> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vowen.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Recording Meetings > How to start, manage, and stop meeting recordings.
API key required. The AI summary that follows each recording uses your configured AI provider. Set one up in Settings > AI Setup.
## Starting a Recording There are three ways to start a recording. Before starting, review the [recording settings](/meeting-notes/overview#recording-settings) under the gear icon at the top right of the Notes page if you need to change the microphone, transcription model, summary template, or any other option. ### From the app Open the **Notes** page in the Vowen app and click **Start Taking Notes** in the top right. ### From the menu bar Right-click the Vowen menu bar icon and select **Start Notes**. ### Via shortcut The default shortcut is `Cmd+Shift+N` (macOS) or `Alt+N` (Windows). The shortcut is off by default; enable or rebind it in [Settings > Shortcuts](/features/shortcuts). ### Automatically, when a meeting is detected
Meeting auto-detection is a Pro feature.
When Vowen notices you've joined a call in a meeting app, it pops up a **"\[App] meeting detected — want to start recording?"** banner. Click **Start Recording** to begin, or dismiss it to ignore. Before you start, a row of template chips lets you pick which [summary template](/meeting-notes/summaries#custom-templates) to use for this session — handy when the meeting type differs from your usual default. The choice applies to that recording only and doesn't change your global default template. ## What Gets Captured When a recording is active, Vowen captures: 1. **System audio:** everything playing through your speakers or headphones, including other participants and any shared audio 2. **Microphone:** what you say during the meeting Both streams are combined into a single recording for transcription. No bot joins the call and no banner is shown to other participants. ## During the Recording * A recording indicator appears in your menu bar (macOS) or tray (Windows) and inside the Vowen app * You can continue using your computer normally * Regular transcription (push-to-talk) still works alongside an active meeting recording * Your system is prevented from sleeping for the duration of the recording ### Real-time preview
Real-time preview is a Pro feature, available with streaming-capable cloud models.
When enabled with a streaming-capable cloud model, the transcript appears live during the recording so you can follow along, catch issues early, and copy excerpts mid-meeting. Enable it from **Settings > Recording > Real-time preview**. ### Recording indicator While a note is recording, a small floating pill (the **recording indicator**) sits in the corner of your screen with a glowing halo so it's easy to spot at a glance. Hovering it reveals quick **pause** and **stop** controls plus a panel for [adding context](#add-context-mid-meeting) and [asking AI](#ask-ai-live-during-a-meeting). You can drag the pill anywhere, and it remembers where you put it. If you'd rather not see it, turn it off under **Settings > Meeting Notes > Settings > Recording Indicator** with **Show floating indicator while recording**. With it off, the pill never appears during a session. ### Add context mid-meeting Hover the recording indicator and use the **Notes** tab to jot quick context for the AI while the meeting is happening — *"this is a follow-up to last week's pricing call,"* *"Priya is the new PM,"* and so on. The text auto-saves and is fed into the summary prompt after the recording stops, so your notes shape the generated summary. ### Ask AI live during a meeting
Asking AI live is a Pro feature, available only while real-time transcription is active.
When [real-time preview](#real-time-preview) is running, the recording indicator gains an **Ask AI** tab. Type a question into the **"Ask anything…"** box and press `Enter`. Each question automatically pulls in the latest live transcript as context, so you can ask *"what did they just decide?"*, *"summarize the last few minutes,"* or anything unrelated to the meeting — answers stream back token by token. * Press **Stop** to cut off an in-progress answer, or **Clear chat** to reset the conversation * The **Ask AI** tab only appears when real-time transcription is actually active; if it's off, the tab is hidden * This is distinct from [Chat with Transcriptions](/features/chat), which runs on a *completed* note or transcript after the meeting ## Pausing and Resuming The Pro plan unlocks pause and resume controls, so you can stop an active recording temporarily and pick up where you left off. No audio is captured while paused. * **Pause:** open the tray or menu bar menu and click **Pause Meeting Notes**, or use the pause control on the Notes page in the Vowen app or on the recording indicator * **Resume:** open the tray or menu bar menu and click **Resume Meeting Notes**, or use the resume control on the Notes page or recording indicator When you pause, the recording indicator and its timer pause too, so the on-screen state always matches what's actually being captured. ## Mute Background Audio Pro users can mute background audio (music, system sounds) while a recording is in progress, so it doesn't leak into the captured stream. Toggle it from **Settings > Recording > Mute background audio**. ## Import an Audio or Video File as a Note Pro users can import a pre-recorded audio or video file and have Vowen produce a full meeting note (transcript + AI summary) from it, just like a live recording. Use **Notes > Import** to pick a file. The import dialog has an optional **Meeting date** field. Leave it empty to use the current time, or set it to when the meeting actually happened so the note sorts and groups correctly in your date-organized Notes list. ## Stopping the Recording * Click the stop control on the Notes page in the Vowen app * Or open the tray or menu bar menu and click **Stop Meeting Notes** * Or press the Start Notes shortcut again to toggle the recording off ### Auto-stop when the meeting ends
Auto-stop is a Pro feature, currently in **Beta**.
