Hiding Participants in Zoom Cloud Recordings

Environment

U-M Zoom

Issue

I would like to hide participants as much as possible during Zoom Recordings to protect their privacy. What are my options?

Resolution

You can adjust settings in the following way to change how you record video:

For Cloud Recordings in Zoom

1. Navigate to https://umich.zoom.us/profile/setting?tab=recording and log in with U-M Weblogin, if prompted
2. Un-check at least one of the following settings:
   • Record gallery view with shared screen
     • If this is turned on, all participants will be able to be seen in the recording while a screen is shared ("Gallery View)"--turning it off will mean only the person who is speaking is visible while a screen is shared ("Active Speaker View")
     • Using Active Speaker instead of Gallery View keeps the focus on only one person's video feed at a time
     • The only time participants will be seen is when they are talking
       • Otherwise, if the host is talking, only the host will be seen
     • If participants do not want to be recorded when they speak, suggest that they mute their video before speaking
     • There is no way to completely hide participants from the recording at this time
   • Display participants' names in the recording
     • Hides participants' Display Names in the recording if they are on screen, helping to minimize identifying information in the recording
     • Does not hide participant video or audio, only their Display Name

For Local Recordings in Zoom

1. 1. Open the Zoom Desktop App on your computer

• On Mac: Finder > Applications > Zoom
• On PC: Windows Start button (i.e., windows icon) > Zoom

(You may need to type "Zoom" into the search bar.)

2. Navigate to your settings by selecting the user icon in the top right (either a profile picture or a box with your initials) and clicking "Settings"
3. Go to the "Recording" tab
4. Un-check "Display participants' names in the recording"
5. Exit the window

Additional Information

If you are using recordings as a part of instruction, refer to Recording Class Activities: (Some) Rules of the Road for details about privacy and policies governing recording class activity.

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.