Browser audio + permissions
How to record Google Meet audio and create a meeting summary
Google Meet runs in your browser. MeetingDebrief runs beside it on your Mac or Windows PC, recording your microphone and the call audio for a local transcript and summary.
macOS 13+ and Windows 11 · 7-day trial · One-time purchase after the trial
Before you start
Complete MeetingDebrief setup and download a transcription model and a summary model. Run a short test with both your voice and another participant’s audio.
Tell everyone you are recording and get the required permission. Follow your organization’s recording rules. MeetingDebrief captures audio separately from the meeting app; do not rely on that app’s recording indicator.
Recording, transcripts, and notes are different outputs
- A recording preserves the meeting
- Google Meet’s native recording can include video and presentations, with access depending on the host’s account and permissions. Google stores it in the organizer’s Drive. See Google’s recording guide.
- A transcript preserves the spoken words as text
- Meet’s built-in transcription is available for supported editions and uses meeting controls. Google describes access and storage in its transcript guide.
- A summary selects what matters
- The MeetingDebrief workflow below captures audio, creates a local transcript, and then generates a summary from that text. You review it before copying it into a document or message.
MeetingDebrief does not change your Google plan or turn on a missing Meet feature. It is a desktop recorder with its own models. You can use it for permitted local notes while keeping the native recording workflow for video.
Check the browser and the recorder separately
Google Meet needs to hear you
Allow microphone access for the meeting site and select the intended microphone in Meet. Check that you can hear another participant through the computer’s speakers or headset. A browser permission prompt applies to the browser, not automatically to MeetingDebrief.
MeetingDebrief needs to hear both sides
In Audio settings, select the microphone and enable Include system audio. On macOS, complete the app’s microphone and system audio permission prompts. On Windows, select the output device carrying the browser’s sound.
Use a headset if practical, close other audio-producing tabs, and make a short test recording. System audio can include other sounds played by the computer, so a background video can become part of your transcript.
Record and transcribe the Google Meet call
- Join the Meet call on the computer running MeetingDebrief and agree with participants that you will record.
- Click Start Recording in MeetingDebrief. You do not need to share a browser tab with the recorder or install a Meet extension.
- If you want a preview, enable Live transcription during recording in General settings. The final transcription pass after the meeting is the version to review.
- Stop the recorder after the call. Allow automatic transcription to finish, or open the session and select Transcribe.
- Review the language and important terms. If language detection is wrong, the caret beside Re-transcribe offers language selection when the chosen model supports it.
The transcript and summary processing happen locally after the models are installed. Google Meet itself still requires its online service for the call.
Create a summary you can put in Google Docs
In the session’s Summary section, choose General and click Generate. For a working session, generate an Action Items summary too. Use the summary’s pencil control to correct the result.
Check dates, amounts, and who agreed to what. Click transcript timestamps to replay the relevant audio when it is retained. The current speaker labels distinguish Me and Other; they do not provide a roster of named participants.
Copy the reviewed summary into a Google Doc and add any slide links or written chat decisions yourself. Sharing that document is your choice and uses Google’s sharing controls. MeetingDebrief does not upload or distribute the notes for you.
When the browser call sounds fine but the recording does not
Only my voice appears
Check Include system audio. On Windows, compare the selected output with the device actually playing the browser audio. On macOS, revisit MeetingDebrief’s recording permissions.
Only the other participants appear
Check MeetingDebrief’s Input Device and microphone permission. The microphone chosen in Meet and the one chosen in the recorder are separate settings.
The transcript includes another tab
Pause unrelated audio before recording. Do not assume system audio capture is limited to the Meet tab. Run another short test after changing the audio setup.
For model or processing errors, continue with the MeetingDebrief troubleshooting guide.