Where Are Zencastr Recordings Stored Before Upload?
Zencastr records each guest locally in browser storage, then uploads progressively. Recovery options and the cache-clearing trap.
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Zencastr records every participant locally at full quality while uploading pieces in the background. Until the confirmation popup appears, the only high-quality copy sits in that browser's local storage. There is no playable file on disk yet, which catches people searching for one.
Keep the recording page open until each guest sees upload confirmation. Never clear cache or cookies mid-session, and avoid incognito entirely: closing it vaporizes unuploaded tracks beyond recovery. Failed uploads offer Retry Upload first, then Recover Backup to download the local copy straight to the guest's computer.
Where Zencastr stores this, by platform
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
Tracks hide in Chrome's internal storage under this profile, not as media files. Keep 10 GB free for video sessions. Edge mirrors the layout under Microsoft\Edge\User Data.
~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default
Same internal browser storage as Windows. Recovery must happen in the same browser on the same machine via the recording link. Internet-quality cloud backups cover only the last 30 days.
Frequently asked questions
A Zencastr track shows Unfinalized track, how do I save it?
Reopen the recording link in the same browser and click Retry Upload on the track. If that fails, use Recover Backup to download the local file, then send it to the host. Act within days: local storage is not an archive.
Can the host recover a guest's local Zencastr files?
No. Only the guest's own browser can reach them, so the guest must run the recovery steps. The host fallback is the lower-quality internet backup, available for 30 days on multi-guest recordings.
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