Local Recording Missing — Empty Folder Created, No Files Saved (Fresh Install, Not Host)
Hi everyone,
I recently experienced a local recording failure despite Zoom indicating everything was working. I’d appreciate any help understanding why no files were saved — and if there’s any hope of recovery.
🧩 What happened:
I joined a Zoom meeting as a participant (not the host), using an invite link.
I was signed in to my Zoom account at the time.
The host granted me permission to record locally.
I clicked "Record", and Zoom said:
“Recording in progress”
At the end of the meeting, I heard:
“Recording stopped”
Zoom stayed open the entire time and did not crash.
This was a fresh install of Zoom on a new Windows user account.
📁 What I found:
The folder C:\Users\[MyName]\Documents\Zoom exists.
Its “last modified” timestamp matches the moment the meeting ended.
❌ There are no subfolders or files inside — completely empty.
I’ve enabled hidden/system files and verified the folder is truly empty.
I searched my entire drive for .mp4, .zoom, .tmp, and double_click_to_convert.zoom files — nothing found.
I also checked the Recycle Bin, AppData, Temp folders — no trace.
The meeting does not appear in Zoom’s “Recorded” tab or “Recent meetings.”
🧠 Diagnosis?
My guess is:
Zoom attempted to record, created a subfolder (briefly), then silently failed before writing anything.
Possibly a permissions issue, recording module failure, or antivirus blocking Zoom from writing.
🔐 Logs:
I found .zenc log files in AppData\Roaming\Zoom\logs
I can share them if Zoom staff or someone can interpret what happened
❓ Questions:
Is this a known issue for new installs or non-hosts with local recording permission?
Can the .zenc logs confirm what happened — or if a recording attempt was made?
Is there any recovery possible?
Thanks in advance for any help. Even if the file is lost, I’d like to understand what went wrong.
