Archiving Zoom Videos

In this article:

• Zoom Video Archive Process
• Procedures for Data Retention
• Zoom Video Recording Best Practices
• Updating Your Zoom Recording Settings
• Archiving Zoom Video Recordings
• How to Delete Zoom Video Recordings
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Support

Zoom Video Archive Process

​Since implementing Zoom many of us have utilized the recording feature to capture meetings, classes and other important sessions. It is important to periodically review our saved Zoom recordings and either delete them (if the recording is no longer needed) or save them to a permanent storage location. Zoom is not a permanent video recording storage repository and users must download recordings and transcripts, saving them to an alternate location where they can easily referenced. Starting in May 2021 recordings will remain in Zoom for 150 days (5 months) from the recording start date and then will be automatically removed. Zoom recordings will be removed to ensure sufficient storage space is available the following term to hold the related video content. It is important that users always store the recordings in an alternate location for future reference. Zoom recordings can be stored in your OneDrive on a continuing basis for retention.

OneDrive is an integral part of Microsoft 365 and provides a place in the cloud where you can store, share, and sync your files. Users are provided with 1 TB of space on their OneDrive and this is sufficient for the majority of users.

Procedures for Data Retention

The University’s procedures in the 10.4 Records Management Policy continue to provide the authority for the University’s data retention policies and processes. 

Zoom Video Recording Best Practices

When using Zoom to record to the cloud users have the ability to select the types of recordings they would like created. To preserve storage space on Zoom it is best practices to only save the types of recordings you require rather than select all of the options available. For the majority of users recording the “active speaker with shared screen” and the “audio transcript” will be sufficient. Users can of course select additional recording options as needed.

To update your Zoom recording settings please follow the steps below:

1. Go to Zoom on the web to login via Laurier single sign-on (SSO): zoom.wlu.ca. Click on Sign in and enter your credentials.
2. Click Settings on the left hand menu and then Recording from the top tabs.

3. To enable Cloud recording toggle on the button beside it.

4. Under Cloud recording check off the following options. The other options can be unchecked:
   1. Record active speaker with shared screen
   2. Save chat messages from the meeting/webinar
5. Under Advanced cloud recording settings check off the following options.
   1. Add a timestamp to the recording
   2. Display participants' names in the recording
   3. Record thumbnails when sharing
   4. Audio transcript
   5. Save panelist chat to the recording
6. Click Save to save your updated settings.

Archiving Zoom Video Recordings

If you would like to retain your Zoom video recordings for future use, throughout the term or at the end of a term please follow the steps below to save them to an alternative location. This example reviews how to add your recordings to OneDrive to save them:

1. Go to Zoom on the web to login via Laurier single sign-on (SSO): zoom.wlu.ca. Click on Sign in and enter your credentials.
2. Click Recordings in the left hand menu. A list of your Zoom recordings will appear.
3. To download a video, click More beside the video. From the dropdown menu that appears click Download. You may have 2, 3, or 4 files to download based upon your own Zoom recording settings.

4. A window will appear for each video recording file you can save. Alternatively the files may be saved directly to your Downloads folder. Please note that larger video files may take a few minutes to download and appear in your Downloads folder. If you do see the window pop-ups select The following files may be saved based on your recording settings in Zoom
   1. xxxx.mp4 file: Video recording file
   2. xxxx.vtt file: Transcript file for the recording. This can be used to add captions to a video.
   3. xxxx.txt file: Text file of the Zoom chat (open in Notepad)

5. Open your OneDrive by going to portal.office.com and signing in with your Laurier SSO credentials (i.e. abcd1234@mylaurier.ca) and your email account password.

6. Click on the waffle icon in the top left corner. Click on OneDrive from the Microsoft applications listed and it will open.

7. Locate the folder in your OneDrive you wish to store the Zoom recording in and open it.
8. If you would like to create a new folder click New and then Folder from the dropdown menu to do so.

9. Open the File Explorer on your computer. You can do this my clicking the Search icon in your start toolbar and typing in File Explorer. It will appear in the search results.

10. Go to the Downloads folder and locate the .mp4 file for your Zoom video.

11. Click, hold, and drag and drop the video file into your OneDrive open in your browser. You can also select multiple files at once by holding down the Ctrl key as you select the files and drag and drop them.

12. OneDrive will pop up a message indicating it is uploading the video.

13. Once the video has uploaded completely it will appear in the OneDrive folder.

14. You have successfully uploaded your Zoom recording to your OneDrive.
15. Once this is complete ensure that you delete the video files from your Downloads folder so they do not take up unnecessary space.

How to Delete Zoom Video Recordings

Once you have saved your Zoom recordings to your OneDrive, or another preferred storage location, or simply no longer require the recording please follow the steps below to clean up you video recordings and free up storage space within Zoom.

1. Go to Zoom on the web to login via Laurier single sign-on (SSO): zoom.wlu.ca. Click on Sign in and enter your credentials.
2. Click Recordings in the left hand menu. A list of your Zoom recordings will appear.
3. Click the checkbox t the recording you would like to delete. You can select multiple checkboxes at once if you wish to delete multiple videos at a time.

4. Click Delete Selected to delete the recording(s).

5. A window will pop up asking you to confirm that you would like to delete the recording and move it to the trash. Click Yes.

6. A green pop up box will appear confirming the recording has successfully been deleted.

7. Deleted recordings will be moved to the Trash in Zoom. Deleted recordings will remain in the trash for 30 days before being automatically and permanently deleted. Please note that ICT and Zoom cannot recover permanently deleted videos.

8. You can recover or undelete your recording by clicking Recover beside the video. This will move the recording back to your recording list but it will still be automatically deleted 150 days (5 months) after the date of the recording.

9. If you would like to be notified 7 days before your recordings are permanently deleted you may turn on a notification by going to Settings and then Email Notification. Toggle on When the cloud recording is going to be permanently deleted from trash? to enable the notifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What if my Zoom recording files are not uploading to OneDrive?
   • The Zoom recording files can be quite large and it may take some time for it to fully upload to your OneDrive. For large video files it is also best to upload them one by one rather than in bulk as this will allow the upload of a large file to process quicker. If you experience any issues please contact the ICT Service Desk.
2. How can I ensure my Zoom transcripts are also saved from Zoom?
   • The Zoom recording transcript files are in the file format .vtt. It will be important that these files are also saved from Zoom to your OneDrive folder using the same process outlined above.
3. I am a graduate student, how long will I have access to my Zoom recordings after I graduate?
   • Please note that your access to Zoom will end once you graduate. It is important that you save your Zoom recordings to a permanent storage location of your choice that you can easily access after graduation. ICT will unfortunately not be able to recover specific recordings from your account.

Support

If you experience any issues with saving your Zoom recordings to OneDrive please contact the ICT Service Desk.