Corrupted Video File

[TaylorSwift1213]

Hello. I recorded a Zoom meeting, and the recording file once converted has been corrupted. It has video and audio for the first 10 seconds, but it freezes and the audio cuts out until the last 30 seconds. My Zoom is updated. Also, the recording didn't appear in the recording section of my account. 

I have a 2020 MacBook, and the basic plan. 

Any help?

Thanks.

[lancetlc]

Hey @TaylorSwift1213 

The issues you're experiencing—a partially corrupted local recording and the recording not appearing in your account's cloud section—point to a few distinct problems.

Since you have a Basic (Free) plan, your recordings are local-only (saved to your computer), which is why they do not appear in the Cloud Recordings section of your account. The corruption issue is most likely due to an interruption during the local conversion process.

Local Recording Corrupted File Recovery

When a Zoom meeting ends, the raw .zoom file on your Mac needs to be converted into playable video (.mp4) and audio (.m4a) files. If this conversion process is interrupted (e.g., closing your laptop, running out of disk space, or a system crash), the final files can become corrupted or incomplete, which explains the freezing/cutoff.

1. Check the Original Folder for Conversion Files

The first step is to see if the original conversion file is still available.

1. Locate the Recording Folder: By default, Zoom saves local recordings in your Mac's Documents folder:

   • /Users/[YourUsername]/Documents/Zoom/

2. Look for the Raw File: Inside the folder for your meeting (named with the date/time), look for a file named double_click_to_convert.zoom or files ending in .zoom.

   • If you find this file, double-click it. Zoom should attempt to manually restart the conversion process.

2. Manual Reconversion Trick (High Success Rate)

If the manual double-click fails, you can try a trick to force Zoom to finish converting the corrupted file. Make a copy of the entire original meeting folder before attempting this.

1. Start a New Meeting and Local Recording:

   • Open your Zoom desktop app and start a new instant meeting (with only yourself).

   • Click Record and select Record on this computer.

2. Pause the New Recording:

   • After a few seconds, click Pause the recording (do NOT click Stop).

3. Find the New Folder:

   • Locate the new recording folder Zoom just created (it will have the current date/time).

   • Keep the Zoom meeting window open (do not end the meeting).

4. Swap the Files:

   • Go to your original, corrupted recording folder.

   • Copy the raw file (e.g., double_click_to_convert.zoom).

   • Go to the new, paused recording folder and paste the file, replacing the new, small file.

5. End the Meeting to Trigger Conversion:

   • Go back to the open Zoom meeting and click End Meeting > End Meeting for All.

   • Zoom should now automatically attempt to convert the files in that folder (which are now your corrupted files) as if they were a new, complete recording.