Vowen can detect when your meeting app releases the microphone — meaning the call ended — and stop recording for you. When that happens, an **"Ending meeting notes"** banner appears with a 15-second countdown and two choices: * **End now** — stop immediately and process the note * **Keep taking notes** — cancel the auto-stop and keep recording (Vowen re-arms detection for the next time the mic is released) If you don't respond, recording stops automatically when the countdown finishes. Turn this on under **Settings > Meeting Notes > Settings > Meeting Detection** with **Auto-stop notes when meeting ends**. It's off by default. ## After Recording Stops The full recording is transcribed using your selected model. This may take a moment for longer meetings. You can [regenerate the transcript](#working-with-your-meeting-note) later with a different model. The transcript is sent to your configured [AI provider](/ai-features/ai-setup), which generates a summary based on your selected [template](/meeting-notes/summaries#custom-templates) (overview, key points, action items, and decisions). The summary can also be [regenerated later](#working-with-your-meeting-note) with a different model or template. The note is saved with its transcript, summary, and audio file. Find it in the **Notes** section of the Vowen app. ## Working with Your Meeting Note Open a meeting note from the **Notes** list to review, edit, and reprocess it. * **Switch between Summary and Transcript** using the toggle at the top of the note to flip between the AI summary and the full transcript * **Map speaker names** in the right sidebar if you recorded with [diarization](/meeting-notes/diarization) turned on. Speakers are labeled `Speaker 1`, `Speaker 2`, and so on by default; replace them with real names and click **Save** * **Regenerate Transcript** with a different transcription model from the right sidebar. The saved [audio file](#audio-file) is re-transcribed by the model you pick, producing a fresh transcript * **Regenerate Summary** with a different AI provider, model, or [template](/meeting-notes/summaries#custom-templates) from the right sidebar. The latest transcript is re-summarized with your chosen options, replacing the previous summary * **Chat with the note** to ask AI questions about what was discussed: pull out action items, surface a decision, or summarize a section. See [Chat with Transcriptions](/features/chat) **Pro tip:** If a summary feels cut short or off-target, try **Regenerate Summary** with a more capable model (for example, Anthropic Claude Sonnet or OpenAI GPT-5) before re-recording the meeting. ## Exporting a Note
Exporting is a Pro feature.
Open a meeting note and click **Export** to save it outside Vowen. The export dialog lets you choose what to export and in which format, with a live preview: * **Summary** or **Transcript** as a **PDF**, **plain text (.txt)**, or **Markdown (.md)** document. Toggle **Include title & date** to add a header. * **Transcript** as **subtitles** — **SubRip (.srt)** or **WebVTT (.vtt)**. Subtitles are timed from the transcript's segments (one cue per spoken segment, with speaker names when available) and are only offered when the transcript has per-segment timing. * **Audio recording** as **MP3**, **M4A (AAC)**, or **WAV**, with a quality option (High 256 kbps / Standard 128 kbps; WAV is lossless). An estimated file size is shown before you export. ### Export all notes at once To back up your whole library, use **Export all notes** in **Settings > Meeting Notes**. Vowen writes every note into a single ZIP archive, one folder per note, containing `summary.md` and/or `transcript.md` (you pick which) plus an index manifest. Progress is shown and you can cancel mid-export. ## Audio File The audio for every meeting note is saved locally to `Documents/Vowen Recordings` in your home folder, on both macOS and Windows. This file is the source of truth for the note: every transcript or summary regeneration starts from this audio. The saved file lets you: * Play back specific sections * Regenerate the transcript with a different model * Re-summarize with a different AI provider or template You can delete the audio file at any time from your file manager. Once deleted, the note's existing transcript and summary stay in place, but you can no longer regenerate either of them. ## Tips * Start recording before the meeting begins to capture greetings and context * Use a cloud model with [diarization](/meeting-notes/diarization) support and turn on **Identify Speakers** for any meeting with more than one person * Keep your microphone unmuted during the meeting so your voice is captured alongside the others * Bluetooth headphones work fine: both system audio and your microphone come through the same device Connect Groq, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or any of 10+ supported providers.