If you’re working in a distributed team, video meetings are the glue that keeps everyone on the same page. But what about teammates who miss a call, or that one person who swears “the action items weren’t clear”? Recording and sharing your meetings is the next best thing to being there—if you do it right. This guide is for folks who use Whereby and want a dead-simple way to record, save, and share meetings with their team without getting lost in technical weeds.
Let’s skip the fluff and get into what actually works.
Why Bother Recording Meetings in Whereby?
Before you dive into settings and steps, it’s worth asking: is recording meetings actually useful, or just another thing people forget to watch?
Recording is helpful when: - Someone can’t make the meeting and needs the full context. - You want to double-check what was said—no more “he said, she said.” - You’re onboarding new team members and want to reuse training calls.
Recording is overkill when: - The meeting is just a quick catchup or has sensitive content. - Nobody actually goes back and watches old meetings (be honest).
Bottom line: Use recording when you have a real need for it, not just out of habit.
Before You Start: What You Need to Know About Whereby Recording
There are a few things to keep in mind before you hit record:
- Not all Whereby plans include recording. You’ll need a Pro, Business, or Embedded plan. If you’re on the free plan, recording isn’t available, and you can stop reading here.
- Browser matters. Recording works best on Chrome and Edge. Firefox and Safari may have issues.
- Storage isn’t unlimited. Recordings are stored in the cloud, but there’s a storage cap depending on your plan. If your team records a lot, you’ll need to clean up old files now and then.
- Everyone sees when you’re recording. There’s a visible indicator, so don’t try to be sneaky.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure which plan you’re on, check your account dashboard or ask whoever pays the bill.
Step 1: Set Up Your Whereby Room for Recording
Before you can record, make sure your meeting room is ready:
- Check your plan. Log in and verify you’re on a paid plan that supports recording.
- Create or join a room. You can record in any room you have admin or host rights in.
- Test your gear. Make sure your mic and camera are working—recordings capture whatever is happening in the meeting, including technical glitches.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time fiddling with advanced settings unless you have a specific need. The default recording setup works fine for most teams.
Step 2: Start Recording Your Meeting
Here’s how to actually record your call:
- Once in the meeting room, look for the “Record” button. It’s usually at the bottom of the screen. If you don’t see it, you’re either not the host or your plan doesn’t support recording.
- Click “Record.” You’ll see a confirmation and a red indicator letting everyone know recording is on.
- Conduct your meeting as usual. Everything—audio, video, screen shares—gets captured.
- When you’re done, click “Stop Recording.” The recording will process and save automatically.
Heads up: Whereby records the meeting “as seen”—if someone shares their screen, that’s what’s recorded. Side chats or private DMs aren’t included.
What doesn’t work: There’s no way to pause and resume a recording. You have to stop and start a new one if you want to skip breaks.
Step 3: Find and Download Your Recording
When the meeting ends, here’s how to grab your recording:
- Wait for processing. Whereby takes a few minutes to finish up the video. You’ll get an email or notification when it’s ready.
- Go to your Whereby dashboard. Log in and open the room where you recorded the meeting.
- Look for the “Recordings” tab or section. Every recording for that room is listed here.
- Download or play back the recording. You can stream it in the browser or download it as an .mp4 file.
Storage tip: Delete old recordings you no longer need. Cloud storage isn’t infinite, and most teams don’t need to keep every single call.
What to ignore: Don’t bother trying to edit the recording in Whereby—it’s not built for that. If you need to trim or cut something out, use a basic video editor after downloading.
Step 4: Share the Recording With Your Team
Don’t just hoard the file—get it to the people who need it.
Here’s what works: - Direct download link: Whereby gives you a link you can share. Anyone with the link (and sometimes the right permissions) can watch or download. - Upload to a shared drive: If your company uses Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, upload the file there and share the link in your usual team channel (Slack, Teams, email, etc.). - Embed in docs: For recurring meetings (like weekly standups), drop the link in your team’s Notion, Confluence, or whatever knowledge base you use.
What doesn’t work well: - Emailing giant video files. Most email providers choke on large attachments. Stick to sharing links.
Quick note on privacy: Make sure you’re not sharing sensitive meetings outside the group that needs them. Once a link is out, it’s hard to control who watches.
Step 5: Clean Up and Keep Things Organized
Meeting recordings pile up fast. Here’s how to keep things tidy:
- Name your recordings. Whereby will use a generic date and time stamp. Rename files or add context (“Q2 Kickoff Call”) so you can find them later.
- Set a retention policy. Decide as a team how long to keep recordings (30, 60, 90 days?) and stick to it. Most people never revisit old meetings.
- Delete what you don’t need. It’s easy to hoard, but storage costs money and clutter slows everyone down.
Pro tip: If you’re in charge of compliance (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.), double-check your org’s rules about storing or sharing recordings. Don’t assume it’s fine just because Whereby lets you do it.
Gotchas and Limitations: What to Watch Out For
Whereby’s recording feature is simple, but it isn’t perfect. Here’s what you might run into:
- No advanced editing. You can’t blur faces or trim awkward silences in-app.
- Recording can fail. If your internet drops or the browser crashes, you might lose the recording. Don’t treat it as foolproof.
- No automatic transcripts. Unlike some competitors, Whereby doesn’t auto-generate transcripts (as of early 2024). You’ll need another tool if you want searchable text.
- Privacy pop-ups. Some people get weird about being recorded. Always ask first—even if it’s just good manners.
If you need more robust features (like transcription, smart search, or native integrations with project management tools), Whereby isn’t the most advanced option out there. But for straightforward recording and sharing, it gets the job done.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple
Recording and sharing meetings in Whereby is easy if you stick to the basics: make sure you’re on the right plan, hit record, grab the file, and share it where your team actually looks. Don’t overcomplicate it with fancy workflows or by saving every single call. Start small, improve as you go, and remember—sometimes, the best meeting is the one that could have been an email.