What is a .ZOOM file?
A .ZOOM file is a type of file that is created when you record a meeting on Zoom, which is a popular tool for videoconferencing used by students, professionals, and many others for online meetings. This file contains the recording of the meeting, including video, audio, or even text (like chat messages) that were part of the meeting. However, it's important to know that a .ZOOM file is not in its final form. It's like a rough draft or a placeholder for the recording. The file is usually named something like double_click_to_convert_##.zoom, which gives you a hint on what you need to do next.
Normally, after a Zoom meeting is recorded, the Zoom program will automatically start to convert this recording into more common file types that are easier to play on most devices. These include .MP4 files for video, .M4A files for audio, and .TXT files for any text chat that was recorded. Sometimes, there's also an .M3U file created, which helps to play the video files in the correct sequence.
But, if for some reason Zoom hasn't converted the recording right away (maybe because the program closed unexpectedly or the conversion process was interrupted), you'll find these .ZOOM files waiting to be converted. You'll typically see three of these files for each meeting, each containing different parts of the meeting's recording, like video, audio, and text.
To convert these .ZOOM files into the more usable formats (.MP4, .M4A, .TXT), all you need to do is double-click on any of the .ZOOM files. This action tells Zoom to start converting all the related .ZOOM files from that meeting into the standard file formats. Once converted, you can easily play back the meeting's video or audio, or read through the text chat, using common media players or text viewers.
The only program that can open and convert .ZOOM files is Zoom itself, specifically the Zoom desktop client for either Windows or Mac, which is referred to as Zoom Communications Zoom+ in some contexts. So, if you have a .ZOOM file, make sure you have the Zoom program installed on your computer to access the meeting's content by converting it.
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