# Manage Call Recording Files

Cloud Voice keeps every call recording in one place so you can review calls whenever you need to. From the web portal of your PBX (Private Branch Exchange, the phone system that routes your calls) you can find specific recordings, play them back, save copies, and clear out files you no longer need. Every task below starts from the same place: **Reports and Recordings > Recording Files**.

## Find recordings

Use search when you need to pull up a specific call, for example to review a support conversation or settle a billing dispute. You can narrow the recording list by call time, the numbers on either end of the call, the recording's ID, or where the file is stored.

1. Sign in to the PBX web portal and go to **Reports and Recordings > Recording Files**.
2. Fill in any of the following search fields:

   | Field | What to enter |
   | --- | --- |
   | Time | A start date and an end date. To pin the search to a precise window, click **Select Time** and set a start time and an end time. |
   | Call From | The caller's number or name. |
   | Call To | The callee's number or name. To swap the caller and callee, click the switch button ![Switch caller and callee](/images/pbx/switch-caller.png). |
   | ID | The unique identifier of the recording file. |
   | File Location | The storage location where the recording is kept. |

   The list updates to show the recordings that match.

:::note
**File Location** refers to where a recording is stored: the phone system's own storage, or an external archive server if remote archiving has been set up. Use this field to narrow results when recordings are kept in more than one place.
:::

## Play recordings

1. Go to **Reports and Recordings > Recording Files**.
2. Optionally, set the search fields to filter down to the recordings you want.

   ![Filter fields above the recording list](/images/pbx/set-criteria-for-recordings.png)

3. Click the play button ![Play](/images/pbx/play.png) next to the recording you want to hear, then choose how to listen:

   - **Play on Web**: Click ![Play on the web](/images/pbx/Play_star%20(1).png) to stream the recording directly in your browser.
   - **Play to Extension**: Play the recording through a desk phone.
     a. Pick an extension and click **Play**. The system rings that extension.
     b. Answer the call to hear the recording on the phone.

:::tip
**Play to Extension** is handy when you are on a computer without speakers, or when you would rather not play a recording out loud at your desk. The system calls the extension you choose, so pick a phone you can answer right away.
:::

## Download recordings

You can save recordings to your own computer or push copies to an external server such as an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server, an SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol, the secure version) server, S3-compatible object storage, Google Cloud Storage, or Microsoft SharePoint. Sending recordings to an external server is configured separately; see [Cloud Voice Remote Archiving Overview](/pbx/administrator-guide/cloud-voice-remote-archiving-overview/). The steps below cover downloading to your own computer.

:::caution
A single download is limited to 99 recording files or 2 GB in total, whichever comes first. Any files beyond that limit are skipped without warning. If you have a large set, filter it down first or download in smaller batches, and check that every file you expected actually arrived.
:::

1. Go to **Reports and Recordings > Recording Files**.
2. Optionally, set the search fields to filter down to the recordings you want.

   ![Filter fields above the recording list](/images/pbx/set-criteria-for-recordings.png)

3. Download one recording or several at once:

   - **One recording**: Click the download button ![Download](/images/pbx/download.png) next to the file.

     ![Downloading a single recording from the list](/images/pbx/download-a-recording.png)

   - **Multiple recordings**: Select the checkbox beside each recording you want, then click **Download Recordings**.

     ![Selecting several recordings to download together](/images/pbx/download-multiple-recordings.png)

## Delete recordings

1. Go to **Reports and Recordings > Recording Files**.
2. Optionally, set the search fields to filter down to the recordings you want.

   ![Filter fields above the recording list](/images/pbx/set-criteria-for-recordings.png)

3. Remove one recording or clear several at once:

   - **One recording**: Select the recording, click the delete button ![Delete](/images/pbx/delete.png), then confirm with **OK**.
   - **Multiple recordings**: Select the checkbox beside each recording you want to remove, click **Delete**, then confirm with **OK**.

:::danger
Deleting a recording removes it permanently. There is no undo and no recycle bin. If a recording might be needed later for compliance, billing, or a dispute, download a copy before you delete it. Double-check your selection before confirming, especially when deleting in bulk.
:::