Meetings
Part of Collaboration data security and retention
Checking where Teams/Meet/Zoom meeting recordings are stored
Locate Teams, Google Meet and Zoom recordings, then check file ownership, viewer access and handover risks.
To locate a meeting recording and identify the account or site holding it, start with the platform, recording mode and organiser or host. Teams recordings are stored in OneDrive or a Teams SharePoint site, Google Meet recordings in the organiser’s Google Drive, and Zoom recordings on a computer or in cloud storage. A calendar or chat link is a route to a recording, not proof of its location or access.
Identify what was recorded
Start with the meeting date, organiser, platform and whether recording started. Distinguish a cloud recording from a file saved on a participant’s computer. Check whether the team needs the video or a written decision; these may have different storage and access routes.
Use an existing authorised recording or a safe sample. Ask its owner or administrator to show the file details, storage account and sharing settings, then test access using an intended viewer’s account. Attendance alone does not establish permission to open the recording.
Follow the platform's location rule
Microsoft Teams: Ordinary meeting and event recordings save in the organiser’s OneDrive Recordings folder, even if the organiser did not attend. The organiser’s OneDrive is the account to check for the file and its ownership details.
Channel meeting recordings save in the associated Teams SharePoint site’s Documents library, in Recordings (for example, Teams name - Channel name / Documents / Recordings). Check the site and file details for the holder and permissions rather than looking only in an individual’s OneDrive.
For one-to-one and group calls, the recording saves to the OneDrive of the person who selected Record. Co-organisers have the same editing permissions as organisers for meeting recording files.
Google Meet: Open the meeting organiser’s Google Drive and look in Meet Recordings. The organiser’s Drive is the holding account; check the file details and sharing permissions there to confirm the owner and who can open it.
If the meeting was scheduled in Google Calendar, its event can also link to the recording. Use the Drive file details to verify the storage location and permissions rather than treating the event link as proof of access.
Zoom local recording: Check the computer used for the recording. The default folder is Documents/Zoom; on Mac, /Users/[name]/Documents/Zoom, and on Windows, C:\Users\[name]\Documents\Zoom. This is a device file, so search the computer separately from Zoom cloud recordings.
Zoom cloud recording: Open Zoom Web Portal > Recordings > Cloud Recordings. Check its sharing settings to see who can view: options include everyone with the link, signed-in users or specified people, while “Nobody else can view” restricts access to you. To identify the holding account, confirm with the host or account administrator which Zoom account lists the recording.
Key facts about meeting recording storage in Australia
- Teams recording default locationOneDrive or SharePoint (Australian ATO and ABN compliance applies)
- Google Meet storageGoogle Drive (Australia region available; GDPR-aligned)
- Zoom cloud recording accessControlled via Zoom account settings; supports role-based access
- Local recording riskHigh – files may be lost if device fails or user leaves organisation
Record the result
For each recording the team needs, record its meeting purpose, date, mode, organiser or host, actual file location, holding account or site, owner, intended viewers and sharing route. Keep the file owner distinct from the person who shared its link.
If a recording sits in an individual’s account but must remain available to the team, agree who will maintain access and check it using a successor’s account.
If the recording is absent, check whether processing finished, an upload failed or a local file exists before treating it as lost.
