If a Zoom meeting is already over, I do not need another bot joining the next meeting. I need the recording file that Zoom already made, a local transcript, and a way to find the meeting again later.

My workflow is to locate or download the completed Zoom recording, put its files in one folder, then open that folder in MinuteFile for Mac. MinuteFile transcribes the recording on the Mac and keeps the recording and editable transcript together.

Find a Zoom recording saved on your Mac

Zoom computer recordings are stored on the Mac that recorded the meeting. The default folder is:

/Users/your-name/Documents/Zoom

Zoom may be using a different folder. In the Zoom Workplace app, open Settings, choose Recording, then check Local recording storage. Click Open beside the storage location to reveal the folder in Finder.

Zoom also lists computer recordings in the app:

  1. Open Home and click Open recordings.
  2. In My files → Meeting recordings, choose Computer recordings.
  3. Open the menu for the completed meeting and click View file location.

If Zoom shows Convert instead, let it finish converting the recording first. A completed computer recording commonly includes an MP4 video, an M4A audio file, and a chat text file, depending on the meeting and recording settings.

Zoom documents the current steps in Managing computer recordings.

Download a completed Zoom cloud recording

A cloud recording is not on the Mac until it is downloaded.

  1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
  2. Open Recordings & Transcripts, then Cloud recordings.
  3. Open the processed recording.
  4. Click Download and confirm.

The recording owner or an authorised user must have download access. If the recording is still processing, wait for Zoom to finish before downloading it. Zoom documents the permissions and steps in Managing and sharing cloud recordings.

I put the downloaded files for one meeting in their own folder. Keeping the MP4 or M4A beside any VTT, TXT, or chat files makes the archive easier to inspect later.

Bring the completed recording into MinuteFile

Open MinuteFile and choose either the individual meeting folder or a parent folder containing several completed recordings. For Zoom computer recordings, that parent folder can be ~/Documents/Zoom.

MinuteFile detects recording folders and their audio, video, caption, and chat files. Select the meeting, choose the transcription model and language offered by the app, then start transcription. The first use of a model may download it from its model host.

Once the required model is installed, MinuteFile runs transcription on the Mac. The recording and transcript are not uploaded to a MotionObj cloud transcription service.

MinuteFile starts after the recording exists. It does not capture the live Zoom meeting, join as a bot, or create a cloud summary.

If the recording does not appear

Two checks cover most missing Zoom recordings.

Check whether Zoom finished the recording

A computer recording may still need conversion after the meeting ends. Open Computer recordings in Zoom and click Convert if that action is shown. Import the recording after Zoom finishes conversion and opens the recording location.

For a cloud recording, check that Zoom has finished processing it and that the recording owner allows downloads. A shared playback link does not always include permission to download the files.

Keep each downloaded meeting in one folder

MinuteFile treats a folder as the meeting record. Keep the recording media and any matching caption, transcript, or chat files together. If a cloud download places several files loose in Downloads, move the files for that meeting into one folder before importing it.

When both audio and video are present, MinuteFile chooses a usable transcription source from the files it detects. There is no need to extract audio from the MP4 first. Keeping the original files also means I can open the source recording again while reviewing the transcript.

Use an existing Zoom transcript when you already have one

MinuteFile 0.1.6 can also turn an existing VTT, SRT, or TXT transcript into the editable archive transcript without transcribing the audio again.

Keep the transcript file in the meeting folder, select the recording in MinuteFile, then choose the existing transcript. MinuteFile keeps a copy of the source as a Supporting File and labels it as not generated by MinuteFile. Recognised VTT or SRT timestamps remain connected to local playback; plain TXT stays editable and searchable but cannot provide timestamp seeking that was not in the source.

Review the transcript and keep the meeting searchable

Transcription is not the last step. I play the local recording against the transcript, correct text and speaker labels, and add bookmarks to moments I need to revisit. Transcripts and speaker labels can contain errors, so I review anything I plan to publish or treat as a record.

MinuteFile keeps saved transcripts in a searchable archive on the Mac. I can search across meetings, jump from timestamps to local playback, and export TXT, Markdown, or HTML copies.

I keep the original Zoom folder and exported transcripts backed up separately. I also make sure I am allowed to keep and process the recording; the local workflow does not change recording consent or access rules.

The app still uses the network for optional model downloads, signed update checks and downloads, and Stripe checkout. MinuteFile’s privacy page describes those boundaries.