How To Delete Local Or Cloud Recordings on Zoom

Zoom is a powerful tool for hosting virtual meetings, but it can also be used to record audio and video files of those meetings. However, if you no longer need the recordings or want to free up some space on your computer or cloud storage account, then you may want to delete them.

In this blog post, we will discuss how to delete local and cloud recordings on Zoom so that you can keep your storage space organized. We’ll go over the steps involved in deleting both types of recordings as well as what happens when they are deleted from Zoom’s servers.

Deleting Local Or Cloud Recordings on Zoom

When you delete local or cloud recordings on Zoom, there are a few different types of files that will be removed. The first is the MP4 and M4A files, which are the audio and video recordings of your meetings. You should also delete any related VTT, CC.VTT, and TXT files associated with the recordings.

How To Delete Local Recordings on Zoom

If you have a meeting that was recorded locally on your computer, then the first step is to open up the Zoom desktop client. F

rom there, click on the Meetings tab and then select the Recorded tab at the top of the screen. A list of all of your local recordings should appear and you can select the one you want to delete.

Once you have selected the file, you should see the file path and some options for playing or deleting it. If you only see the Open option, then it means that this is a cloud recording and not a local recording.

To delete the local recording, simply click on Delete and Zoom will permanently remove the file from your computer.

How To Delete Cloud Recordings on Zoom

There are a few different ways to delete cloud recordings on Zoom. You can delete all of your recordings in one go, or you can delete individual recordings from the search results page.

Accessing recording management

If you are an admin, then the first step is to access the recording management page. To do this, log in to your Zoom web portal and follow Account Management then Recording Management from the navigation menu. This will bring up a list of all of your cloud recordings.

For users, simply click on Recordings from the navigation menu and you will see a list of your cloud recordings.

Delete cloud recordings by meeting ID (select recordings)

If you know the ID of a meeting, then you can delete specific recordings associated with that ID.

• To do this, next to the search box at the top of the recording management page, select “Search by ID”.
• Enter the meeting ID in the search box, then click Search.
• This will bring up a list of recordings associated with that meeting ID.
• You can then select the files you want to delete and remove them from your account.
• To do this, click on the More button in the last column, then select Delete.
• You will be asked to confirm, so click Yes to permanently delete the recordings.

Delete all cloud recordings in a search results page

• If you want to delete multiple recordings at once, then you can do this with the Delete Selected option.
• Enter the desired date range and search criteria, then click Search. This will bring up a list of all of your cloud recordings within that timeframe.
• To select all files in the search results page, click on the check box located in the header row of the table.
• Once you have selected all files, click Delete Selected at the top of the page.
• You will then be asked to confirm your action, so click Yes to confirm and move the recordings to the trash.
• From here they will be removed from your Zoom account permanently and can no longer be accessed.

Keep in mind that you can only delete recordings from your account, not other people’s accounts. So if someone else has recorded a meeting that you don’t have access to, then they will still have the recording available on their account.

Delete all cloud recordings in the trash

• If you have deleted recordings, then they will be moved to the Trash folder in the recording management menu.
• From here, you can delete all recordings at once by clicking on the Delete All button.
• Confirm your action and all recordings in the Trash will be permanently removed from your Zoom account.
• This is the most effective way to delete all recordings from your account.
• Once you have done this, there will be no trace of the recordings and they can no longer be accessed by anyone.
• You should also check the Trash folder periodically to make sure that there are no files in it that you do not want kept on your account.

Delete specific cloud recording files

You can also delete specific files from the search results page.

• Simply hover over the file you want to delete and click on the Trash bin icon.
• This will bring up a confirmation dialog box, so click Yes to confirm and move the recording to the trash.
• Once it is in the Trash folder, it can no longer be accessed by anyone and will eventually be deleted from your account.

How To Schedule Cloud Recordings For Auto-deletion

If you want recordings to automatically delete after a certain period of time, then you can set up auto-deletion.

