Local vs Cloud Recordings on Zoom

Table of Contents

Which option should I use? #

When you start a recording on Zoom you will see the option to either record to the cloud, or record locally (on your computer). You may be wondering which one is better. Both are fine to use, however there are pros and cons to each method. Depending on your circumstances, either option may suit you.

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Pros and Cons #

Pros Cons
Recording Locally
  • No limit to how big the recording can be
  • Can easily upload file to MyMedia or MS Stream
  • No limited lifespan to video
  • No transcription file generated
  • Requires large file downloads on your computer
Recording on the Cloud
  • Easy to share link with students
  • Cloud recording includes transcription
  • Recording can be downloaded to your machine and uploaded to MyMedia/Stream with transcripts
  • Links to recordings will be emailed to you
  • Recording can only be up to 500mb
  • Recording only lives for 120 days

Our General Recommendation #

  • We generally recommend recording to the cloud. Note that cloud recordings will only be retained for 120 days and there is a storage capacity limit of 0.5GB. The benefit of recording to the cloud is that a transcript file will be generated along with the The recording and transcript can be downloaded to your computer and then uploaded to MyMedia for distribution on your course page.