Getting started with Notetaker
Last updated: August 7, 2026
Available on: Mac. If you don't see Notetaker in your app yet, it hasn't rolled out to your account.
Notetaker records your meetings and turns them into a transcript, summary, and recaps, so you can stay present in calls instead of typing notes. Find it in the Notetaker tab in the Flow sidebar; recording controls also live on the Flow Bar.
Setting up Notetaker during onboarding
When you first set up Wispr Flow on Mac, you may see a screen asking what you want to use the product for: Dictation, Meeting Notetaker, or Both. The options are checkboxes, so you can select more than one. Your choice tailors the rest of onboarding:
Meeting Notetaker: A short flow — questions about how you record meetings and what would make notetaking better, a privacy step, permissions (including system audio), and a Connect Calendar screen. Referrals, Flow Pro, and team creation are skipped.
Both: Standard dictation onboarding plus the Notetaker questions and a Connect Calendar screen.
Dictation only: Standard onboarding, unchanged.
Connect Calendar screen
The Google Calendar card reads "Accurate reminders and pre-meeting briefs." Connect Google Calendar, or indicate that you use iCloud, Outlook, another calendar, or none. Selecting iCloud shows an "iCloud coming soon!" message. An already-connected calendar appears with a checkmark. If you skip this step — or never saw the intent screen — connect a calendar any time from Settings → Connectors.
Unlocking dictation pages after choosing "Meeting Notetaker"
If you chose Meeting Notetaker and skipped dictation setup, the Home/Dictation, Insights, Style, Dictionary, Snippets, and Transforms hub pages appear behind a blurred overlay with a card explaining what's locked (for example, "Set up dictation to access Insights") and a Get Started button.
Click Get Started on any locked page to launch a short dictation setup flow, beginning with the microphone test.
Complete the flow to unlock every locked page at once. Cancelling returns you to the hub with the gate in place; restart it any time from Get Started.
Note: The gate only covers hub pages — you can dictate with the keyboard shortcut before completing setup. The setting is stored per device, so the gate may not appear after a reinstall or on a second Mac.
Take a guided tour first
After onboarding, all users see a "You're ready to Flow everywhere." notification with an Explore Wispr Flow button that opens the Flow hub on the Home page. The first time you open the hub, an introduction modal may invite you to explore Notetaker. It shows once, to anyone who didn't choose Notetaker during onboarding (including users who set up Wispr Flow before Notetaker existed), and waits if you're mid-onboarding or already on the Notetaker page.
The guided tour walks you through a simulated meeting — live transcription, a summary being generated, and the hub — before your first real meeting. Launch or restart it from any of these places:
Notetaker hub header: the Start tutorial button, available even before your first recording.
Notetaker welcome screen: the "Give it a try" button, shown to first-time users before any recording.
Settings → Notetaker.
Each tour button disables while the tour launches, so it can't be clicked repeatedly.
Note: The tour CTA appears in exactly one place at a time — either the welcome screen button or the header button, never both. Screen-share notification nudges are suppressed during the tour and fire on your first real meeting instead.
What the guided tour shows you
Calendar reminder: Flow detects an upcoming meeting and displays a reminder, then focuses on the Join button.
Joining and live transcript: The tour joins the meeting and opens the Transcript tab.
"What did I miss" / AI chat: The tour highlights the "Ask anything" input and an example chip, showing where to type your own questions.
What you need before recording
Notetaker needs three things enabled. If any are missing, a setup screen appears ("Complete setup to start Notetaker") and recording stays blocked until it's done:
System Audio ("Capture what others say") — steps depend on your macOS version; see the two guides below.
Automatically save notes (secured through Private Cloud Sync) — required to store notes and transcripts. Turn it on from the setup screen or Settings → Data & Privacy. If your organization requires a data agreement (such as a HIPAA BAA) or has locked Private Cloud Sync off, Notetaker is gated and the screen directs you to your admin or the Admin Portal.
Microphone ("Capture what you say") — grant it in System Settings; it applies immediately, no restart.
System audio on macOS 14.4 and later
When you open the notepad for a real meeting — from a meeting-detected notification, the Flow Bar record button, or an upcoming calendar-event row — the macOS system audio permission prompt appears automatically if you haven't decided it yet.
