Groupthink Desktop App

Groupthink for Desktop is a native application for Mac and Windows. It unlocks private recording, where Groupthink captures a meeting straight from your computer audio without a visible bot joining the call, so your note-taking stays invisible to the other participants. It also gives you faster, distraction-free access to your notes, AI insights, and notifications. Private recording is available only through the desktop app.

If you mainly want the private recording feature, see Privately Recording Meetings for how it works and what it captures. This page covers downloading, installing, and signing in to the app itself.

Downloads

Groupthink is available for the following platforms:

• Mac
• Windows

All download links can also be found at https://github.com/Groupthinkai/groupthink/releases/latest

Note: The sign-in handoff and the macOS permission prompts you see during setup come from your browser and operating system, so the exact wording can vary by version.

Mac Setup Instructions

1. Download the package for macOS, or choose Groupthink-arm64.dmg from the list of downloads under the "Assets" section - this version is for Macs with Apple Silicon (M1 or better).
   • If your Mac is powered by an Intel processor, please download the Mac Intel version, or choose Groupthink-x64.dmg from the list of downloads.
2. Locate the package in your Finder and double-click to open
3. Drag the Groupthink icon into your applications folder
4. Open the Applications folder and launch the Groupthink application - if you see a prompt asking if you want to open the Groupthink app, click on "Open"
5. When you see a pop-up, enable desktop notifications
6. Sign in using your existing Groupthink account, or sign up to create one - you will be redirected to your default browser to complete the sign-in process
7. When you see the "Sign in to Groupthink desktop?" prompt in your browser, click on "Yes, sign in" - if you see a prompt asking if you want to open the Groupthink app, click on "Open Groupthink"
8. At this point, the Groupthink desktop app should open and you will be signed in
9. When you see a pop-up requesting System Audio Recording or Microphone access, click "Open System Settings" and turn on Groupthink for each. The audio toggles are in the lower System Audio Recording Only group of the Screen & System Audio Recording pane, and there are two: Groupthink and GroupthinkAudio. Turn on both. These two permissions are what let Groupthink capture your meetings; Screen Recording is not required for audio. If you decline System Audio Recording, or turn it off later, the app shows a Finish setting up recording card at the top of Today. Click Open System Settings on the card to go back to that pane.

Windows Setup Instructions

1. Download the package for Windows 10/11 or choose Groupthink-Setup.exe from the list of downloads under the "Assets" section
2. Locate the installer on your computer and double-click to start installation
3. Follow the instructions in the installer
4. Follow the rest of the instructions to finish installation
5. Open the Start menu and click Groupthink
6. Sign in using your existing Groupthink account, or sign up to create one - you will be redirected to your default browser to complete the sign-in process
7. When you see the "Sign in to Groupthink desktop?" prompt in your browser, click on "Yes, sign in" - if you see a prompt asking if you want to open the Groupthink app, click on "Open Groupthink"
8. At this point, the Groupthink desktop app should open and you will be signed in

Signing out

When you click Sign out in the desktop app, everything the app was capturing stops:

• A meeting recording in progress stops. What was recorded up to then is handled the same way as when you stop the recording yourself. Sign back in to record again.
• Voice Dictation does not work until you sign back in.
• Activity capture is paused. The menu bar menu reads "Activity capture paused". It does not start again by itself when you sign back in. Click Resume Activity Capture in the menu bar menu to start it.

Sometimes the app signs you out by itself because your session ended. That case is different in one way: a meeting recording that is already running keeps going. The sign-in screen says "Groupthink is still taking notes for the meeting you started." with a Stop Taking Notes button. If it says "Groupthink is still recording your meeting, but notes may be missing until you sign back in." instead, the notes can have a gap until you sign in. Sign back in with the same account and the recording carries on. Sign in with a different account and it stops. Voice Dictation and activity capture stop either way.

Closing and quitting (Mac)

Groupthink lives in your menu bar. Closing its window with the red button puts it there and leaves it running, which is what you want most of the time: it keeps recording meetings, keeps the fn key ready for Voice Dictation, and keeps activity capture going. There is no dialog, and nothing stops.

To actually quit, you have two ways:

• ⌘Q, the Dock's Quit, or macOS's own Quit & Reopen prompt after you change a permission. Groupthink asks first, in a dialog titled Quit Groupthink? that explains what stops if you go ahead. Click Quit to quit, or Cancel to leave everything running. If a meeting is recording, the dialog says so first, because quitting ends that recording.
• Quit Groupthink Completely, in the menu bar menu. This quits straight away, with no dialog.

The dialog has a Don't ask again checkbox. Tick it before clicking Quit and ⌘Q quits without asking from then on, on that Mac.

While Groupthink is quit, it is not recording meetings and the fn key does not dictate. Both come back when you open the app again.

Note: The quit dialog is in Groupthink for Mac from version 1.0.248 (released 2026-09-12). On an older build, ⌘Q hides the window instead of quitting. Let the app update itself, or download it again from the links above.

Troubleshooting updates (Mac)

Groupthink downloads updates on its own. When one is ready, an Update Available banner appears at the top of the Groupthink window. Click it and the app closes, installs the update, and opens again.

The update didn't install

Sometimes the app closes and reopens but stays on the old version. When that happens, Groupthink notices and the banner changes to Update didn't install: "Groupthink restarted but is still on the previous version. Download the latest version and install it to finish updating." Click Download the latest version in the banner to get the right installer for your Mac, then install it by hand:

1. Quit Groupthink with Quit Groupthink Completely from the menu bar menu.
2. Download the latest Mac version, or the Intel version if your Mac has an Intel processor.
3. Open the download and drag the Groupthink icon into your Applications folder. When macOS asks, choose Replace.
4. Open Groupthink from your Applications folder.

Your account and notes live on Groupthink's servers, so reinstalling doesn't touch them.

To see which version you have, open your Applications folder, select Groupthink, and choose File > Get Info. The latest version is listed on the releases page.

Related

• Privately Recording Meetings: record a meeting from your computer audio without a visible bot, using the desktop app.
• Capturing On-Screen Content: capture the text shown on a meeting window during a private recording, not just what is said (macOS).
• Import Your Messages History on a Mac: read the text conversations already on your Mac into your contacts' records, one conversation at a time, with your permission (macOS).
• Voice Dictation: hold the fn key anywhere on your Mac, speak, and the words are typed at your cursor and saved to Conversations (macOS).
• Activity Capture on Your Mac: record which app and window you have in front of you, and for how long, so you can see where your time went (macOS).

On-screen content capture and activity capture are opt-in and off until you turn them on. They and Voice Dictation live under Settings > Capture in the Mac app.