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How to install MuteNote, record a meeting, and fix the usual problems.

Installing

Linux (Ubuntu 22.04 or later, Debian 12 or later, 64-bit). Download the .deb file, then in a terminal, in the folder you saved it to:

sudo apt install ./MuteNote_*_amd64.deb

macOS (Apple silicon, macOS 14.6 or later). Open the .dmg and drag MuteNote into Applications. The first time you open it, macOS says it can’t check the app: open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway. You only do this once.

Windows (Windows 10 or 11). Run the installer; it doesn’t need an administrator. If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”, click More info, then Run anyway. You only see this once.

The first time you record, MuteNote downloads its speech models (about 620 MB). After that it works without the internet.

Permissions

MuteNote records two things: your microphone, and the sound your computer plays (the other people on the call). It never joins your meetings.

• macOS asks twice: once for the microphone, once to record audio from other apps. Allow both. If you said no, turn them on in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and Screen & System Audio Recording, then restart MuteNote.
• Windows: if your side is silent, open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone and turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone.
• Linux needs no permissions; it uses PipeWire, which recent Ubuntu and Debian already run.

Your first meeting

1. Audio check. On first start, talk and the green “Me” bars move; press Play test sound and the blue “Others” bars move. If one doesn’t, see Problems.
2. Join your call as usual in Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Slack, Webex or any browser call. MuteNote notices when the call app starts using your microphone and asks to record. In Settings → General → When a meeting starts you can have it record automatically, or do nothing and press record yourself.
3. Tell people you’re recording. When recording starts, MuteNote offers a short message to copy into the call’s chat (change its wording in Settings). In many places the law requires their agreement.
4. During the call you can pause, mark a moment, or close the window: recording carries on from the tray icon.
5. When the call ends MuteNote offers to stop (or stops by itself if it started by itself), transcribes on your computer, tells the other speakers apart, and writes the notes: a summary, decisions, and actions with owners and dates. Click any timestamp to hear that moment.

MuteNote opens in the tray when you log in, so it’s ready for the next call. Turn that off in Settings → General.

Muting

Call apps keep your microphone open while you’re muted, so a recording would still hear you. Two ways to keep muted talk out of it:

• Mute me, on the recording screen or the tray menu, mutes the microphone itself: the call and the recording both hear silence. Works with every app. On macOS and Windows it mutes your default microphone.
• Google Meet’s own mute button, with the MuteNote extension for Chrome. Install the extension, then in MuteNote open Settings → General → Google Meet mute and click Connect Chrome. When the recording stops, the stretches where you were muted in Meet are silenced on your track.

Notes and AI

Recording and transcribing always happen on your computer. Only writing the notes uses an AI, and you choose which in Settings → Notes & AI:

• MuteNote (recommended): sign in under Settings → Account and MuteNote writes your notes. No AI account or setup. This uses hours from your plan (below).
• Use my own AI: your Anthropic or OpenAI key, the Claude Code or Codex app on your computer, or your company’s own AI server. Keys are kept in your system’s keychain. Unlimited and free from MuteNote’s side; you pay your AI provider.
• Local only: an AI running on your computer or your network (for example Ollama or LM Studio). Nothing leaves your network. Slower, and quality depends on the model.

You can rewrite notes (shorter, for the board, or your own instruction), rename speakers, tick actions off, and ask questions about one meeting or all of them.

Plans and hours

• Free: recording, transcripts, and notes from your own or a local AI, without limits.
• Pro includes 15 hours a month of notes written by MuteNote; Pro Plus includes 60. Prices are on the pricing section.
• Hours are measured from what writing each meeting’s notes actually costs, so an hour-long meeting uses about an hour. Settings → Account shows what’s left this month. Unused hours don’t carry over.
• Running out? Add 20 hours from Settings → Account; they last until the end of the month. Or turn on automatic top-ups so you never run out.
• Billing: change plan or switch between monthly and yearly (you see the price first), update your card, see invoices, or cancel, all from Settings → Account → Billing. A cancelled plan keeps working until the end of the period you paid for. See Refunds.

Where your data goes

Recordings, transcripts and notes stay in your recordings folder on your computer. With MuteNote writing your notes, the transcript is sent to write them and is never stored or logged. Error reports are off unless you turn them on in Settings → Privacy, and even then they leave out names, folders and email addresses. The details are in the Privacy policy.

Updates

MuteNote checks for a new version when it starts and once a day, and shows “MuteNote X is ready” on the home screen. Click Update now; it installs and restarts in a few seconds (on Linux it asks for your password). It never updates during a recording. Every update is checked against MuteNote’s signature before it installs.

Problems

The “Others” bars don’t move

MuteNote records whatever plays on your current speakers or headphones. Check the call’s sound comes out of the device your computer is using, and on macOS that you allowed recording audio from other apps (see Permissions).

The “Me” bars don’t move

Pick your microphone in Settings → General → Microphone, or leave it on “Same as the meeting app”. Check you’re not muted, and the system permission is on.

My Bluetooth headset dropped or switched mode

MuteNote reconnects by itself and says so on the recording screen; nothing is lost. If it keeps happening, turn the headset off and on.

“Not enough disk space”

Recording needs at least 1 GB free (about four hours of recording). If the disk fills up during a call, MuteNote stops in time to save everything recorded so far.

Something else

Use Settings → General → Report a problem. We get your message, the app version and your system, never your recordings.