Choose Allow in the native dialog. The step flips to "All set" within seconds — no restart required.
Click Turn on in the setup checklist to trigger the prompt if you opened Notetaker another way (such as New note in the hub, tray, or menu).
Use the Turn on button on the denied row if permission was previously denied or the prompt can't be shown; it opens the System Audio Recording pane in System Settings.
The denied row also shows a short looping animation of where to toggle Wispr Flow on in System Settings; a static image appears instead if reduced-motion is enabled or the animation can't load. The animation disappears once permission is granted.
System audio on macOS 14.3 and earlier
On these versions the setup screen's system-audio row is advisory and won't block you from continuing.
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording and grant permission there.
Click Restart Wispr Flow when prompted. Flow reopens your meeting and starts recording.
When everything is in place the screen shows "All set!", closes itself, and drops your cursor in the notes editor. Leave setup any time with Esc or < All notes — neither starts a recording — and if a prerequisite is turned off later, the setup screen reappears with your notes and transcripts preserved. If the setup screen sits untouched, a "Notetaker isn't recording yet" warning nudges you to finish or close.
Note: The setup screen footer reminds you to always ask for consent before transcribing and links to Wispr's privacy policy, across all setup states. If Notetaker isn't available on your account, a gate screen explains why and offers a Request access button, which flips to an "Access requested" badge once sent; an admin or the Wispr team follows up.
Your first visit
Welcome screen: Notetaker opens on "Meeting notes that get the details right", previewing briefings, search, live transcripts, and summaries. It disappears after your first real meeting. Your first note opens as a "Hi Notetaker" starter ("Take your own notes here," with "We'll create a separate summary for you later.") plus "How Notetaker works" and "Next Steps" sections; when your first summary lands, a "Your summary is ready" notification points you to it.
Connect your calendar from the centered "Connect calendar" prompt, or via Settings → Connectors and Connect on the Google Calendar row. Once connected, Upcoming meetings syncs and fills in, and Flow reminds you to start Notetaker automatically.
Microphone: Notetaker always records from your Mac's system-default microphone (System Settings → Sound → Input). The mic picker in Flow's Settings applies to dictation only.
Starting your first recording
Click New recording in the hub, press Opt + M, use the menu-bar tray (Start Notetaker → Start new note), or click the record-disc button on the Flow Bar. A small dot highlights the Start Meeting button on the Flow Bar until your first recording. When a meeting is detected, a card asks "Transcribe this meeting with Wispr?" with two buttons: Another time and Yes.
If Private Cloud Sync is off: The card explains that Yes also turns on Private Cloud Sync, which allows Wispr to process and store your transcriptions (Notetaker requires this). Yes starts Notetaker and enables Private Cloud Sync in one step; Another time dismisses the card without affecting your active dictation or any settings.
If Private Cloud Sync is already on (or your account is covered by an org agreement): The card explains that nothing extra joins the call — Notetaker captures what everyone says and summarizes after. Yes opens Notetaker with no setting changed.
For calendar meetings, the hub shows a split button: click Join meeting to join the call and start Notetaker together, or expand the menu and choose Start Notetaker to record without joining the call link.
Note: Auto-detection, stopping, resuming, and switching meetings are covered in the "Recording a meeting" article; the hub, summaries, transcripts, and sharing each have their own article.
Customizing Notetaker settings
Go to Settings → Notetaker to adjust how Notetaker behaves before, during, and after calls:
Automatically detect any call: Detects when you join a call and prompts you to start recording instead of starting manually.
Notify before scheduled meetings start: Sends a reminder notification before a calendar meeting begins.
Stop Notetaker when a call ends: Stops recording automatically when Notetaker detects your call has ended.
Hide from screen shares and screenshots: Keeps the Flow Bar and Notepad out of screen shares and screenshots. Off by default for new installs, so both appear in screen shares unless you turn it on.
Open Notepad when starting Notetaker: Opens the Notepad view as soon as a recording begins.
Split the screen when joining: Splits your screen between the call and the Notetaker Notepad when you join a meeting.
After your first summary
First meeting: A dark banner appears at the bottom of the screen with confetti, an illustration, and an Explore Summary button that opens the Summary tab.
