Saving In-Meeting Chats Locally and to the Cloud in Zoom: Comprehensive Guide

In Zoom meetings, the chat logs are not automatically saved unless the host chooses to do so manually or adjusts the settings beforehand for automatic chat saving. Both local and cloud recordings provide options for saving the chat, ensuring valuable conversation history can be accessed when needed. Learn more about the significance of saving chat logs in Zoom and how to manage your settings effectively.

Manually Saving In-Meeting Chat in Zoom

Before you can manually save your in-meeting chat in Zoom, ensure that the Chat setting is enabled with the “Allow users to save chats from the meeting” checkbox selected. When saving your chat during the meeting, it will be stored locally on your computer. Follow these steps to manually save the in-meeting chat:

  1. Join or Start a Meeting: Enter the Zoom meeting where you want to save the chat.
  2. Access Chat Icon: Click on the Chat icon located at the bottom of the screen to open the chat window.
  3. Save Chat: At the bottom of the chat window, locate the ellipses (three dots) icon and click on it. Then, select “Save Chat” from the options that appear.
  4. Save Location: Your chat will be saved to your default local recording location on your computer.

Note: If the “Allow users to save chats from the meeting” checkbox is deselected under the enabled chat setting, all meeting participants, including the host, will be prevented from saving the chat transcript.

By following these steps, you can efficiently save important chat conversations during Zoom meetings for future reference and documentation.

 

Auto-Saving In-Meeting Chat in Zoom

Hosts have the option to automatically save all in-meeting chats, eliminating the need for manual saving after the meeting concludes. Before enabling auto-saving of in-meeting chats, hosts must activate the “Auto saving chats” setting.

Enabling Auto-Saving Chats:

  1. Access Zoom Web Portal: Sign in to the Zoom web portal using your credentials.
  2. Navigate to Settings: In the navigation menu, locate and click on “Settings.”
  3. Access Recording Settings: Within the Settings menu, click on the “Recording” tab.
  4. Enable Cloud Recording: Toggle the Cloud recording option to enable or disable it. If a verification dialog appears, click “Enable” or “Disable” to confirm the change.
  5. Save Chat Messages: Under “Cloud recording,” select the “Save chat messages from the meeting / webinar” checkbox.
  6. Configure Advanced Settings: Optionally, under “Advanced cloud recording settings,” select the “Save panelist chat to the recording” checkbox to include panelist chat messages in the recording.
  7. Save Changes: Click “Save” to apply the changes to your recording settings.

Note:

  • Auto-saving chat will only apply to the host, so the host must be present in the meeting for a local chat transcript to be saved.
  • To ensure in-meeting chat is saved to the Zoom cloud, you must start the cloud recording during the meeting or enable automatic cloud recording beforehand.

By following these steps, hosts can streamline the process of saving in-meeting chat conversations to the Zoom cloud, enhancing accessibility and documentation for future reference.

Accessing Saved In-Meeting Chats on the Cloud

Once your cloud recording is available, you can easily access your saved in-meeting chats. Follow these steps to retrieve your chat transcripts:

1. Receive Notification Email:

  • You will receive an email notification when your cloud recording is ready for access.

2. Click Email Link:

  • Open the email and click on the provided link to download or view your recording.

3. Access Chat Transcripts:

  • After the recording has finished processing, sign in to the Zoom web portal using your credentials.

4. Navigate to Recordings:

  • In the navigation menu, locate and click on “Recordings.”

5. Select Cloud Recordings:

  • Click on the “Cloud Recordings” tab to view your cloud recordings.

6. Choose Meeting Topic:

  • Locate and click on the meeting topic associated with the recording you wish to access.

7. Download Chat File:

  • Within the meeting details, you will find all files associated with the meeting, including the chat transcript.
  • Look for the TXT file named “Chat file” and click to download or view it.
  • You can now download, share, or delete the chat transcript as needed.

Accessing Your Saved In-Meeting Chat in the Default Location

Your in-meeting chat is automatically saved to your computer’s default recording location. Follow these steps to locate and access your saved chat transcript:

1. Check Default Save Location:

  • The in-meeting chat is saved to your local recording location, typically found in your Documents folder under “Zoom” and a folder named with the meeting’s details (name, date, and time).

2. Verify the recording path:

  • Sign in to the Zoom desktop client on your computer.

3. Access Settings:

  • Click on your profile picture or initials displayed in the top right corner.

4. Navigate to Recording Settings:

  • From the drop-down menu, select “Settings.”

5. Open Recording Settings:

  • Within the Settings menu, click on the “Recording” tab.

6. View the default path:

  • Locate the “Store my recordings at” option. Next to it, there will be an “Open” button.

7. Click the Open Button:

  • Click on the “Open” button next to the default recording path. This action will open the folder where your recordings, including the chat transcript, are stored on your computer.

Note:

  • The default save location for your in-meeting chat transcript is within the Zoom folder in your Documents directory. You can access this location directly to retrieve your saved chat files.

In short-

Saving In-Meeting Chats: Locally and to the Cloud

In-meeting chats in Zoom can be conveniently stored either locally on your device or in the cloud for easy access and reference. This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to save your chats using both methods.

How to Save Locally:

  1. Access Chat Details: During the meeting, click on the “Details” option located at the lower right corner of the chat box.
  2. Save Chat: From the details menu, select “Save chat and save locally” to initiate the saving process.
  3. Confirm Storage Location: To confirm or change the storage location for locally saved chats, follow these steps:
    • Click on “Settings” within the Zoom client.
    • Open the “Recording” tab.
    • Check the save destination under “Recording Save Location,” located below the local recording settings.
    • If you wish to change the location, specify the desired save location and click on “Change.”.
  4. Saved Chat Format: Locally saved chats are output in text format and include timestamps, sender information, and chat conversations.

How to Save to the Cloud:

  1. Access Zoom Settings: Log in to your Zoom.us account and navigate to the “Settings” section.
  2. Navigate to Recording Settings: Click on the “Recording” tab within the settings menu.
  3. Enable Cloud Chat Saving: Under “Cloud Recording Items,”  ensure that “Save Meeting Chat Text” is checked. By default, this option is usually turned off.
  4. Cloud Chat Storage Location: To access and manage your cloud-saved chats, follow these steps:
    • Log in to your Zoom.us account.
    • Click on “Recordings.”.
    • Refer to the “Saving In-Meeting Chat” section for detailed instructions on accessing and managing your cloud-saved chat transcripts.

By following these instructions, you can effectively save your in-meeting chats either locally or to the cloud, ensuring that important conversations are securely stored and easily accessible whenever needed.

 


Frequently Asked Questions

Your local recording location will receive the in-meeting chat. As a default, the meeting name, date, and time are in your Documents folder, Zoom folder, or folder.
During a meeting, participants can chat with each other via the meeting chat feature. Participants are allowed to chat with whomever they choose as the host. Furthermore, you can disable group chat or private chat for all participants to prevent them from contacting one another privately.
Using the Zoom desktop client, you can automatically or manually save in-meeting chats to your computer or the Zoom Cloud. You will be able to see chats sent to you directly and to everyone in the meeting or webinar if you save the chat locally to your computer.
No. During recording sessions, Zoom records only public chat messages. In the web portal, you can enable the Auto save chats setting to save private messages locally.
Before I join a meeting, can I see the chat history? No. As soon as you connect, you’ll be able to see the chat content. At the end of the call, staff will distribute the entire chat transcript.