On your Mac
Mac meeting transcription, local and offline
Parrot Scribe hears the meeting on your Mac: your microphone, and the Mac’s system audio for everyone on the call. The transcript is written on that Mac. Nothing joins the meeting.
Heard on your Mac
A meeting transcript is the text written where the audio was heard. For people on a call, that is system audio. For people in the room, that is the microphone.
Nothing joins the call
Parrot Scribe records your microphone and the Mac’s system audio. It does not enter the meeting as a participant. People in the room come through the microphone. People on the call come through system audio, which needs Screen Recording permission.
Zoom, Meet, and Teams
System audio hears the call in any app or browser tab, including Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Start from the menu bar. The default shortcut is Control-Command-R. Pro can start and stop recording on its own for Zoom and Microsoft Teams when you turn that on in Settings. Google Meet does not start recording by itself.
Offline after one download
Transcription uses Whisper through WhisperKit on the Mac. The app downloads a model once. After that, a meeting can be transcribed without an internet connection.
Questions about Mac meeting transcription
Can I transcribe a Zoom meeting on my Mac without a bot?
Yes. Parrot Scribe records your microphone and the Mac’s system audio. It does not join the Zoom call. Start from the menu bar, or use the default shortcut Control-Command-R. With Pro, you can turn on automatic recording in Settings so a Zoom meeting starts and stops the recording itself.
Does this work for Google Meet and Microsoft Teams?
Yes for the audio. System audio hears Meet in a browser and the Teams app the same way it hears any other call. Automatic start and stop is only for Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and only after you enable it. That automatic recording is a Pro feature.
Can Mac meeting transcription stay offline?
After the model is on your Mac, transcription works without an internet connection. The first model download needs a network. Personal use needs no account and no license.
What is system audio transcription on a Mac?
System audio is the sound the Mac is playing. Parrot Scribe captures it with Screen Recording permission, which is how it hears the other people on a call. Your own voice comes from the microphone. Without Screen Recording permission, the call audio is not captured.
Which Macs can transcribe a meeting locally?
Apple Silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 15 Sequoia or later. Intel Macs are not supported. macOS asks for Microphone permission, and for Screen Recording permission when system audio is on.
Is Mac meeting transcription free?
Personal use is free and unlimited, with no account. Pro adds automatic recording for Zoom and Microsoft Teams, on up to 5 Macs.
Do I need permission to transcribe a meeting?
Often, yes. Recording laws differ between countries and states, and many workplaces have their own rules. Tell people you are transcribing, and get consent where it is required.
Does an assistant read the meeting?
Not unless you turn that on. Transcription does not upload the audio. Pro includes an optional MCP server, off by default, if you later want your own assistant to read a transcript. If you connect a cloud assistant, that provider receives the transcript content the assistant reads.
Transcribe the next meeting on your Mac
Download Parrot Scribe. Personal use is free, with no account. Local transcription is how speech becomes text on the Mac. How a session starts is on the home page.