Webex Recording Retention Policy

Before you start

Recording retention in Webex is controlled through the admin side of the platform, not from the desktop or mobile meeting app. If you only join or host meetings, you may be able to see your own recordings, but the retention period is usually set by an administrator for your organization. Check your role first: you need access to Control Hub and an administrator account with privileges for meeting or compliance settings.

The exact menu location can differ by Webex version, subscription, and whether your organization uses Webex Meetings, Webex App, or a bundled calling and meetings plan. Some retention options apply to cloud recordings stored by Webex, while local recordings saved on a computer are separate and are not governed by the same cloud retention settings.

Step-by-step instructions

Use these steps as a general path in Control Hub. Names may vary depending on your administrator layout, so treat the labels as guides rather than exact text for every account.

• 1. Sign in to Webex Control Hub with an administrator account.
• 2. Open the admin settings area related to meetings or compliance.
• 3. Look for a retention or data retention option within recording, meeting, or security settings.
• 4. Select the retention period available for your plan, if the policy is editable.
• 5. Save the setting and note whether it applies immediately or only to new recordings.
• 6. If retention is controlled by a compliance officer role, ask that administrator to review the current policy.

If you do not see a retention setting, your Webex plan or administrator role may not include it. Some organizations manage retention through a separate compliance or eDiscovery area rather than the main recording settings.

Do not assume that deleting a recording from the user view removes it from all storage. In some configurations, copies or backup data may remain according to the organization's retention and compliance rules. Administrators should verify the policy with their current Webex documentation or support if a recording must be removed completely.

Check the output

After changing a retention setting, confirm that the new policy appears in the same admin screen where you made the change. If your plan has an audit or activity log, check for a saved policy change entry. For an existing recording, remember that a new retention period may not retroactively alter recordings that were already stored under the previous policy unless your Webex version says otherwise.

For video or audio quality checks, retention policy changes do not change recording resolution, frame rate, or file format. A recording that was already low quality or silent will remain that way. Use the normal Webex playback or download controls to confirm that a recording is still available, but do not treat playback availability as proof that retention has been permanently removed from all backup storage.

Common problems and next steps

A common issue is seeing the recording in your personal list but not being able to change its retention. That usually means the policy belongs to the administrator or compliance role, not the meeting host. Ask your Webex administrator to confirm which role manages retention for your organization.

If the retention option is grayed out or missing, check whether your organization uses a legacy Webex site administration page in addition to Control Hub. Some older configurations still manage meeting features through the site administration portal, and the relevant recording controls may be there instead.

For recordings with sensitive camera or microphone content, review the retention period before sharing or deleting anything. Keep a note of the policy name, date changed, and the administrator who changed it so you can trace the setting later if a recording disappears earlier or later than expected.