• To do this, log in to your Zoom web portal and click Account Management then Account Settings.
• From here, click on the Recording tab and then look for the Delete cloud recordings after a specified number of days toggle.
• Set this toggle to Enabled and you will be able to specify how long recorded files should remain on your account before being deleted automatically.
• You can set this time for any amount up to 180 days, depending on your needs.
• Once you have enabled auto-deletion, any recordings that are past the specified time limit will be automatically deleted from your account and no longer accessible by anyone.
• This is a great way to keep your account clean and make sure that old files do not linger on your account indefinitely.
• It also ensures that sensitive recordings are removed quickly and cannot be accessed by unauthorized individuals.
• You can always disable auto-deletion if you need to keep certain files for longer periods of time.
• Just remember to re-enable it when you no longer need the recordings so that they do not remain on your account indefinitely.
• And, you can always delete individual files manually if you want them removed sooner than the auto-deletion time limit.

Exempt A Recording From Auto-deletion

If you need to keep a specific recording on your account longer than the auto-deletion time limit, then you can exempt it from being deleted.

• To do this, go to the Recording Management page and find the file you want to keep.
• Click on the ellipsis button next to that file and select Disable Auto-Delete.
• This will exempt the file from the auto-deletion time limit, allowing it to remain on your account indefinitely until you manually delete it or disable the exemption.
• You can also exempt entire groups of recordings if needed by setting up a group-level Recording Exemption with Zoom’s Group Settings feature.
• This allows you to keep recordings from entire teams or departments on your account even after the auto-deletion time limit has passed.
• It is a great way to ensure that important recordings are kept for future use without having to exempt every single file manually.

How To Delete Cloud Recordings From Your Trash Folder

Once you have deleted a recording from the search results page, it will go into your Trash folder.

The Trash folder is located in the top-right area of the recording management page and can be accessed by clicking on the Trash icon.

From here, you will see all of the recordings that have been deleted from your account but are still stored in the trash.

Delete cloud recordings from your trash folder by meeting ID

You can also delete recordings from your Trash folder by entering the meeting ID into the search box.

Simply enter the ID of the meeting you want to delete and click Search.

This will bring up all of the recordings associated with that meeting, allowing you to select them individually or in bulk and delete them from your account permanently.

Once these recordings are deleted, they will no longer be accessible by anyone and will eventually be removed from your Trash folder as well.

It is important to note that deleting recordings from the Trash folder is permanent and cannot be undone, so make sure you only delete what you want to get rid of before proceeding.

Delete all cloud recordings from your trash folder

• If you want to delete all of your recordings from the Trash folder at once, simply click on the Empty Trash button located in the top-right corner.
• This will bring up a confirmation dialog box asking you to confirm that you want to permanently delete all of the files in your Trash folder.
• Click Empty and all of the recordings in your Trash folder will be deleted permanently and no longer accessible by anyone.
• This is a great way to quickly clean up your account and make sure that all old recordings are removed from your system.
• You can also use this feature to delete multiple recordings at once if you need to remove them in bulk from your account.

How To Recover Deleted Local Or Cloud Recordings

If you have accidentally deleted a local or cloud recording, then you may still be able to recover it.

• For local recordings, you can try restoring the file from your Recycle Bin on Windows or Trash folder on MacOS.
• Cloud recordings can also be recovered if they have not been permanently deleted yet.
• To do this, go to the Trash folder in your Zoom web portal and search for the recording you need to recover.
• If it is still there, select it and click on Recover Recording.
• This will restore the file and make it available again in your recordings list.

It is important to note that not all deleted files can be recovered, so if the recording you need is not available in your Trash folder, then it has been permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

We always recommend that you regularly check your recordings list and delete any old or unnecessary files to make sure that they do not take up unnecessary space on your account.

By following these steps, you can keep your recordings organized and delete any files that you no longer need.