Privately Recording Meetings

Groupthink can capture audio directly from your computer for meetings, calls, and other audio sources. This tool provides secure recordings without requiring a meeting bot to join your video conference.

Why Use Private Desktop Recording

Private Desktop Recording offers several advantages:

  • No Bot Required - Record your microphone and system audio directly without the Groupthink bot joining your Zoom, Meet, or Teams call
  • Private Experience - Your use of Groupthink's transcription and note-taking capabilities remains invisible to other meeting participants
  • Private Agenda by Default - Private recordings create private agendas that are only visible to you
  • Powerful AI Integration - Access all of Groupthink's AI features for meeting notes and analysis

Warning - It is the user's responsibility to comply with local recording laws.

Warning - Private Desktop Recording captures ALL system audio. Background media such as videos or music will be included in your recording. Also note that if your microphone is muted in your video conferencing app, it will still be recorded by Groupthink. Be mindful of what audio sources are active during recording.

System Requirements

  • Current Support: macOS 14.4+ on Apple Silicon only
  • Coming Soon: Windows version

Installation

  1. Download and install the Groupthink desktop application
  2. For more details on the installation process see the Groupthink Desktop App Setup Instructions

Starting Your First Recording

  1. Open the Groupthink desktop application
  2. Click "New Meeting Notes" in the desktop app
  3. Select "Privately Recorded Meeting"
  4. Your meeting recording will begin immediately
  5. When prompted, accept the macOS permission requests for microphone and system audio access

Starting from Calendar

You can also start private recording from your Groupthink calendar:

  1. Go to the Calendar section in Groupthink
  2. Find your meeting and click the menu (three dots)
  3. Select "Add Invisible Note Taker"
  4. When the meeting starts, Groupthink will privately record it through your desktop app

Converting Existing Meetings to Private

If you've already set up a meeting with the Groupthink bot:

  1. Go to the Calendar or Agenda view
  2. Click the menu (three dots)
  3. Select "Switch to Private Recording"
  4. A new private agenda will be created with a copy of the shared content
  5. The original shared agenda will be archived

Managing Your Recordings

Private recordings are handled similarly to other meetings, but with enhanced privacy:

  1. Access all recordings from your meeting recaps page
  2. View transcripts, notes, and summaries generated by Groupthink AI
  3. Private recordings are marked with a "Private" indicator
  4. Your meeting content is only visible to you by default
  5. You can share specific elements if desired, while maintaining privacy for the rest

Converting to Shared Recording

If you later decide you want to make a private recording available to others:

  1. Open the meeting or agenda
  2. Click the menu (three dots)
  3. Select "Switch to Shared Agenda"
  4. A new shared agenda will be created (note: your private content won't be transferred to maintain privacy)
  5. You'll need to add content to the new shared agenda manually

For troubleshooting assistance, please see our Troubleshooting Private Desktop Recording guide.