Record a Zoom, Teams or Meet call on Mac without a bot

ThinkScribe records the audio coming out of your Mac and the audio going into your microphone at the same time, so a video call is captured with both sides, without a bot joining and without anything appearing to the other participants. This guide sets it up, runs a short test, and shows what to check afterwards.

What system audio capture records on a Mac

The record bar at the top of ThinkScribe's window has two toggles around the Record button:

• Microphone: your voice, through whichever input device you use.
• System audio: everything other apps play, which on a call means the other participants.

Turn both on and the status reads Mic + System. Turn on only System audio and you can record a webinar, a lecture stream or a YouTube video without your own voice in it. The capture uses the standard macOS System Audio Recording permission; there is no virtual audio driver to install and nothing to configure in Zoom.

Test your recording setup before the meeting

1. Open ThinkScribe and make sure the System Audio permission shows Granted under Settings > Permissions. If not, click Open Settings and allow ThinkScribe under System Audio Recording.
2. In the record bar, turn on both Microphone and System audio.
3. Play any video with speech in a browser and press Record (Command-R). Say a sentence yourself while it plays.
4. Stop after a minute. Open the transcript. You should see both the video's speech and your sentence, usually already split into two speakers.

If one side is missing, check the Fix missing audio section below before your real meeting.

Record the actual meeting

1. Join the call in Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, FaceTime, Webex or a browser as usual.
2. In ThinkScribe, turn on Microphone and System audio and press Record, or choose Transcription > New Recording from the menu bar.
3. The status shows Recording, or Meeting Mode with the name of the call app when ThinkScribe recognizes it. You can close the main window; the menu bar icon keeps the recording visible and its popover has Stop Recording.
4. When the call ends, press Command-R or click Stop. Transcription starts immediately and the transcript appears in your library.

Audio is written to disk continuously while you record. If the Mac sleeps, the app is force-quit or the battery dies, the recording up to that point is kept and offered for transcription the next time you open ThinkScribe.

Check the transcript

• Open the transcript from the library. Click any line to play the audio from that moment; the current word is highlighted as it plays.
• Speakers are separated automatically. Click a speaker badge to give it a real name; ThinkScribe remembers the voice and labels it in future calls. See teach ThinkScribe who is speaking.
• Click Clean at the top to hide filler words while reading. The original stays untouched.
• In the AI Assistant panel on the right, click Summarize, Action Items or Meeting Minutes to get notes generated on your Mac. See the AI assistant guide.

Fix missing or quiet audio

• The other side is missing: System audio was off, or the System Audio Recording permission was not granted. Check Settings > Permissions.
• Your voice is missing: the Microphone toggle was off, or a headset changed the active input. Check the input device under Sound in System Settings before you start.
• Echo or doubled voices: you were recording through speakers rather than headphones. Use headphones, or change Echo Cancellation under Settings > Recording.
• The recording is very quiet: the call app's output volume was low. System audio is captured after the app's own volume control, so raise the app's volume, not the Mac's.

Recording a webinar, lecture stream or video

Turn on only System audio, press Record, and play the content. This is the way to transcribe a training video, an online lecture or a podcast episode playing in a browser. If you also want to import a file you already have, transcribe an audio or video file is quicker than playing it back.

Frequently asked questions

How do I record a Teams meeting on a Mac without a bot?

Record the meeting on your own machine instead of inviting a note-taking bot into it. With system audio capture switched on alongside the microphone, the Mac saves what Teams plays and what you say, so nothing joins the call and no participant is added to the list. The same approach works for Zoom, Google Meet, Webex and a call in a browser.

Do I have to tell people I am recording a meeting?

Consent rules vary by country and, in some countries, by state. Some places are satisfied if one person on the call knows, and others require every party to agree before you start. The practical default is to say it out loud at the beginning and let anyone object. If a recording could ever matter legally, check the rules where the participants are.

How do I record both sides of a call on a Mac?

You need two sources at once: the microphone for your voice, and the audio the Mac itself is playing for everyone else's. Recording only the microphone through speakers gives you a thin, echoing copy of the other side. Capturing the system output separately keeps both halves clean, and speakers can then be told apart in the transcript.

Does the meeting audio leave my Mac?

No. Capture, transcription, speaker identification and summaries all run on the Mac. The recording and transcript are stored in the app's folder on your disk. They only go to iCloud if you turn on sync, and audio only if you also turn on Sync Audio to iCloud.