Zoom: Minimize Participant Visibility in Cloud/Local Recordings

Environment

U-M Zoom

Issue

I would like to minimize participants' visibility in my Zoom recordings to protect their privacy. What are my options?

Resolution

You can adjust settings in the following ways to change how you record participants' video:

For cloud recordings

1. Sign in to U-M Zoom.
2. Click Settings from the left navigation.
3. Click the Recording tab.
4. Uncheck at least one of the following settings:
   • Record gallery view with shared screen
     • When this setting is turned OFF, only the person who is speaking is visible while a screen is shared ("Active Speaker").
     • When this setting is turned ON, all participants are visible in the recording while a screen is shared ("Gallery 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 (or hosts) will be seen is when they are talking.
     • If participants do not want to be recorded when they speak, you should suggest that they turn off their video before speaking.
     • There is no way to hide all participants from the recording at this time.
   • Display participants' names in the recording
     • When this setting is turned OFF, all participants' display names are excluded from the recording.
     • This does not hide participant video or audio, only their name.
     • This does not hide their name from the audio or chat transcripts. There is no way to hide their names in the transcript unless the host changes each participant's display name before starting the recording:
       1. Click Participants from the bottom toolbar.
       2. Hover over each participant and click the three-dot icon.
       3. Select Rename and enter a new name for each.

For local recordings

There is only one setting you can adjust for local recordings:

1. Open the Zoom desktop app.
2. Click your profile picture in the top right corner and select Settings from the drop-down menu.
3. Click Recording from the left navigation.
4. Toggle Show participants names off.

You can also hide participant/attendee profile pictures during the meeting/webinar to ensure they aren't included in the recording. (You can also set this for all meetings/webinars you host in your Zoom account settings.)

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.