Guide
Share a meeting recording so the link works for everyone
Facts checked Oct 8, 2026
A meeting recording link can work for you and fail for everyone else, because you're signed in. Set it to "anyone with the link", then test it in a private window.
Pick the right sharing setting
In your video platform or file storage, open the recording and find Share or Sharing settings. The names differ, but the choices are much the same:
- Public
- Anyone can watch, and it can show up in search and on your channel or page.
- Anyone with the link (or "unlisted")
- Anyone you give the link to can watch without signing in. It isn't listed anywhere. This is the usual choice for a link on your website.
- Signed-in people only
- Only people signed in to your organization's account, or people you invite by email. Everyone else sees a sign-in page or "You need access". This is the one that catches people out.
Then check these:
- Passcode: if the recording has one, turn it off for a public meeting, or put the passcode next to the link.
- Expiry date: some share links stop working after a set time. For a meeting the public may look up later, choose no expiry.
- View only: give viewers permission to watch, not to edit or delete.
- The right link: copy the link from the Share box, not from your address bar, which may be the editing address.
Play it, don't make people download it
A link that plays the video in the browser works on a phone. A download link makes people save one big file first, often hundreds of megabytes for a long meeting, which is slow on mobile data. If you offer a download as well, say how big it is.
Turn captions on
Turn on captions before you share it, and correct the automatic ones: names, places and numbers are where they go wrong. Captions for recorded board meetings covers what the ADA Title II rule asks and how to fix automatic captions.
Test the link as a stranger
- Copy the link.
- Open a private window: Ctrl + Shift + N in most browsers (Ctrl + Shift + P in some), ⌘ + Shift + N on a Mac. You're not signed in to anything there.
- Paste the link. The video should play without asking you to sign in or request access.
- Turn captions on and check they appear.
- Try it on your phone with Wi-Fi off.
Put it on the website
- Put the recording on the same page as that meeting's agenda and minutes.
- Make the link say what it is: "Video: Planning Board meeting, Oct 6, 2026 (1 hour 52 minutes, captions)", not "click here" (why).
- If the player sits in the page itself, it needs a title such as "Planning Board meeting video", so a screen reader announces what it is. Ask your web person if you can't set it.
Why old links stop working
- The recording was in the personal account of someone who left, and the account was closed: Taking over a website from someone who left.
- The storage filled up and old recordings were deleted.
- The share link expired, or someone changed the setting back.
Keep recordings in an account your organization owns, not a personal one.
Send this to your web person
Not sure what to say? Copy this into an email, add your website's address, and send it.
Hi, Could you add the recording of [the meeting name and date] to [the page address]? The link: [the share link]. I've set it to anyone with the link and tested it in a private window. Captions are on. Please: - put it on the same page as the agenda and minutes - use link text like "Video: [meeting name and date] ([length], captions)" - if you show the player in the page, give it a title that names the meeting Thanks
What PageKiwi can check
Link Check tests the links on a page and reports any that are dead or land on a "not found" page. It can't play a video or tell whether one needs a sign-in, so the private-window test above is still the one to trust.
Captions and clear link text are part of making your website accessible. Website accessibility: where to start, with the tools that help and what the law asks.