Controlling Viewers' Ability to Download Zoom Cloud Recordings

Environment

U-M Zoom

Issue

• How can I allow viewers to download my Zoom cloud recording?
• How can I prevent viewers from downloading my Zoom cloud recording?

Resolution

• Whether or not viewers (i.e. everyone other than the host) have the option to download a recording is controlled by the Viewers can download option in the recording's sharing settings
  • If Viewers can download is toggled ON, anyone with the link to the recording can download the files
  • If Viewers can download is toggled OFF, only the host can download the files
  • This setting also controls whether students can download Zoom recordings made available in the Zoom-Canvas and Zoom-Blackboard integrations
     
• U-M Zoom cloud recordings have Viewers can download defaulted to OFF (i.e. default behavior is that viewers CANNOT download recordings)
  • Hosts have the option to turn it ON on a recording-by-recording basis to allow viewers to download
     
• To adjust the Viewers can download setting, follow these steps:
  • Navigate to https://umich.zoom.us/recording
  • Click Share... next to the recording you want to adjust
  • Adjust the toggle next to Viewers can download
    • ON (blue) = Anyone with the link can download recording files
    • OFF (gray) = Only the host can download recording files
  • Click Done
     
• Refer to Protect Content and Privacy in Zoom Cloud Recordings for more information about recording security settings

Additional Information

• The host of a Zoom cloud recording always has the option to download the recording in the following locations:
  • From the Recordings page in the Zoom web app: click More, then click Download (this page is ONLY accessible to the host of the recording; alternative hosts, co-hosts, etc, can never access this page)
  • From the Recordings Detail page in the Zoom web app: click Download (this page is ONLY accessible to the host of the recording; alternative hosts, co-hosts, etc, can never access this page)
  • From the Recording's Sharable Link: click Download in the upper right (this page is accessible to ANYONE who has the link)
    Note: even if Viewers can download is turned off, the host will still always see the ability to download the recording files; viewers will not see this option. To test what viewers other than the host can see (only possible if Share this recording is set to Publicly), open an Incognito or Private browser window and navigate to the recording's sharable link.