypassing Zooms screen recording functionality and no one will get to know that the meeting is being recorded, not even the host.
To record a Zoom meeting using QuickTime player,
- Start by opening the Finder and then click on the Go Menu in the taskbar
- Now tap on Applications and locate QuickTime player from the list
- Once launched, no window will appear on the screen. Instead tap on the QuickTime player bar at the top of the screen and then tap on File
- Select New Screen Recording from the drop down menu
- You will receive a floating dock on the desktop
- Choose either one of the screen record buttons
- Capture the Entire Window
- Capture the Selected Window
- Once you’ve made your selection, click on the Options button and then check the Microphone
- Choose Built-in Microphone: Internal Microphone
- Click on the Record button to begin the recording
- In order to stop the recording, tap on the tiny recording button in the taskbar at the top of the screen.
QuickTime player provides a playback preview of the recording. You can then choose to export the file in 1080p, 720p and 480p and there's even an option to save only the audio portion of the recording.
- Finally, tap on Save and the save action pop up will appear on the screen
- Proceed to enter a name for the file and then select the destination.
Method 2 -- Secretly Record Zoom Meetings on a Mac using Keyboard Shortcuts
The second method is to use shortcuts on your Mac keyboard. Since Macs were designed for creative purposes, they come with built-in features that let you record and edit videos all with the tap of a few buttons on the keyboard.
To record a Zoom meeting on Mac using shortcut keys, follow these steps
-
Open the Zoom meeting on the Mac and the press the screen capture shortcut on the keyboard
- Command + Shift + 5
- Now choose whether you want to record the entire screen or window and since you’re going to record the Zoom meeting, select the Zoom window
- Your recording will begin immediately
- To stop the recording, click the stop/recording button from the toolbar.
Once the recording has been stopped, a thumbnail will appear in the lower left corner of the screen. Click on the thumbnail to choose the destination folder as well as the name of the file.
Method 3 -- Secretly Record Zoom Meetings Using Third Party Applications on a Mac
If for some reason QuickTime fails to record the screen, you can go ahead and use a third-party screen recorder app from the App store.
There are many that are available for free to use and one that I can vouch for is VLC Media Player for Mac.
VLC is undoubtedly one of the best media players for its ability to support a wide range of file formats. It’s also equipped with screen capturing tools that can be used to record Zoom meetings without anybody getting to know.
To use VLC Media Player to secretly record a Zoom meeting,
- Download VLC Media Player from the official webpage
- Install the app on your Mac
- Run VLC from the Launchpad on Mac
- Click on File Menu from the top menu bar and then click on Open Capture Device
- Choose Capture from the Open Source Window
- Select the Input devices drop down and choose Screen from the list
- Proceed to set the desired frame rate of the recorder
- Select the default value as 5
- Click on the Open button at the bottom right corner of the window
- You will now see the Mac screen being recorded in VLC
- Go ahead and bring up the Zoom meeting window on the Mac screen
Once you’re done recording or when the meeting is over, head over to the Playback menu in the toolbar at the top and then uncheck Record.
The recorded video will be saved to the default screen recording destination, Macintosh HD > Users > UserName > Movies.
All the VLC recordings will be stored in .AVI and their names will start with ‘vlc-record’.
If you’re looking to record only a part of the screen using VLC, head to File > Open Capture Device > Screen and then enter the Subscreen height and width to specify the dimensions you wish to capture.
Can you record Zoom meetings?
Yes, anyone can record Zoom meetings, but only the Host has the ability to permit or deny anyone from recording a Zoom meeting.
Does Zoom Detect QuickTime Screen Recording?
No, Zoom can not detect QuickTime recording and is only able to detect when someone is recording the screen using the screen recorder functionality within Zoom.
How to record Zoom meetings on Mac for free?
To record a Zoom meeting on Mac for free, you will need to either choose to use the record feature within the Zoom app, using QuickTime Player or by downloading a third-party software like VLC Media Player that supports screen recording.
How do I know if my Zoom is being recorded?
As a participant you will only be able to know if your Zoom screen is being recorded when you receive a notification on the screen that states “This meeting is being recorded.”
If you’re joining a meeting that’s already being recorded then you will hear a notification read out the same message.
However, the only time you will not be able to find out if your Zoom meeting is being recorded is when the person recording the screen is using a third-party app and not Zoom to do so.
Does Zoom automatically record meetings?
Unfortunately, Zoom does not record meetings by default but there’s a setting that needs to be enabled in order to activate this feature.
The only drawback is that automatic recording takes up a lot of storage space on the Mac.
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