How to search Google Meet recordings

The short answer

If your account can record and transcribe, Meet saves both to the organizer's Google Drive, and Drive search can find words in the transcript documents. For timestamped search across many recordings, or for questions like "which call covered the renewal?", download the recordings and index them together.

Who can record, and where it goes

Recording isn't available on every account. Google's help page lists a set of paid Workspace editions, plus some individual and Google One plans with larger storage, as able to record. If you don't see a record option, your plan or your admin is the likely reason.

Recordings are saved to the meeting organizer's Drive. Google's help currently describes a Google Meet folder with a sub-folder for each meeting; older accounts used a Meet Recordings folder, and Google has been reorganizing this, so search Drive for the meeting name if you can't find it. Transcripts, if someone turned them on, are saved as documents in the organizer's Drive and can take a while after the meeting to appear.

What Drive search can and can't do

Because Meet transcripts are documents, Drive's search box can match words in them. That's useful for a single exact phrase. It doesn't take you to the moment in the video, it depends on a transcript existing at all, and it doesn't read what was on a shared screen. It also leaves everything in Google's cloud, which some teams prefer to avoid for sensitive calls.

How to do it in MediaFind

MediaFind indexes downloaded Meet recordings on your computer and searches them by meaning, speaker and on-screen text.

1. In Drive, open the meeting's folder, select the recording and use Download. Collect them in one local folder.
2. Add that folder to MediaFind. It transcribes each recording on your machine, labels speakers, and reads text from slides and shared screens.
3. Search in your own words, e.g. the part where we talked about renewal pricing. Results link to the exact timestamp.
4. Filter by speaker, or name a voice once so it's recognized in your other recordings.
5. Use Ask for questions that span meetings. Answers cite the recordings and moments they came from.
6. Open a recording's summary and chapters to skim an hour-long call in a minute.

Tips and limitations

If you only need the words, the transcript doc is small and quick; if you need to see slides or hear tone, download the video. Keep downloads in a folder MediaFind watches and leave the app open: it re-checks added folders about once a minute and indexes new files once they finish copying.

Only download recordings you're allowed to keep, and make sure people know the meeting is being recorded. If you'd rather not depend on Meet's recording at all, Meetings mode (Pro) can transcribe a browser tab's audio, or in the Mac app both sides of the call, with no bot joining. Related: Zoom and Teams.

Frequently asked questions

Where are Google Meet recordings saved?

In the meeting organizer's Google Drive. Google's help describes a Google Meet folder with a sub-folder per meeting; older recordings may sit in a Meet Recordings folder.

Can every Google account record Meet calls?

No. Recording depends on your Workspace edition or Google One plan, and your admin can turn it off.

Can I search what was said across many Meet recordings?

Drive search can match words in transcript documents. To search the recordings themselves with timestamps, including speakers and slides, index the downloaded videos with a tool like MediaFind.

Do I need a Google account for MediaFind?

No. MediaFind needs no account or API key and runs on your computer. You only use Google to download your recordings.