How to Record a Zoom Meeting on Linux (2026)
Zoom’s own Linux app records to your computer when the host allows it. Here are the install commands, the recording steps, where the files land, and the no-host option.
In this article
To record a Zoom meeting on Linux, install Zoom’s desktop app for Linux and click Record. Hosts can record to the computer on any plan; participants need the host to click Allow Record first. To record without asking the host, use a desktop recorder such as Reline (Linux beta), which captures what you hear. Either way, tell everyone first.
Your options on Linux at a glance
| Option | Do you need the host? | What others see | Where the file goes | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom computer recording, you are the host | No, you are the host | A recording indicator and a consent notice | ~/Documents/Zoom on your computer | Free or paid |
| Zoom computer recording, you are a participant | Yes, the host clicks Allow Record | A recording indicator and a recording icon next to your name | ~/Documents/Zoom on your computer | Free or paid |
| Zoom cloud recording | Yes, only the host or a co-host can start it | A recording indicator and a consent notice | The host’s Zoom cloud | Paid, licensed host |
| Reline desktop app, Linux (beta) | No | Nothing from Zoom, so you tell people yourself | Your Reline account (cloud) | Free plan to start |
Step 1: install Zoom on Linux
Zoom ships a native desktop app for Linux, and Zoom lists that desktop app (Windows, macOS or Linux) as a prerequisite for computer recording. Download the installer for your distro from Zoom’s Download Center, open a terminal in the folder you saved it to, and run the command for your distro.
- Debian, Ubuntu or Linux Mint: sudo apt install ./zoom_amd64.deb
- Fedora, RHEL, CentOS or Oracle Linux: sudo yum install zoom_x86_64.rpm
- openSUSE: sudo zypper install zoom_openSUSE_x86_64.rpm
- Arch or Manjaro: sudo pacman -U zoom_x86_64.pkg.tar.xz
To update later, download the new installer and run the same command again. Zoom lists Ubuntu 20.04, Mint 20, Debian 11, Fedora 32 and RHEL 9 or newer, and Arch in 64-bit only. It also needs a processor or graphics card with OpenGL 2.0 or higher. Ubuntu 18.04, Debian 10 and other older releases are no longer supported.
Step 2: record with Zoom’s computer recording
Zoom now calls local recording “computer recording”. It works on a Basic (free) account, and Zoom says the host must record the meeting or give a participant the ability to record.
- If you are the host, click Record in the meeting controls. If a menu appears, choose Record on this Computer.
- If you are a participant, ask the host to open Participants, click More next to your name and click Allow Record. You get a notification, and then you can click Record yourself.
- Use Pause or Stop Recording at the bottom of the window. Pause keeps one file; stopping and starting again creates a new file.
- When the meeting ends, Zoom converts the recording and opens the folder. On Linux, Zoom’s default is home/[Username]/Documents/Zoom: a video[number].mp4 file and an audio-only audio[number].m4a file.
Zoom recommends keeping that folder on a local drive: cloud-synced, external or network folders can break saving and converting.
What the others see
- A recording indicator in the top-left corner of the meeting while the recording runs.
- When a participant records, a recording icon next to that person’s name in the participant list.
- People who dialled in by phone hear a message that the meeting is being recorded, unless the host turned it off.
- When the host starts recording, Zoom asks participants to consent: OK to stay, or Leave.
Cloud recording on Linux
Zoom lists the Linux desktop app among the prerequisites for cloud recording. It needs a licensed host on a Pro, Business or Enterprise account, and only the host or a co-host can start it. The recording lands in the host’s cloud recording list, so as a participant you still depend on the host to share it.
Record without the host’s permission: Reline on Linux (beta)
If the host will not click Allow Record, or you only want a transcript and notes, a desktop recorder captures your microphone and the sound your computer plays, so it works in any Zoom call you can hear. Reline ships a Linux desktop app (beta) that records both through PulseAudio or PipeWire, which every current mainstream distro ships. No bot joins the call, and Zoom shows nothing to anyone, which is exactly why you have to say it yourself. The full app also runs in the browser.
- Install the Reline Linux desktop app (beta) and sign in. You can start on the Free plan.
- Join the call in Zoom’s Linux app or in the browser, the way you normally do.
- Tell people you are recording audio for notes, and record only if they agree.
- Press record in Reline. Keep your sound output unmuted: if the system output is muted, the other side of the call is recorded as silence.
- After the call you get a transcript, an AI summary and the recording, with a play button on every transcript line.
Be clear on what this is. Reline records audio, not video, so for a video file use Zoom’s computer recording. Your voice and the call are split into Me and Other by which stream the sound came in on, not by recognizing voices. Capture happens on your machine, but transcription, AI summaries and storage run in the cloud, so there is no on-device mode.
Consent comes first
Zoom’s recording notice protects you only when Zoom does the recording. A recorder on your own computer does not announce itself, and “Zoom did not show anything” is not consent. The rules depend on where everyone on the call is: some places need the consent of every person, and in the EU a recording of people is personal data you must tell them about. Your employer or a client contract can also forbid recording. The simple habit: say at the start that you are recording for notes, and stop if anyone objects.
Where Reline fits on Linux, and where it does not
- It fits when you are a participant without recording rights, when you want a searchable transcript and notes rather than a video file, and when you record Zoom, Google Meet and Teams from the same Linux machine.
- It does not fit when you need the video or the shared screen, when audio must never leave your computer, or when you want to record on a phone: Reline has no mobile app.
Sources
- Zoom Support, "Installing or updating Zoom on Linux" (KB0063458): support.zoom.com
- Zoom Support, "Zoom system requirements: Windows, macOS, Linux" (KB0060748): support.zoom.com
- Zoom Support, "Starting a computer recording" (KB0076922): support.zoom.com
- Zoom Support, "Finding your computer and cloud recordings" (KB0058006): support.zoom.com
- Zoom Support, "Starting a cloud recording" (KB0062627): support.zoom.com
- Zoom Support, "Providing consent to be recorded" (KB0059819): support.zoom.com
Common questions
- Can you record a Zoom meeting on Linux?
- Yes. Zoom’s Linux desktop app supports computer recording on a free account and cloud recording for licensed hosts. The host can record, and a participant can record after the host clicks Allow Record.
- Why does Zoom on Linux say I do not have permission to record?
- By default only the host can record. Ask the host to open Participants, click More next to your name and choose Allow Record. If it still fails, an admin may have turned computer recording off for your account.
- Where are Zoom recordings saved on Linux?
- Zoom’s default computer recording folder on Linux is home/[Username]/Documents/Zoom. You get a video[number].mp4 file and an audio[number].m4a file after the meeting ends and Zoom finishes converting.
- Can I record Zoom on Linux without the host?
- Not with Zoom’s own recording. A desktop recorder such as Reline (Linux beta) records what you hear without host permission, and Zoom shows nothing, so tell everyone and record only if they agree.
- Does Reline record Zoom video on Linux?
- No. Reline records audio (your mic and the call) and gives you a transcript and an AI summary. For a video file, use Zoom’s computer recording with the host’s permission.
- Does Reline work with Zoom in the browser on Linux?
- Yes. Reline records your computer’s audio, so it does not matter whether Zoom runs in its Linux app or in a browser tab. Reline itself runs as a Linux desktop app (beta) and in the browser.
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