How to Record Google Hangouts

  1. Download the screen recorder.

  2. Adjust the recording parameters.
  3. Record your Hangout session.
  4. Convert the result to any format of your choice.
Edited by Ben Jacklin
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In this article, we will be discussing how to record Google Hangout sessions with a variety of tools. We’ll review a screen recorder for PC, online recorder, browser extension, and mobile apps.

Software

Best for

Platform

Download

High-privacy recording

Online

Extensive options for recording

Google Chrome

Show more

Our goal is to provide you with only verified information. To ensure this, Movavi Content Team does the following:

  • When selecting products to include in our reviews, we research both demand and popularity.

  • The team tests all the products mentioned in this article.

  • When testing, we compare the key characteristics of the products, which include selecting capture area, schedule recording, showing keystrokes and mouse, and other significant features.

  • We study user reviews from popular review platforms and make use of this information when writing our product reviews.

  • We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.

How to record a Google Hangout using Movavi Screen Recorder

Best for: Video and audio recording on Windows and Mac

Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 47 reviews

Price: Free 7-day trial with the paid version of HK$269

Platform: Windows, macOS

Movavi Screen Recorder lets you easily capture what is happening on your screen. This makes it one of the easiest tools for capturing Google Hangouts. Even people with limited tech knowledge can record video chats. Movavi Screen Recorder can record high-quality video at up to 60FPS, meaning you can use the video in professional applications such as learning materials for an online course or university.

Main features:

  • Include anything you type and click to explain complex content in easy-to-follow detail
  • Grab webcam footage and the audio stream simultaneously or separately
  • Record high-quality audio to enhance video tutorials and presentations
  • Connect with your team on a whole new level – record your voice as you present on a call and share the video recap later
  • Draw on videos and annotate them in real time to make in-depth explanation
  • Schedule video capture of live events and webinars and watch the recordings later

Pros:

  • Easy to set up and grab from screen or webcam in 4K
  • Customize footage and create videos on the go
  • Runs smoothly on any Windows or Mac computer

Cons:

  • Full version of the program has no limits to your creativity

How to record a Google Hangout using Movavi

Step 1. Install the Google Hangouts recorder

Download the installation file, open it, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Step 2. Adjust the recording parameters

Open Google Hangouts on your computer and launch Movavi Screen Recorder. Press the icon with a video camera on the pre-recording panel and adjust the capture frame. After that, the main recording panel will appear.

If you want to record a Google Hangout with audio, make sure the System Audio and Microphone buttons are highlighted in green – this indicates that the program will record your voice and the voices of the people you’re chatting with.

Step 3. Start recording a Google Hangout

When all the settings are OK, click the REC button. Get ready to start your video chat; the recording will begin in three seconds. Click Pause when you need to take a break, and Stop to finish and save. Alternatively, you can use hotkeys: F9 to pause/resume and F10 to stop (for Windows), and ⌥ ⌘ 1 to pause/resume and ⌥ ⌘ 2 to stop (for Mac). The recorded video will be automatically saved on your hard drive in MKV format and appear in the preview window.

Step 4. Cut and convert the video (optional)

If you want to, you can re-watch the captured video and make sure everything’s OK in the preview window. You can also cut out any unwanted material, such as the moment you turn the camera on/off or if you record audio at the start or end that you don’t require. To do this, place the white marker at the beginning of the section you want to get rid of and use Scissors. Do the same to mark the end of the segment. Now click on this marked segment and click the Trash Can icon. When you are ready to save the changes, click Export.

To choose the format in which to save the captured video, click one of the formats listed at the top of the dialog window. Once you’ve selected the desired format, click Save and wait for a few minutes while the program finishes converting your video.

Movavi Screen Recorder

The perfect way to record anything from your screen

Disclaimer: Please be aware that Movavi Screen Recorder does not allow capture of copy-protected video and audio streams.

