How to record a Google Meet call on Windows
Google Meet's recording feature is locked behind paid Workspace plans, and what it produces lands in Google Drive. If you want the recording on your own machine, you record the call yourself. This guide covers the manual route with OBS and the automatic one.
Record it yourself with OBS
Meet is a browser tab, so OBS captures it as a window. Getting both sides of the audio is the part that needs attention.
- 1
Install OBS Studio
Download OBS from the official site and install it. The defaults are close; the audio routing is what you will set up.
- 2
Add a window capture for the browser
Add a 'Window Capture' source and select the browser window with the Meet call in it. Window capture keeps the rest of your screen and notifications out of the recording.
- 3
Capture system audio and your mic
Add an 'Audio Output Capture (WASAPI)' source for your speakers or headset to record the other participants. Add an 'Audio Input Capture (WASAPI)' source for your microphone. Check that both meters react during the call.
- 4
Set the output and record
In Settings, Output, set MP4 and a hardware encoder (NVENC, Quick Sync, or AMD). Start recording before you join, stop when the call ends.
- 5
Transcribe the recording
OBS produces a video file only. For a transcript, run the audio through a local Whisper build afterwards. It stays a manual step every time.
How Meet audio works on Windows
Windows routes audio through WASAPI. To record the other people on a Meet call you do not capture a microphone, you capture the playback device, which Windows exposes as a WASAPI loopback.
A loopback capture records what is being sent to your speakers or headset, Meet audio included. Your own voice still comes from the microphone, so a complete recording mixes the WASAPI loopback for everyone else with the mic for you. If you change output device mid-call, point the loopback at the device the browser is actually using.
The faster route: let Autorec do it
Autorec handles the window capture, the WASAPI loopback, and the transcript, and writes the result to your disk.
- 1
Install and launch Autorec
Run the Windows installer and start the app. It runs quietly in the system tray.
- 2
Join your Meet call as usual
Autorec detects the Google Meet call and starts recording automatically. It captures the call and mixes your microphone with the WASAPI loopback. No bot joins the call.
- 3
Get the video, transcript, and summary
When the call ends, Autorec stops recording and offers to transcribe the audio on your machine with whisper.cpp, or does it on its own if you turn on auto-transcribe. You end up with an MP4 and a .txt and .srt transcript on your disk, and nothing is uploaded. An AI summary is optional and off by default: it sends the transcript text to the LLM you configure, which can be a local one.
Common problems
There is no Record button in Google Meet
Meet's recording is limited to certain Workspace plans and can be turned off by an admin. A desktop recorder does not need it. It captures the call from Windows on any account, free ones included.
The recording has no system audio
The loopback is pointed at the wrong device. If you switched outputs mid-call, set the WASAPI loopback to the speaker or headset the browser is actually using.
The video is stuttering
Software encoding is competing with the browser for the CPU. Switch OBS to a hardware encoder, record at 30 fps, and set the Windows power plan to high performance.
Questions people ask
Can I record Google Meet without a Workspace subscription?
Yes. Meet's own recording needs a qualifying paid plan, but a desktop recorder captures the call window from outside Meet. It works on a free Google account.
Does recording this way notify the other participants?
Meet only shows a recording notice when someone uses Meet's built-in recording. A desktop recorder works outside Meet, so no notice appears. Tell the others anyway. It is usually required and always the decent thing to do.
Does Autorec slow down the call?
It uses a hardware video encoder when one is available, which keeps CPU use low. On a modern machine you should not notice the recording while you talk.
Where do the recordings go?
To a folder on your own disk. Autorec has no cloud account, and the video and transcript stay on your machine. The optional AI summary is the one exception: it sends the transcript text to the LLM you configure, which can be a local Ollama or LM Studio server, and it is off by default.
Keep reading
For the longer story behind local recording, see our guide: the complete local meeting recording guide
Skip the setup
Autorec detects the call, records it to your disk, and transcribes it on your machine. No bot joins the meeting and nothing is uploaded. The free tier covers 3 recordings every 24 hours, up to 40 minutes each.