Later meetings: A mint-green toast shows an estimated time saved on notetaking, based on the length of your transcript.
Each celebration appears once per meeting, only while you're viewing the Summary tab, and won't reappear if you reopen the meeting later.
Common issues
Transcript retention banner appeared even though my organization has Notetaker blocked
The transcript retention banner on the Home screen and the matching post-dictation notification could appear for users whose organization has Notetaker blocked, leading to a dead-end page when clicked. This is fixed — those prompts no longer appear if your organization's plan doesn't include Notetaker access. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.
FAQs
I didn't see a "what do you want to use Flow for?" screen during setup — can I still use Notetaker?
Yes. The intent screen is part of a gradual rollout and not everyone sees it. Open Notetaker from the Notetaker tab in the sidebar, and connect your calendar any time via Settings → Connectors.
Do I need to get consent before recording a meeting?
Yes. Recording laws and norms vary by location, but as a general rule, tell other participants they're being recorded and get their consent first. Wispr Flow reminds you of this in the setup screen before every recording.
Does clicking "Yes" on the first meeting nudge automatically enable Private Cloud Sync?
Only if it's off, and the card discloses this upfront. If it's already on (or covered by an org agreement), Yes simply opens Notetaker.
What if my organization has Private Cloud Sync turned off?
You can't enable it yourself and Notetaker recording won't be available. Admins can enable it in the Admin Portal; team members should contact their IT administrator.
I clicked "Request access" — what happens next?
The button changes to an Access requested badge with a green checkmark, confirming your request was sent. You only need to do this once. An admin or the Wispr team follows up with next steps.
Do I need to grant Screen Recording permission?
On macOS 14.4 and later, only System Audio Recording Only is needed. On macOS 14.3 and earlier, Notetaker uses the Screen & System Audio Recording permission to capture call audio. Neither path requires a full screen-capture permission beyond that.
Do I need to restart Flow after granting permissions?
Microphone access takes effect immediately, and the setup screen marks "Enable Microphone" as enabled on its own. System audio on macOS 14.4 and later needs no restart. On macOS 14.3 and earlier, click Restart Wispr Flow after granting permission.
Can I close the setup screen without completing setup?
Yes. Press Esc, click < All notes, or click Back in the header. All three close the recorder window and return you to the hub. Recording stays unavailable until you complete setup, but your existing notes are not affected.
I saw a meeting nudge on the Flow Bar and then an introduction modal in the hub — is that expected?
Yes. They're separate, and you may see both; each appears only once. The hub modal shows the first time you focus the hub window after onboarding, as long as you're not already on the Notetaker page or mid-tour.
What happens when I reach my weekly meeting note limit?
With one recording left for the week, Flow shows a warning notification. Once all notes are used, new recordings are blocked and a notification tells you so. The hub banner shows how many notes remain and when your limit resets. Upgrading from the notification or hub banner removes the restriction.
Will my Notepad and Flow Bar appear if I share my screen?
By default, yes. To hide them, turn on Hide from screen shares and screenshots in Settings → Notetaker. If you had the previous "Hide while sharing your screen" setting enabled, your preference has been kept.
Limitations and notes
Notetaker is available on Mac only and is rolling out gradually, as is the onboarding intent screen (Dictation / Meeting Notetaker / Both) — not all users see it.
If you chose "Meeting Notetaker" during onboarding, dictation hub pages (Home/Dictation, Insights, Style, Dictionary, Snippets, and Transforms) stay locked until you complete the dictation setup flow. The gate is stored per device, so it may not appear after a reinstall or on a second Mac.
Recording requires Private Cloud Sync on, system audio permission, and microphone access; org policies (HIPAA/admin locks) can gate it entirely.
System audio permission is checked when recording starts. If it becomes unavailable mid-recording, the meeting continues on your microphone only.
The hub introduction modal appears once only and is not shown to HIPAA or enterprise-blocked accounts.
A weekly cap limits how many meeting notes you can create; paid plans have a higher limit than the free Basic plan. The hub banner shows when your limit resets.
iCloud Calendar connection is not yet available. Connect Google Calendar now and add iCloud when support arrives.
If your organization's plan blocks Notetaker access, transcript retention banners and post-dictation notifications about meeting transcripts will not appear.