Recording Google Hangout with Screencapture.com

Best for: High-privacy recording

Rating: 4.6/5 stars, 332 reviews

Price: Free with the paid version from $9.95/month

Platform: Online

Screencapture.com offers you the key features of a screen recorder with no extra steps required. You can record your system and microphone sound, webcam, and image from your monitor. Then, you can save your file and be sure that your data is secure. However, if you want to record a video without a watermark, you need to pay for the premium version.

Main features:

  • No download required

  • High privacy

  • Saves recordings in high quality

Pros:

  • The free version includes all the basic options

  • Amateur-friendly

Cons:

  • The free version records videos with a watermark

How to record Google Hangouts using Screencapture.com

  1. Open the website.
    Proceed to the Screencapture.com website

  2. Customize the settings.

  3. Click Start Recording.

  4. Choose which window you want to record the video from.

  5. Click Download when you finish recording and save your session.

How to record Google Hangout video and audio in Loom

Best for: Extensive options for recording

Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 212 reviews

Price: Free with paywalled options for groups of 25+ people

Platform: Google Chrome

Loom is a specific Google Chrome plugin to let you record from your webcam or create a quick screen share video. It’s designed to be quicker than an email, making it great to share quick messages. Loom’s presets might capture from your webcam by default so make sure you change the settings to record bot video and screen audio from your meeting.

Though Loom’s plugin works via Chrome, it doesn’t record exclusively from the browser. Once you’ve set it to record, you can record anything that is going on within your screen.

The Starter Plan is free and lets you share videos free of charge with up to 25 people in a Team Workspace. However, if you have a bigger organization, you may have to move to a paid plan.

Main features:

  • Extensive options

  • Free-to-use

  • Integrations with Slack, Gmail, Notion, Coda, Intercom, and Headway

Pros:

  • No watermarks

  • Quick and easy to share short videos with colleagues or friends

  • Videos can be stored on Loom’s own platform

Cons:

  • Only works on the Chrome browser

  • Settings may need to be changed to record your call audio

  • Paid plan for businesses with over 25 people in a workspace

How to record Google Hangout video and audio in Loom

  1. Download the Loom Chrome extension.
    Download Loom

  2. Click on Advanced Settings and make sure you select Tab Audio as the audio source.

  3. Record the tab in which your chat is taking place.

  4. Share and save the video and audio with Loom.

How to record Google Hangout video call using your native iPhone screen-recording tool

Best for: Casual recordings

Price: Free

Platform: iOS

Modern iPhones come with their own screen-recording tool inbuilt. If you want to record a Google Hangout call on your phone, then this screen recorder can be a good option. You can access screen recording via the drag-down Control Center menu at the top of the iPhone screen. Video can also be recorded in this way via an iPad.

If you don’t find the screen recorder in the Control Center, you can easily add it to your settings to ensure the recording is just a click away.

Main features:

  • No download needed

  • Can record internal audio and voice

Pros:

  • No need to install new software

  • Video can be instantly backed up to iCloud

  • No watermarks on the videos

Cons:

  • Notifications might spoil your recording

  • Can take up valuable space on your iPhone

How to record Hangout using native iPhone screen recorder

  1. Make sure you have the Hangouts app and prepare your call.

  2. Drag down the Control Center on your iPhone.

  3. Press the Record button and wait for the countdown.

  4. Switch to Hangouts and record your call.

How to record Google Hangouts on Android devices

Best for: High-quality recording

Rating: 4.1/5 stars, over 3 M ratings and reviews

Price: Free with in-app purchases from $0.99 per item

Platform: Android

Mobizen lets you record a Google Hangout in quality settings up to 1080p resolution, 12.0MBPS. A lot of people use it for recording gaming videos, but if you are using the Google Hangouts app on your Android phone, Mobizen can allow you to capture and edit video clips ready for uploading or sharing. Though Mobizen is a really useful tool for Android, some users have reported some lag in their recordings. On top of this, you can only use it on Android devices, so you can’t record on your laptop.

