Record and transcribe Google Meet on Mac and Windows
Yes, Aside works with Google Meet. It records your microphone and the sound your computer plays, so it works in any browser without a bot, an extension or a Workspace add-on.
Does Aside work with Google Meet?
Yes, in any browser
Most people use Google Meet in a browser tab. Aside doesn’t need to know which one. It records your microphone and the sound your computer plays, so Meet in Chrome, Safari or any other browser sounds the same to it.
Aside doesn’t connect to Google Meet. No notetaker joins the call, nobody has to admit one, and there is no browser extension to install or Workspace admin to ask. It works on a personal Gmail account and on a work account, whoever organised the meeting.
What happens to the audio
Aside transcribes the call on your computer with an on-device speech model, for English and 24 European languages. Add another language and every call is transcribed online, as on computers too slow to keep up. It keeps the recording on your computer so you can play back both sides, your microphone and the Meet audio, in sync. It understands English and 24 European languages on your computer, detected as you speak, and 36 more online.
How to record a Google Meet call with Aside
On a Mac
1. Install Aside
Download Aside for Mac (Apple silicon, macOS 14.2 or later). It lives in the menu bar. The first time, it downloads its speech model once, about 570 MB, or 720 MB with other European languages. Add a language the on-device model doesn’t know and every call is transcribed online, so only a small model for telling speakers apart downloads. On the free plan, in 13 of those languages, a 990 MB model downloads too, for the calls Aside doesn’t guide.
2. Allow the microphone and Mac audio
On first run, macOS asks to let Aside use your microphone and the sound your computer plays. Allow both. You do this once, not for each call or each app.
3. Record the call
Open the Meet link in your browser and join as usual. Start recording from the menu bar or press ⌃⌥P. When the call ends, press ⌃⌥X. The transcript has your notes in place, and after a guided call (2 a week on Free, every call on the paid plan) the write-up starts when you stop.
On Windows
1. Install Aside
Get Aside from the Microsoft Store (Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11), then click Open. It lives in the system tray, and the Store keeps it up to date. The first time, it downloads its speech model once, about 920 MB, or 990 MB with other European languages. Add a language the on-device model doesn’t know and every call is transcribed online, so only a small model for telling speakers apart downloads. On the free plan, in 13 of those languages, a 990 MB model downloads too, for the calls Aside doesn’t guide.
2. Check the microphone
Aside hears the sound your PC plays with no prompt. If Windows blocks the microphone, turn it on in Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. You do this once, not for each call or each app.
3. Record the call
Open the Meet link in your browser and join as usual. Start recording from the system tray or press CtrlAltP. When the call ends, press CtrlAltX. The transcript has your notes in place, and after a guided call (2 a week on Free, every call on the paid plan) the write-up starts when you stop.
Notes work from the browser too: press ⌃⌥N or CtrlAltN, type a line and press Enter. The note lands in the transcript at the moment you started typing.
Google’s “Take notes for me” and Aside
Google Meet has its own AI note-taking, “Take notes for me”. It suits teams that live in Google Workspace.
Use Gemini in Meet if…
- Your Google Workspace edition or Google AI plan includes it, and your admin has it turned on.
- You want the notes saved as a Google Doc in the organiser’s Drive and attached to the calendar event.
- You want people who join late to catch up with a summary during the call.
- Your meetings are in one of the languages it supports.
Use Aside if…
- You want English and 24 European languages transcribed on your computer, and the recording kept there.
- You’re a guest in someone else’s Meet call and can’t turn on their tools.
- You want the recording itself, with playback of both sides.
- You want guidance during the call toward goals you set.
Where Aside differs
Your notes, not a shared doc
Gemini’s notes go to the organiser’s Google Drive, and Meet tells everyone that notes are being taken. Aside’s transcript and write-up are yours. When you’re signed in, meeting text syncs to your Aside account so AI apps you connect can read it. Audio never does.
The same tool in every app
Meet is often one of several call apps in a week. Aside listens to the computer, so Meet calls, Zoom meetings and Slack huddles end up in one place, with the same notes and write-ups.
During the call
Aside can also help while you talk. On a guided call (2 a week on Free, every call on the paid plan), goals you set fill in as you cover them, one line suggests your next move, and answers you prepared appear when the topic comes up. It works from your plan and, if you use one, a playbook. See how it works.
Before you record
Presenting in Meet
When you present, choose a window or a tab rather than your entire screen. Then only you see Aside.
Consent
Recording laws differ by place, and many require everyone’s consent. Tell people at the start, for example with a line in the Meet chat.
Questions
Does Aside need a Chrome extension for Google Meet?
No. Aside records the sound your computer plays and your microphone, so it works with Meet in any browser without an extension.
Will other people in the Meet call see a notetaker?
No. Aside doesn’t join the call, so no notetaker appears in the participant list. Tell people you’re recording.
Does Aside work with a personal Gmail account?
Yes. Aside doesn’t connect to Google Meet, so it works the same whichever Google account you use there.
Is Aside the same as Gemini’s “Take notes for me”?
No. Gemini’s notes run in Google’s cloud and save to the organiser’s Drive. Aside transcribes English and 24 European languages on your computer (add another language and every call is transcribed online, as on computers too slow to keep up, but for notes-only calls on the free plan), keeps the audio there, and can guide you during the call.
Last checked 15 Oct 2026. Products change, so check Google’s own pages before you decide.
Sources
Facts about Google come from its own help pages, read on 15 Oct 2026.