How to record audio from Google Meet

You can record audio from a Google Meet call in two main ways. The first is Meet's built-in recording, which only works on certain paid Google Workspace or Google One plans and only for people with permission to record. The second is a recorder on your own computer that captures the call's sound and your microphone together. Meet has no audio-only recording option. Its built-in recorder saves a video file with sound, and you can extract the audio from that file afterwards.

Which method fits your situation

• If a Recording option appears in the meeting menu, use Meet's built-in recording. It captures everyone's audio from Google's side, notifies all participants, and saves the file to the organizer's Google Drive.
• If there is no Recording option, the account is probably free, the plan doesn't include recording, an administrator has turned it off, or you aren't allowed to record that meeting. In that case, use a screen or audio recorder on your computer.
• If you only need the words and not the sound, a transcript may be enough. Transcripts are a separate Meet feature with their own plan requirements, and they don't produce an audio file.

Which Google plans include recording, and which users in an organization may start one, can change over time. Check your account or ask your Workspace administrator rather than assuming the feature is there.

Before you record: consent

Tell everyone on the call that you are recording and get their agreement before you start. US recording-consent rules vary by state, and some states require every party to agree. Meet's built-in recorder shows a recording notice to all participants. A recorder running on your own computer shows nobody anything, so in that case you have to tell people yourself.

Method 1: Use Meet's built-in recording

Prerequisites: an eligible plan, recording enabled by the administrator if the account is managed by an organization, permission to record this meeting (usually the organizer, a co-host, or someone in the organizer's organization), and Meet open in a browser on a computer. The menu labels below may differ slightly depending on your version of Meet.

• 1. Join the meeting on a computer.
• 2. Open the Activities or Meeting tools panel, usually an icon in the bottom-right toolbar.
• 3. Choose Recording, then Start recording. If a consent prompt appears, confirm it.
• 4. Check that a recording indicator appears near the top of the meeting window. Other participants also see that the meeting is being recorded.
• 5. When you're done, open the same panel and choose Stop recording. Recording also stops when everyone leaves the meeting.
• 6. Wait for processing. The file is saved to the organizer's Google Drive, usually in a folder named Meet Recordings, and a link is typically emailed to the organizer and to the person who started the recording.

How to know it worked

The recording indicator only shows that recording was active during the call. It doesn't prove the file contains usable sound. To confirm that, open the finished file from Drive and listen to several points in the recording. Make sure you can clearly hear every speaker, including yourself. If someone was muted, their voice won't be in the file. If processing hasn't finished, the file may not show up in Drive yet.

Getting an audio-only file

Download the recording from Drive. It is a video file, typically MP4. Then open it in a media converter or audio editor that can read MP4 files and export only the audio track in a format such as MP3 or WAV. Play the exported file to check that the sound came through intact.

Method 2: Record Google Meet sound on your computer

Use this method when built-in recording isn't available. A Meet call involves two separate audio streams. The other participants' voices come out of your computer as system audio, meaning the sound your computer plays through speakers or headphones. Your own voice goes into your microphone. A complete recording needs both streams. If your recorder captures only one of them, you will hear only one side of the conversation.

On Windows

• 1. Join the call in your browser and keep that window active.
• 2. Press Windows key + G to open the Xbox Game Bar. It isn't available on every PC.
• 3. In the Game Bar's capture or audio settings, make sure both system audio and your microphone are set to be recorded.
• 4. Start recording with the record button or Windows key + Alt + R.
• 5. Stop recording when the call ends. Recordings are usually saved in the Captures folder inside Videos.
• 6. Play the file and confirm you can hear both the other participants and yourself.

Game Bar records a single app window. If you switch windows during the call, check afterwards that nothing was cut off. Free tools such as OBS Studio can also record system audio and your microphone, either on separate tracks or mixed together.

On a Mac

The Mac's built-in screen recording can capture your microphone but not other apps' audio, so used alone it will record only your side of the call. To capture both sides, use a recorder that can take system or application audio. Recent versions of OBS Studio on newer macOS releases can capture the browser's audio directly. Older setups need a virtual audio device. In either case, add your microphone as a second audio source, run a short test, and play it back before the real call.

Test before the real call

Join a test meeting, ideally with a second device or a helper so there is another voice on the call. Record for about a minute while both of you talk, then stop and play the file back. A successful test confirms that your recorder captures both streams and saves a playable file. It doesn't confirm how a long recording will hold up, how much disk space it will need, or how audio quality will hold up on a busy network. No verified input-level target for Meet recordings was available, so judge levels by ear: speech should be clear, without crackling or distortion, and not much quieter on one side.

Common problems

• Only your voice is recorded: the recorder is capturing the microphone but not system audio. Enable system or application audio in its settings.
• Only the other participants are recorded: the microphone isn't included as a source, or you were muted in Meet. A Meet mute also silences you in built-in recordings.
• Echo or doubled voices: the microphone is picking up sound from your speakers. Wear headphones.
• Silent file: the recorder may be set to the wrong output device. Check which speakers or headphones Meet is using, and capture audio from that device.
• No Recording option in Meet: your plan doesn't include it, an administrator has disabled it, or you don't have permission to record this meeting. Use Method 2, or ask the organizer to record.

Recording on a phone

Built-in Meet recording is started from a computer, not the mobile app. Phone screen recorders often don't capture call audio from other apps, and behavior differs across devices and operating system versions. No confirmed method was available for this guide. If you must record on a phone, test it first in a short trial call. If the trial fails, record from a computer instead.