A recorded hour of Zoom video uses about 200 MB (0.2 GB) of storage, and an hour of screen sharing about 20 MB, according to Zoom's own documentation. That's the whole rate. The rest of this post turns it into arithmetic for your schedule and shows where Zoom hides the real meter. If you've already hit the cap, start with what to do when Zoom blocks recording.
In short:
- Rate: about 200 MB per hour of video, about 20 MB per hour of screen sharing (Zoom's approximations).
- Formula: hours recorded × 0.2 GB = GB used.
- Meter (admins): Account Management → Reports → Cloud Recording.
How much storage does a Zoom recording use per hour?
In its recording file formats documentation, Zoom says that recording screen sharing uses about 20 MB of storage per hour, while recording video uses about 200 MB an hour.
| What's being recorded | Zoom's approximate size |
|---|---|
| One hour of video | about 200 MB |
| One hour of screen sharing | about 20 MB |
If you remember one conversion: a typical hour of video is a fifth of a gigabyte, give or take. Two caveats:
- These are approximations, and Zoom says so. Resolution and content type change the file size per hour. Recorded video can be 360p, 720p or 1080p depending on the HD and Full HD video settings, and a gallery of busy webcams isn't the same as one speaker against a still background.
- As far as we could find, Zoom doesn't publish a figure for audio-only recordings or for individual view layouts. Treat any precise "X GB per hour for gallery view" with caution, and use a range plus your own measurement (below).
What a cloud recording is made of
One session isn't one file. Zoom saves cloud recordings in MP4, M4A, M3U, TXT, CC.VTT and VTT formats: the MP4 is the video, the M4A is the audio, the VTT is the audio transcript, the CC.VTT is the closed-caption file, and the TXT is the in-meeting chat. The video is the heavy one. (Not sure which to hand a client? Which Zoom recording file to send sorts that out.)
Recording settings also decide how many files you get. Zoom lists options such as recording active speaker, gallery view and shared screen separately, and saving an audio-only file. Each extra variant is another file per session, so if your usage climbs faster than the arithmetic below predicts, check which are on.
The arithmetic for your own schedule
Use 0.2 GB per hour of video:
Hours recorded × 0.2 GB = GB used.
- A weekly two-hour class, one 12-week term: 24 hours × 0.2 GB ≈ 5 GB.
- A coach recording 15 one-hour client sessions a week (with clients' consent, of course): 15 × 0.2 GB = 3 GB a week, roughly 12 GB a month.
- A 45-minute meeting: about 0.15 GB, which is the number to use when you're sizing space in Google Drive for one session.
- A pooled team account (illustrative): 40 hosts averaging 5 recorded hours a week is 40 × 5 × 0.2 GB = 40 GB a week, or about 160 GB a month. Swap in your own headcount and hours.
Then compare the total with your plan's cap. Per-plan allowances aren't repeated here; Zoom cloud storage limits by plan lays them out, including how the allowance is pooled across licensed users.
How to see how much Zoom storage you're using
Estimates are a starting point; Zoom's own figure lives in the web portal, and which page you see depends on your role.
If you're the account owner or an admin:
- Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
- In the navigation menu, click Account Management, then Reports, then Cloud Recording. Zoom's cloud recording report documentation describes the page: the cloud storage the account is using, a graph of cumulative storage in use over the period you choose, and a breakdown by meeting host. That per-host view is how you find the heavy recorders. Zoom storage management for admins covers what to do next.
- For individual recordings, open Account Management → Recording and Transcript Management, which reports each recording's file size along with views, downloads and when it was last accessed.
If you're a regular licensed user: your Recordings & Transcripts page lists your own recordings. The allowance is pooled across the account, so the account-wide total is an admin view. Ask whoever manages the account to check the Cloud Recording report for you.
Measure your real rate. Note the usage figure, record your normal schedule for two weeks, and read it again. The difference divided by your recorded hours is your actual per-hour rate, which beats any rule of thumb, Zoom's included.
What gives space back
Deleted cloud recordings typically sit in the Trash for 30 days, and Zoom states that files in the Trash don't count as part of your total storage allowance. That holds when the Trash tab is enabled. If it has been turned off, Zoom deletes items permanently within 24 hours, so don't assume you have a month to change your mind.
Either way, deleting only helps if a copy already exists somewhere else. Deleting Zoom recordings safely after a backup covers the order to do things in.
Move recordings out instead of sizing around them
At 0.2 GB an hour, a year of a weekly two-hour class is about 20 GB, which fits comfortably in most paid Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox plans, but moving it by hand every week is a chore nobody keeps up. RecordFlow does it automatically: connect once, and each Zoom cloud recording is copied to the storage you own when Zoom's webhook says it's ready. RecordFlow never stores your recordings; files go straight from Zoom to your storage, and if you opt in to auto-delete, the Zoom copy is cleared only after the backup is confirmed. For a team, one admin install can archive every opted-in member's recordings into a single folder. The setup walkthrough covers it end to end, and the Zoom storage guides cover the neighbouring problems.
Stop doing storage maths.
RecordFlow copies every Zoom cloud recording to the cloud storage you own, Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, automatically, and, if you opt in, clears the Zoom copy only after the backup is verified. Setup takes about 60 seconds. Check your folder after the first recording and watch it arrive.
