Automatically upload Zoom recordings to Google Drive with Zapier

By now, most people are pretty familiar with video call etiquette. However, one habit that trips up even the most seasoned remote worker is remembering to upload or share the meeting recording after a call has ended.

With Zoom’s New Recording trigger—available as part of Zoom’s integration with Zapier—you can automatically upload new recording files to other apps, such as YouTube or Google Drive. We’ll show you how to set up a Zap—what we call Zapier’s automated workflows—so you’re always on top of post-meeting tasks.

Set up your apps

A heads up: You’ll need a paid Zoom account for this tutorial to work. Before you get started, you’ll also want to make sure you have Zoom and Google Drive configured properly. Here’s how:

Adjust your Zoom recording settings

The New Recording trigger only works on recordings that aren’t password protected. Before creating your Zap, make sure your Zoom recording settings are correct.

Log in to your account on the Zoom website. Click on Settings, located on the left-hand side. Under the Recording tab, make sure both Require users to authenticate before viewing cloud recordings and Require password to access shared cloud recordings are turned off.

You’ll also need to ensure that Allow cloud recording sharing is turned on. 

The New Recording trigger works on cloud recordings, which are available on Zoom’s paid plans. Currently, this trigger will not download password-protected meetings.

Make sure you have a cloud recording to use as sample data

If you’ve never recorded anything to the cloud with these settings in place, start up a Zoom meeting and record. It can just be a few seconds, but this will help you test and make sure your Zap works the way you want. When you end the meeting, Zoom will automatically upload the meeting to the cloud.

Set up Google Drive

Before making your Zap, set up the Google Drive folder where you’d like the recordings to be saved. When you get to the last step, this will be important.

Now you’re ready to set up your Zap. We’ll walk you through a couple of different ways to do it.

Option 1: Get started quickly with a Zap template

We have a template to help you get started quickly. Click the Use this Zap button below, and you’ll be guided through setup. You’ll need to create a Zapier account if you don’t already have one.

Here’s how it works: 

1. Click on the Use this Zap button. 

2. Connect your Zoom and Google Drive accounts.

3. Select the Google Drive location you’d like your recordings to appear.

4. Decide how you want Zoom recording to appear in Google Drive by mapping fields from Zoom into Google Drive.

5. Decide whether you want Zapier to convert your Zoom recording into an editable document. 

6. Test your workflow and turn it on. 

Option 2: Create your own Zap

If you’d like more control over information in your Zap or would like to upload Zoom recordings to another cloud storage app, you can click here to create a new Zap from scratch. 

We’ll walk through these steps in detail for Google Drive, but most of the steps in this tutorial will still apply for other cloud storage apps.

The basics:

1. Make sure your Zoom recording settings are configured properly and create a recording in advance so you can easily test your Zap.

2. Create the folder in Google Drive where you plan to upload your videos.

3. Sign into Zapier and click Create Zap.

4. Sign in to Zoom when prompted and test to pull in recent meeting recordings from your account.

5. Sign in to Google Drive and allow Zapier access permissions.

6. Customize where and how you’d like your recording file to show up in Google Drive.

7. Test your Zap and turn it on.

Set up the Zoom trigger step

Once you’ve checked your Zoom recording settings and created a Google Drive folder for your recordings, log into Zapier and click Create Zap.

In the Zap editor, select Zoom as the trigger app and New Recording as the trigger event. A trigger is the event that will start your Zap. 

Click Continue. You’ll then be prompted to sign in to your Zoom account with your username if you haven’t connected it before.

Once you’ve connected your account, click Continue.

Select which meeting type you want to trigger a new recording. If you’re unsure which one you should use, learn more about the differences between Zoom meetings and webinars.

Then Click Continue.

Next, you’ll be prompted to test your information. Click Test trigger. Zapier will try to find a recent new recording in your Zoom account. We’ll be using this as sample data to customize your workflow.

If Zapier can’t find a new recording, create a new one in your Zoom account and test your trigger again. Though you have the option to skip the test, working with real data in your account is the best way to ensure your recording uploads correctly.

Once the test is successful, click Continue, and you’ll move on to connecting your Google Drive account.

Set up your Google Drive action step

Now it’s time to set up your action—the event your Zap performs after it’s triggered. You’ll be prompted to choose your app (Google Drive for this example) and your action event (Upload File). Click Continue.

Next, you’ll sign into your Google Drive account with your email and password if you haven’t connected it before. Click Allow to give Zapier permission to access your Drive.

You can now customize which folder you want to upload new recordings, what file you want Zapier to upload, and what you want your file to be called.

Select the Drive and Folder where you want Zapier to upload your new Zoom recordings.

Next, you’ll need to populate The File field—the Zap won’t work if you don’t. Click in the Type or insert field under File to pull up a dropdown menu of data options to choose from. Click Show All Options and scroll down to select Video Files Download URL.

Under the Convert To Document? field, click on Choose value and select False. If you were to select True, it would tell Google Drive that this file should be an editable document. Since you’re uploading a video, this isn’t what you need.

By default, Zapier will use the same name and extension as your Zoom recording for the File name field. If you want a little more specificity, you can use existing data options in Zoom, such as Start Time or Topic. To map a field, click in the field and select the available data that is listed in the dropdown menu that you want to use as your file name. 

You can also enter in your own text, which will stay the same every time your Zap runs. However, you’ll still want to map unique identifiers—like the date—from Zoom so you can tell your videos apart.

Customize everything until you’re satisfied, then click Continue.

You’ll then be asked to test your Zap, which should upload a new recording to your specified Google Drive and folder. It may take a few minutes for the video to process, depending on the size of your recording.

If something doesn’t look right, feel free to go back and make any changes. Once you’re happy with everything, turn on your Zap by clicking the slider at the bottom of the Zap Editor.

Now, whenever you finish recording a Zoom meeting, the recording will automatically upload to Google Drive.

Head to our Zoom integrations page to see what else you can do, or create your own Zap.

This piece was originally published on September 22, 2020. It was substantially updated in December 2021.