Recording video calls on Google Meet is a useful way to keep a record of meetings and also share with anyone that may have missed the call.
Google Meet is available as part of the G Suite Essentials and can be accessed by anyone that has a Google account.
However, you should be aware that it is only free until 30 September 2020. After this date, you can only record on Google Meet if you pay for G Suite.
Also, bear in mind that only the meeting host or someone from the same organisation as the host can record. Additionally, a teacher using Google Classroom can also record.
So, here are the steps you need to take to record a video call on Google Meet.
How to record on Google Meet
If you’re hosting a Google Meet from your company’s account, you need to make sure that you have the rights to record a call. Ask the admin or IT staff to get the recording access set up for your account and it should switch on automatically.
If you’re using your personal account this won’t be necessary, just make sure you have G Suite Essentials.
Audio tip: Make sure everyone on the call is using a good quality microphone for audio quality.
If needed, request that all attendees use headphones so their microphones aren’t picking up the voices coming from their speakers.
Video tip: Before you start recording, for the best recording quality, make sure everyone’s ‘send’ resolution is set to the max. Google Meet caps the recording quality to 720p, so that’s the best you’ll get.
In addition, it can be a good idea to lower the ‘receive’ resolution to save bandwidth, and potentially increase send quality. This can be done by clicking the three dots at the bottom-right of the screen (on a desktop in a web browser) and choosing Settings > Video.
It is important to make sure that everyone on the call sets their mic to mute before you start recording, as the video feed will always cut to pick up the audio of whoever is making noise.
If you need to introduce anyone individually, do so and give them the opportunity to unmute and say a few words.
Once everyone is ready, you can start recording. Click the three dots at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen and select ‘Record meeting.’
An ‘ask for consent’ tab will pop-up on the screen, click accept. This will send a pop-up to all attendees for them to confirm they are okay with being recorded.
Before you end the call, click the three dots on the bottom right-hand corner again and select ‘stop recording.’
This confirms that the recording is finished and you can then end the call.
The recording will automatically save in the Google Drive of the meeting host in a ‘Meet Recordings’ folder. The host or the person who started the recording will also receive a link to the folder via email.
If you’re not convinced by Google Meet, here are some of the best online videoconferencing services. Also, this is how to remove the Meet tab from Gmail on Android.
Author: Hannah Williams, Small Business Editor
Hannah is Small Business Editor. She writes news, tutorials and buying advice tailored to very small companies, covering software from Excel to Sage and hardware including laptops.