---
title: "Listen to a recording stored elsewhere"
description: "Play, export or process audio after moving it to an external drive, S3 bucket or SFTP server."
updated: "2026-09-21"
canonical: https://docs.recordstead.app/your-data/use-moved-recording
---

# Listen to a recording stored elsewhere

A meeting keeps its transcript and summary after its recording moves. You can
still listen, export audio or run processing that needs the recording, provided
its destination is available.

## Use the audio

- **Mounted drive:** connect the drive and play the meeting. Playback reads
  from the drive directly.
- **S3 or SFTP:** right-click the meeting and choose **Recording** ▸
  **Download** before listening.
- **Export or process:** choose **Recording** ▸ **Export Audio**, or start
  re-transcription or speaker correction. Recordstead fetches the tracks those
  operations need automatically.

Downloads are encrypted temporary copies, checked before use. They expire six
hours after their last use; playback and processing protect them while in use.
A download does not move the original back to this Mac or change its
destination. An exported WAV is a separate file in your [export folder](https://docs.recordstead.app/meetings/export-transcript#where-is-the-file)
and remains there until you remove it.

**Your result:** you can use the moved recording without restoring it as a
permanent local original. If the archive is unavailable, [reconnect it](https://docs.recordstead.app/your-data/reconnect-recording-archive)
and try again.