Main features:

  • High-quality recordings

  • Has basic video-editing functions

Pros:

  • No login required

  • Can save videos to external memory

Cons:

  • Some users have reported lag

  • Only available on Android

How to record Google Hangout video call using Mobizen

  1. Install the Mobizen app.
    Download Mobizen from Google Play

  2. Tap the Mobizen widget while on your Google Hangout meeting.

  3. Alter the settings using the cog icon.

  4. Use the camcorder icon to record the video and the Stop button when you are finished.

How to use a built-in recording feature in Google Meet

Best for: On-the-spot recording

Rating: 4.46/5 stars, 10 464 reviews

Price: Free

Platform: Online, Android, iOS

Google Hangouts doesn’t have a native recorder to use, but Google Meet lets the organizer of a call record the meeting if they wish. This only applies to certain Google Meet plans, including education, business, and enterprise plans, which is a privacy feature to ensure not just anyone can record the meeting. This is frustrating if you are logging in to a webinar or meeting on Google Meets and you want to record it for reference, as it isn’t an option for attendees.

Google Meet can record in HD and integrates with Drive to save your recordings. If you’re a regular user of Google Suite, then you will find this helpful, but long meetings can fill your storage space quickly.

Main features:

  • Can start recording instantly during a meeting

Pros:

  • Integration with Google Drive

  • No additional installations required

Cons:

  • Available only to the host of the meeting

  • May cause video stuttering for the viewers

How to record Google Meet

  1. Open Meet and either start or join the meeting.
    Go to Google Meet

  2. Click More and the Record Meeting button.

  3. If you have permissions, it will bring up a recording button.

  4. Hit Record, this will notify other participants the meeting isn’t private and is being recorded.

  5. When you finish, click More and Stop recording.

  6. If everyone has left the meeting, the recording will have stopped automatically.

  7. Find the meeting in My Drive, under the Meet Recordings folder.

How to choose a screen recorder

The solutions mentioned here serve different purposes. Sometimes, it can be hard to choose one with so many options. So, here’s what you should pay attention to while looking for a screen recorder:

  • Price

  • Platform compatibility

  • User reviews

  • Editing features

  • Easy video sharing

  • Customer support

Frequently asked questions

Can you record a Google Hangout session?

Can I record Google Hangout natively within the app? The answer is no. There’s no option to record the chat within Hangouts. However, there are many workaround methods using screen recording methods. If you are recording using an iPhone, the inbuilt screen recorder is handy and can be called up in seconds to start recording. For those people who need to record via laptop, a Chrome plugin or even browser capture screen recorders like Movavi can make it easy. Loom is a similar option that is normally used to share shorter videos such as quick tutorials.

Where can I find my Google Hangouts recordings?

If you’re using Movavi Screen Recorder, your files can be found in the C:\Users\%your_username%\Videos\Movavi Screen Recorder\ folder on Windows or /users/%your_username%/Movies/Movavi Screen Recorder/ on Mac. You can change this option in Preferences. If you’re a G Suite user, Google Meet, which is the new version of Hangouts, also allows you to record meetings. This version saves the result to your Google Drive in the Meet Recordings folder and emails you a link to the video.

How do I record audio and video on Google Hangouts?

First, download and install Movavi Screen Recorder, then launch it. Click the video camera on the right. Select the area to capture, switch on System Audio and Microphone if you need to record sound – these icons will appear in green when the program is ready to capture audio. Click the REC button when the session is about to start. After a 3-second countdown, Movavi Screen Recorder will begin to capture video. Hit Stop at the end of the meeting. Click Export, adjust the save options, and click Save. You’re done!

The classic Google Hangouts doesn’t have a recording option. But if you’re a G Suite administrator, a member of a business team, or a teacher, you can use the built-in recording tool in Google Meet. After you start or join the meeting, click the three dots in the bottom-right corner and hit Record meeting. When you’re ready to finish, click Stop recording twice. You can also wait until everyone leaves the meeting, at which point the recording will stop automatically. You will receive a link to your video file by email.

Movavi Screen Recorder

The perfect way to record anything from your screen

An easy way to record from your screen in HD. Make video footage of any application, record online streaming video, webinars, even Skype calls, and save clips in all popular formats.

4.6 20,293 reviews
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