Local Recording Missing — Empty Folder Created, No Files Saved (Fresh Install, Not Host)

[bert29]

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:

1. Is this a known issue for new installs or non-hosts with local recording permission?

2. Can the .zenc logs confirm what happened — or if a recording attempt was made?

3. 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.