Step 1. Install the Google Hangouts recorder
Download the installation file, open it, and follow the onscreen instructions.
How to Record Google Hangouts
Download the screen recorder.
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.
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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.
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We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.
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 $69.95
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:
Pros:
Cons:
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
Disclaimer: Please be aware that Movavi Screen Recorder does not allow capture of copy-protected video and audio streams.
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
Open the website.
Proceed to the Screencapture.com website
Customize the settings.
Click Start Recording.
Choose which window you want to record the video from.
Click Download when you finish recording and save your session.
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
Download the Loom Chrome extension.
Download Loom
Click on Advanced Settings and make sure you select Tab Audio as the audio source.
Record the tab in which your chat is taking place.
Share and save the video and audio with Loom.
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
Make sure you have the Hangouts app and prepare your call.
Drag down the Control Center on your iPhone.
Press the Record button and wait for the countdown.
Switch to Hangouts and record your call.
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
Install the Mobizen app.
Download Mobizen from Google Play
Tap the Mobizen widget while on your Google Hangout meeting.
Alter the settings using the cog icon.
Use the camcorder icon to record the video and the Stop button when you are finished.
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
Open Meet and either start or join the meeting.
Go to Google Meet
Click More and the Record Meeting button.
If you have permissions, it will bring up a recording button.
Hit Record, this will notify other participants the meeting isn’t private and is being recorded.
When you finish, click More and Stop recording.
If everyone has left the meeting, the recording will have stopped automatically.
Find the meeting in My Drive, under the Meet Recordings folder.
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
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.
If you’re using Movavi Screen Recorder, your files can be found in the C:\Users\%your_username%\
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.
See other useful how-to guides
How to record a Webex meeting
Best calling apps for a computer
How to record a meeting in Google Meet
Best meeting recorders
How to record GoToMeeting
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