AI notetaker for Mac: setup, permissions and what to expect
An AI notetaker for Mac is an app that listens to your calls on the Mac itself and gives you back a transcript with everyone’s names and a set of notes. Runa is one of them. It runs as a desktop app and hears both your microphone and the call your Mac is playing. Because nothing joins the meeting, it behaves the same in Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex and in-person meetings. Setting it up is quick: most of the time goes on saying yes to macOS permissions. Still comparing tools? Start with the best AI notetakers in 2026.
What a Mac can record without extra software
macOS already gives you a few ways to keep a meeting. QuickTime Player can make an audio or screen recording, Voice Memos records sound, and Zoom, Meet and Teams each have a record button, though it may be limited to paid plans or to the meeting’s host.
Each of these leaves you holding a recording and nothing more. No one’s name is attached to what they said, decisions aren’t pulled out, and none of them starts by itself when an unplanned call begins. Finding one sentence later means listening back through the file. An AI notetaker takes that work off your hands: it starts with the call, writes down who said what, and gives you notes instead of an hour of audio.
What you need
- A Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel chip. There’s a download for each: on an Intel Mac, use the “Intel Mac?” link under the download button.
- macOS 13 Ventura or later. Runa relies on it to hear the audio of a call.
- A Runa account. The free Basic plan includes 10 AI meeting notes a month.
- Your calendar, if you want it. Google Calendar or Outlook, so Runa knows each meeting’s title and guests.
Set up Runa on your Mac
- Install Runa. Download it from downloads.joinruna.com, open the file and drag Runa into your Applications folder.
- Sign in. Open Runa. It sends you to your browser to sign in or create an account, then brings you back to the app.
- Allow microphone and system audio. Runa asks for both in one step. The microphone covers your voice, and system audio is how Runa hears everyone else. macOS then asks you to quit and reopen Runa.
- Allow notifications and meeting access. Notifications let Runa tell you a call has started. Meeting access lets it see who the meeting app shows as speaking, which is where real speaker names come from.
- Connect your calendar and add your words. In Settings, connect Google Calendar or Outlook under Calendar, then add names, products and acronyms under Preferences, in Words Runa should know.
Then join a real call. It’s the quickest way to see that everything is working.
The macOS permissions Runa asks for, and why
| Permission | What it lets Runa do | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Record your voice, or the whole room in an in-person meeting | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone |
| Screen & System Audio Recording | Hear the other people on the call, from the sound your Mac plays | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording |
| Notifications | Tell you a call has started and offer to take notes | System Settings → Notifications → Runa |
| Accessibility | See who is speaking in Zoom, Teams and Meet, and whether you’re muted | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility |
| Automation | Read a meeting link in a browser tab and Webex’s mute state | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation |
macOS keeps system audio behind the same switch as screen recording, so that’s the one any notetaker needs to hear a call through your Mac. Older versions of macOS call it Screen Recording. On recent macOS, the notifications request arrives as a notification in the top-right corner: choose Allow, because closing it counts as Don’t Allow.
What happens when a call starts
Leave Runa running, with its icon in the menu bar. When Zoom, Teams, Webex or a Google Meet tab in your browser starts using your microphone, Runa notices the call and offers to take notes. For meetings on your calendar with other people invited, you can let it start by itself: turn on Start recording automatically in Settings, under Preferences. Runa still waits until you’ve joined, so a meeting you skip never becomes a recording.
While it records, a small indicator sits at the top of your screen, around the notch on MacBooks that have one. Hover over it to see how long you’ve been recording and the latest line of the transcript. You can type your own notes in the meeting as you go. Runa is an AI notepad, so it reads them alongside the transcript when it writes the meeting notes. If you mute yourself in Zoom, Meet, Teams or Webex, Runa stops recording your microphone until you unmute and keeps transcribing everyone else.
Runa also stops by itself. When a scheduled call ends, it counts down 30 seconds and then stops. If nobody has spoken for five minutes, it counts down the same way. Press Keep going at any point to carry on recording.
Fixing common problems on a Mac
| What you notice | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The transcript has your side of the call but not theirs | System audio isn’t allowed | Turn Runa on under Screen & System Audio Recording, then quit and reopen it |
| Nothing was recorded | Microphone access is off | Turn Runa on under Privacy & Security → Microphone |
| No prompt appeared when the call started | Notifications are off, or Runa isn’t running | Allow Runa’s notifications, and check for its icon in the menu bar |
| People show up as Speaker A and Speaker B | Runa couldn’t confirm who was talking | Allow meeting access, connect your calendar, or name each speaker once in the transcript |
| Names and product terms are misspelled | Runa doesn’t know those words yet | Add them, with how they were misheard, to Words Runa should know |
| The recording stopped before you were done | The call ended, or no one spoke for five minutes | Press Keep going during the countdown, or turn off Auto-stop when the call ends |
What you get when the call ends
When you stop, Runa writes the meeting notes from the transcript and anything you typed: what was decided, who owns each next step and what’s still open, in a built-in or custom template. The transcript keeps everyone’s names, and fixing one name relabels every line from that person. Runa also drafts the follow-up email and the HubSpot or Salesforce update for you to review. Nothing is sent, and nothing is written to your CRM, until you approve it. On the Pro plan you can ask questions across all your meetings, see where each answer came from, and bring your meetings into ChatGPT or Claude.
Is Runa a good fit for your Mac?
It suits you if your days are full of calls in different apps, you’d rather nobody sees a bot in the meeting, and your notes need to turn into follow-ups, CRM updates or tasks.
Look elsewhere if you need to take notes from a phone or a browser, since Runa is a desktop app for Mac and Windows, or if your Mac runs macOS 12 or earlier.
Frequently asked questions
Does Runa work on Intel Macs?
Yes. Runa has a separate download for Intel Macs: on the download page, use the “Intel Mac?” link under the main button. Either way, your Mac needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Why does a notetaker need screen recording permission on a Mac?
macOS puts system audio behind the Screen & System Audio Recording permission, so any app that wants to hear a call through your Mac has to ask for it. Runa uses it to capture the other people on the call.
Can I use Runa on a Mac for free?
Yes. The Basic plan is free and includes 10 AI meeting notes a month, with two weeks of meeting history. Pro is $55 per user a month, or $45.83 a month billed yearly, and removes those limits.
Will Runa record a meeting I skip?
No. Even with Start recording automatically turned on, Runa starts only once a call app is using your microphone, so a meeting you never join leaves nothing behind.