How to edit a zoom recording for free (PC and Mac)
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Zoom meetings are here to stay, and Zoom recordings can be helpful for those that miss a meeting, are creating presentations, or sharing information on social media. As a result, it’s important to know how to edit a Zoom recording efficiently to make the information more palatable.
After extensive research, we’re sharing the top five ways to edit a Zoom recording, including ways to edit a Zoom recording online, on a Mac, and on a PC. Keep reading for our in-depth review of each software and how to find your Zoom recordings on your computer easily.
Where to find your Zoom recording
Let’s start by looking at where you can find your Zoom recording for editing. Don't forget to set Zoom to record the meeting.
There are two primary ways to find your Zoom recording:
Go directly to the Zoom website and log in to your account.
Once logged in, you’ll notice a sidebar to the left of your photo.
Click on “Recordings.”
After clicking “Recordings,” you’ll be taken to a screen with the option to click either cloud or local recordings. Click local recordings.
On the far right, you’ll see that each Zoom meeting recording has the option to be opened. Click open, and you’ll immediately be taken to where the Zoom recording file is downloaded on your computer.
The second way to find your Zoom recording is by looking directly at your computer files. When Zoom is installed on your computer, it automatically creates a Zoom folder where recordings are stored. To find your Zoom folder and recordings, take the following steps:
Open your files and search for Zoom in the top right search bar.
Once the search is completed, locate the “Zoom” folder and click on it.
Inside the “Zoom” folder, you’ll find your Zoom recordings. Click on the Zoom meeting file with the date of the recording.
Then, you’ll be taken to your Zoom recording files, which are available in audio and video formats.
Notta AI meeting assistant records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings so everyone can stay engaged without missing important details.
Best software to edit Zoom recordings
There are many software options available to edit Zoom video recordings. Zoom recording formats are in MP4 and M4A files, which can be edited in virtually any video editing software.
Zoom personally recommends:
ScreenFlow
Camtasia
iMovie
Adobe Creative Cloud editing software, such as Premiere or Final Cut
Any 3rd-party video editor, such as Vegas Pro
In short, most video editing software can edit your Zoom recording. It all comes down to your personal preference and what is available for the type of computer you have.
How to edit a Zoom recording online
If you don’t own video editing software or have one already installed on your computer, there are many free Zoom video editors online.
After reviewing dozens of Zoom video editors online, we personally liked Flixier and Type Studio best. If you’re looking to add many overlays, transitions, and effects to your Zoom recording, we recommend Flixier. If you’re more interested in subtitles and intro effects, try Type Studio. Both are free to use and user-friendly. Please note that Type Studio does require an account to use. However, making an account was a quick, easy, and free process.
How to edit a Zoom recording online with Flixier
Flixier is a great online tool for editing a Zoom recording online. It offers many video and audio effects.
To get started editing with Flixier:
Go to the Flixier homepage and click “Start Editing”
Once inside your dashboard, you can either click “Create Project” or select a previously, listed project to begin editing your Zoom recording.
When you click “Create project,” you’ll be asked to select the format for your project.
Once you’ve selected your video format, you’ll be taken to the main editor. As you can see below, your Zoom recording will be centered in the editor.
To make edits to your Zoom recording, use the toolbar to the very left. This toolbar offers the following options: library, stock footage, audio options, overlays, motion effects, text, shapes, and transitions.
When you add effects or audio, it will add tracks to the bottom center of the screen, which is where you can click and drag to adjust the length of an overlay, audio file, and much more.
We found Flixier was intuitive to use and was primarily “click and drag” editing, making this a great option for beginners. Create a project with your Zoom recording and start experimenting until you’re more comfortable using the software to make your desired edits.
How to edit a Zoom recording on a PC
If you’re interested in how to edit a Zoom recording on Windows, here are a few incredible options:
Windows Movie Maker is a free-to-download video editor that works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Windows Movie Maker has many valuable features, including transitions, adding text, trimming your video and audio, and much more.
Adobe’s Premiere Pro is a widely acclaimed Windows video editing software used by many content creators, marketers, and business professionals. It offers far more features than Windows Movie Maker, but it does have a more substantial learning curve.
Vegas Pro is another excellent, professional video editing software that will allow you to edit a Zoom recording on Windows. Like Premiere Pro, this software does cost money, but it can be an excellent investment for someone looking to up their editing game and create professional videos.
How to edit a Zoom recording on PC with Windows Movie Maker
Start by downloading Windows Movie Maker if you don’t have it on your computer already.
Once downloaded, you’ll be taken to the following screen. Select “video editor” if you’re interested in adding text, and effects, and thoroughly editing your Zoom recording. If you’re only interested in trimming your video, select “trim video.”
Import your Zoom file (see the above section on “Where to find your Zoom recording” if you’re unsure where your Zoom recording file is.) Your Zoom file import will appear in the video editor like this:
After it’s imported, click “Next” in the bottom right corner.
At the bottom center of the page, you’ll see your editing toolbar, which gives you access to transitions, text, overlays, effects, and much more.
From there, you can click any of the toolbar buttons and start making your edits. Here is an example where I added text to my video. I simply clicked “Add text” and typed in my words on the screen. You can easily adjust the length that the text by clicking and dragging the track’s length as highlighted below.
Have fun experimenting with Windows Movie Maker and trying the different effects, text, overlay, and more as you learn how to edit a Zoom recording.
How to edit a Zoom recording on Mac
If you have a Mac, there are multiple ways that you can edit a Zoom meeting:
VideoPro Vlogger is a free, downloadable video editing software that works on both PC and Mac computers. Many of VideoPro Vlogger’s features are click and drag, making this the most intuitive of the three Mac video editors we’re reviewing today.
iMovie is a free video editing software that comes on Mac computers or can later be downloaded for free onto a Mac computer. If you’re looking for a professional-looking edit with overlays, cuts, transitions, and more, iMovie is a great choice. It has many unique features and capabilities but has a relatively low learning curve.
Final Cut Pro is an advanced, professional video editing software for Macs that can do just about anything. Unlike the other Mac options mentioned above, Final Cut Pro does cost money. However, a free trial is available.
How to edit a Zoom recording on Mac with VideoPro Vlogger
Start by downloading VideoPro Vlogger onto your computer.
Once VideoPro Vlogger is installed on your computer, click “open project’ to work on a previous project, or click “new project” and select your Zoom recording file.
Once you’ve imported your Zoom recording, you’ll see the file in your video track and can add additional elements, like video, text, and audio with the top left highlighted sidebar.
To trim your Zoom recording, use the toolbar located below the video preview to split and crop your video to your desired length and size.
Continue experimenting with VideoPro Vlogger to edit your Zoom recording.
Conclusion
With so many tools to edit recordings available, it can be overwhelming to get started.
To overcome this hump, we recommend picking one video editor and immediately immersing yourself in it to see if it offers enough features for your needs. Start by assessing your video editing comfort level, willingness to learn a new program, and how many features you really need for your edit. Many Zoom edits can be completed simply with free software already on your computer or online software that is click and drag.
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