Sparebuttons

User guide: Bulk Transcript Exporter for Zoom

Last updated: 19 October 2026

Before you start

  • A Zoom account on a plan with cloud recording (Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise).
  • Audio transcripts switched on: Zoom web portal → Settings → Recording → Cloud recording → Create audio transcript. Zoom only creates transcript files for recordings made after this is on.
  • Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Brave.

Adding the app

  1. Install Bulk Transcript Exporter for Zoom from the Chrome Web Store, then click its icon in the toolbar. The exporter opens in a new tab.
  2. Click Sign in with Zoom. Zoom's own sign-in page opens; sign in if needed.
  3. Review the permissions (read-only access to your cloud recordings, recording files, meeting transcripts and basic profile) and click Allow.
  4. You return to the exporter, which shows Connected as [email protected].

If your Zoom admin requires approval for Marketplace apps, Zoom will ask you to request it. Your admin can pre-approve the app in the Zoom App Marketplace.

Using the app

  1. Choose a date range (or a preset: 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years) and click Find recordings. Zoom returns one month per request, so for long ranges the exporter steps through month by month and shows its progress.
  2. By default only recordings that have a transcript file are listed. Untick Only recordings that have a transcript file to see all of them.
  3. Filter by topic, select or deselect recordings, and pick your formats: TXT, Markdown, SRT, VTT and JSON, plus an index.csv with one row per meeting.
  4. Leave If there is no transcript file, try the AI Companion transcript ticked to also use Zoom AI Companion meeting transcripts where Zoom makes them available.
  5. Click Export ZIP. You can cancel at any time and still get a ZIP of what has been exported so far. The free plan exports 5 transcripts per export; a Pro licence removes the limit.

What happens to your data

Everything happens inside your browser. Your Zoom sign-in tokens are stored only in your browser. Recording details and transcripts are downloaded from Zoom into the exporter tab and written into the ZIP on your computer. They are never sent to Sparebuttons. See our privacy policy.

Removing the app

  1. In the exporter, click Disconnect. This deletes the stored Zoom tokens from your browser and asks Zoom to revoke them.
  2. Log in to the Zoom App Marketplace and click Manage → Added Apps, or search for "Sparebuttons Transcript Exporter".
  3. Select the app and click Remove.
  4. Optionally, uninstall the extension from Chrome (chrome://extensions → Remove).

What removal means: the extension can no longer read your recordings. ZIP files you already exported stay on your computer. We hold no Zoom data, so there is nothing for us to delete. Your licence (if you bought one) stays valid if you add the app again later.

Troubleshooting

  • No recordings found: check the date range and that the recordings are cloud recordings (local recordings aren't available through Zoom's API). Cloud recording needs a paid Zoom plan.
  • "No transcript" for a recording: the audio transcript setting was off when it was recorded, the transcript is still processing (try again later), or the meeting has no speech. index.csv shows the reason for each meeting.
  • Sign-in fails or "scope" errors: click Disconnect and sign in again. If your organisation restricts apps, ask your Zoom admin to approve it.
  • "Zoom API limit reached": Zoom limits how many requests an account can make. The exporter slows down and retries automatically; if Zoom's daily limit is reached it tells you when to try again.
  • Anything else: open Troubleshooting & diagnostics in the exporter, click Download diagnostics and email the file to us. It contains no transcript text and no tokens.

Contact support

Email [email protected] or use the contact form. Support hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:00 Irish time, excluding Irish public holidays. We reply within two working days.