How to record a Zoom meeting without a bot, on a Mac

Most ways of recording a Zoom call come with a catch. Zoom’s own recording needs the host to allow it, and everyone sees the red Recording label. AI note takers that work by sending a bot put a stranger in the participant list, and somebody has to admit it from the waiting room.

There is a simpler way. Your computer is already playing the other side of the call through its speakers and hearing you through the microphone. trepil records both of those, so nothing joins the meeting and nobody has to approve anything. When the call ends you get the notes, and a checklist of who does what.

The first time takes a few minutes. After that it is one click, or none.

What you need

• A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later). Windows is on the way.
• Zoom, either the app or a call in your browser.
• trepil. Download it for Mac or use it in your browser.

Step 1: Allow the microphone and system audio

trepil needs to hear two things: you, and the call.

macOS asks for two permissions the first time trepil records:

1. Microphone, so it can hear you.
2. System Audio Recording, so it can hear the other people. This is the sound your Mac is already playing.

Allow both. If you clicked Don’t Allow by mistake, open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, and turn trepil on under Microphone and under Screen & System Audio Recording.

If a note later has only your side of the call, the system audio permission is the one to check.

Step 2: Connect your calendar

Turn on Apple Calendar in trepil’s Settings. It reads every calendar on your Mac, including Google and Microsoft accounts you added in System Settings, so trepil knows your meetings: each note takes the event’s title and the names of the people invited, which is how the transcript says Emma instead of Speaker 2.

It also reminds you 10 minutes before each meeting. The reminder has two buttons: Take notes, and Join and take notes, which opens the Zoom link and starts recording beside it in one press.

Step 3: Record

Join the call as you normally would. Then either press the button on the reminder, or start a meeting from trepil. If you skipped both, trepil notices when Zoom starts using your microphone and offers to record.

A small bar shows the clock, with Pause and Stop. You can type a few words into the note as you go, in whatever shorthand you like. Your lines are kept with the meeting.

Nothing changes on the Zoom side. No bot in the list, no recording label, no notice to anyone.

Step 4: Stop, and read the notes

Press Stop when the call ends. If you forget, trepil notices the call has ended and stops on its own after a 10 second countdown you can cancel. It also stops if the room has been quiet for 15 minutes.

A moment later the note is ready:

• A summary of what happened, in two lines.
• Decisions, each with the time it was said.
• Who does what: every to-do with an owner, and a date when someone said one. Tick them off on the Mac or on the web.
• The transcript, with names and times on every line.

From there you can ask a question about the meeting, or across every meeting you have, share the note as a link you can turn off, or export it as Markdown, PDF or Word.

Is this allowed?

Recording laws differ by country and, in the US, by state, and some need everyone’s consent. The safe habit is the same everywhere: say at the start that you are taking notes with a notetaker. Most people say yes, and in a client call it comes across as taking care.

Where the recording goes

The audio is uploaded so it can be transcribed, and deleted as soon as the meeting is written up. The note and the transcript stay until you delete them. The privacy and security page follows a recording from start to finish.

Quick answers

Does the other side know? Not from Zoom. Nothing joins the call and Zoom’s own recording isn’t used, so it is up to you to tell them.

Do I need to be the host? No. trepil records what your computer plays and hears, which needs nobody’s permission on the Zoom side.

Does it work with Zoom in the browser? Yes. It records the sound, whichever app or browser tab it comes from.

What about headphones? Fine. The call’s sound is captured before it reaches your headphones.

How long can the call be? Up to 4 hours a meeting.