How to record Zoom meeting without permission

Online meetings come with several advantages that offline meetings normally do not have. Autogenerated transcripts and subtitles are one great example but there are also other tools such as easy screen sharing, recording meetings, and controlling access for meeting participants that you normally cannot do if everyone is meeting in a conference room.

Record Zoom meeting without permission

A Zoom meeting can be recorded however a meeting host can block participants from recording a meeting if they so choose. In this case, the record function is disabled for that particular meeting. 

If you’d like to record a Zoom meeting even though you do not have permission to do so, there are ways to do so.

Install OBS

In order to record a Zoom meeting when the native control has been blocked, you need to use a third-party tool that can record your entire screen. OBS is the go-to tool for the job. It is free, and it can record audio as well as video.

1. Download OBS from the official website.
2. Run the EXE and install the app.

Set up OBS

Now that you’ve installed OBS, you need to set it up so that it can record your screen. 

1. Open OBS.
2. Under Sources, click the plus button.
3. Select Display capture from the menu.
4. Click OK in the window that opens.
5. Select your screen from the dropdown.
6. Click OK.
7. Make sure the audio (input and output) is not muted.

Record Zoom meeting without permission

You’re now ready to start recording the Zoom meeting.

1. Open OBS.
2. Click the Start Recording button.
3. Minimize OBS or move it to a different screen.
4. Open Zoom and join the meeting.
5. The meeting, video and audio, will be recorded.
6. Stop recording in OBS after the meeting ends or you leave.

A word of caution

Recording a Zoom meeting with a third-party tool like OBS (or any other screen recording app) isn’t hard however, keep the following in mind.

• What you’re doing may be illegal, or unethical. 
• The OBS tool may be visible to everyone if you share your screen.
• Try to start and stop recording before joining a meeting and after leaving it to avoid accidentally letting everyone know you’re recording them.
• It’s always worth asking the meeting host to allow you to record the meeting.
• If you’re attending a paid event/training/conference, do not redistribute the recording you’ve made.

Conclusion

Recording a Zoom meeting when you do not have permission seems wrong but as long as you use the recording constructively e.g., taking better meeting minutes or recalling what was discussed, you shouldn’t get into trouble for it.

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Fatima Wahab

Fatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks

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