How to Record a Gotomeeting Session and Share the Recording with Participants

Ever finished a meeting and realized half the team forgot what happened—or missed it entirely? You’re not alone. Recording meetings in Gotomeeting is a lifesaver for folks who want a reliable record, need to share updates, or just don’t trust their notes. But recording isn’t always as obvious as it sounds, and sharing the file afterwards can trip up even experienced users.

This guide walks you through recording a Gotomeeting session step by step, plus the best way to share the result without headaches. If you’re running training sessions, weekly check-ins, or big project kickoffs, you’ll be covered.

1. Check What You Need (Don’t Skip This)

A lot of people try to record a meeting and hit a wall—usually because of permissions or system settings. Before you jump in:

  • You need to be the meeting organizer or have recording permission. Regular participants can’t just hit “record.”
  • Use the desktop app for the smoothest experience. The web version of Gotomeeting is limited when it comes to recording. If you’re running the meeting through a browser, you probably won’t see the record option.
  • Check your storage: Recordings can eat up space, especially if you record video. Make sure you’ve got enough room on your computer or in the cloud.

Pro tip: If you’re not the organizer but need a copy, ask ahead of time. Some companies lock down recording for privacy reasons.

2. Start Your Gotomeeting Session

Assuming you’ve got the app and permission, fire up your meeting as usual. Here’s the basic process:

  1. Open the Gotomeeting desktop app.
  2. Start or join your meeting using the meeting ID or link.
  3. Wait for everyone to get settled. You can start recording at any point, but it’s usually best to wait until introductions are over.

3. Hit Record (And Don’t Forget to Announce It)

Once you’re ready:

  1. Look for the record button.
  2. On Windows: Find the “Record” icon (it looks like a red dot) in the top or bottom bar.
  3. On Mac: The icon’s the same, but sometimes hides in the control panel.
  4. Click “Record.” You’ll usually see a notification pop up, and the icon will change to indicate you’re recording.
  5. Tell your participants. Some places require everyone to know they’re being recorded. It’s also just polite.

What’s actually recorded? - Audio: Yes, all voices in the meeting. - Webcam video: Only if people have their cameras on. - Screen sharing: Anything you (or others) share during the meeting.

What’s NOT recorded? - Private chats between participants. - Anything outside the Gotomeeting app (your desktop, other apps, etc.).

Gotchas: - If you leave the meeting, the recording stops—even if others are still talking. - If you get disconnected, you might lose the recording or end up with a corrupted file. Not common, but it happens.

4. Stop and Save the Recording

When you’re done:

  1. Click the record button again to stop.
  2. Wait for Gotomeeting to process the file. This can take a few minutes, especially for longer meetings.

Where does the recording go? - Cloud recording: If your account supports it (usually with paid plans), the recording saves automatically to your Gotomeeting account online. - Local recording: If you’re on a plan or setup that only allows local saves, the file lands on your computer—usually in your Documents folder under “GoToMeeting.”

Heads up: Gotomeeting sometimes saves files as .GTM or .WMV. Modern versions usually use .MP4, which is much easier to share. If you get a weird file type, you may need to convert it before sharing.

5. Find Your Recording

This is where people get stuck. Here’s how to track down your file:

  • For cloud recordings:
  • Log into your Gotomeeting account on the web.
  • Go to “Meetings” > “History” or “Recordings.”

  • You’ll see a list of your recorded sessions. Click to play, download, or get a shareable link.

  • For local recordings:

  • Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
  • Go to Documents > GoToMeeting Recordings (or wherever you set your custom save location).
  • Look for the newest file. If it’s a .GTM or .WMV, you might need Gotomeeting’s built-in converter to make it shareable (see below).

If you can’t find the file: Search your computer for “GoToMeeting” or check the app’s recording settings to see where files are being saved.

6. Convert the Recording (If Needed)

Gotomeeting used to save recordings in .GTM (their own format) or .WMV. These aren’t easy for everyone to play. If you have one of these:

  1. Open the Gotomeeting Recording Manager.
  2. This should launch automatically after your meeting if you have unconverted files.
  3. Select your recording and choose “Convert.”
  4. Pick MP4 as the output if you can. Otherwise, WMV works for most Windows users.
  5. Wait for the conversion. It might take a while for long meetings.

Don’t want to mess with conversions? If you’re doing this often, switch to cloud recording in your settings if your plan allows. It’s a lot less hassle.

7. Share the Recording with Your Participants

Now for the real reason you did all this: getting the recording to the folks who need it.

If You Used Cloud Recording:

  • Send a link: In your Gotomeeting web portal, copy the shareable link and email or message it to your participants.
  • Set permissions: Check if you want the link to be public or only accessible to people in your organization (depends on your plan).

If You Have a Local File:

  • Upload to a cloud service: Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive are all fine. Just drag and drop the file and grab the share link.
  • Email the file: Only for short meetings—most recordings are too big for email attachments.
  • Use company intranet or a shared folder: If you’re in a corporate environment, this might be the best way.

Pro tips: - If your recording contains sensitive info, make sure only the right people can access it. - Don’t leave recordings lying around forever—delete them if they’re no longer needed.

8. What to Skip (And What to Watch Out For)

  • Don’t rely on chat for important info. Chat isn’t recorded, so copy anything crucial during the meeting.
  • Don’t expect flawless audio/video. Gotomeeting does a decent job, but if someone’s connection is bad, the recording will show it.
  • Don’t forget privacy laws. In some places, you need everyone’s permission to record. If in doubt, ask or check with legal.

What works well:
- Cloud recording, if you have it, is the least painful way to share. - MP4 files are easiest for others to watch—convert if you need to.

What rarely helps:
- Editing Gotomeeting recordings inside the app. It’s limited and clunky. If you need to trim or tweak, use something like VLC or a free video editor.

9. Quick Troubleshooting

  • Recording won’t start: Check if you’re on the web version (doesn’t support recording), or if you lack permission.
  • Can’t find the file: Check your save location in settings or search your computer for recent files.
  • File won’t play: Try converting it, or use VLC Media Player—it handles odd file types better than Windows Media Player or QuickTime.
  • Participants didn’t get the link: Double-check spam folders, and make sure you sent it to the right email addresses.

That’s it. Recording and sharing a Gotomeeting session isn’t rocket science, but there are plenty of small traps along the way. Stick to cloud recording if you can, share links instead of giant files, and don’t sweat the details—just get folks the info they need. You’ll get more comfortable each time you do it.