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MacOS app

Record Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams meetings locally on Mac without bots. Captures video, audio, and speaker-identified transcripts automatically.

Michael Simmons avatar
Written by Michael Simmons
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Capture meetings without installing bots or asking participants for permission.

Local recording runs invisibly on your Mac during Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams calls. Video, audio, and speaker-identified transcripts upload automatically after each meeting ends.


How it works

Detects when you join meetings and captures:

  • Screen video (everything visible in the meeting window)

  • System audio (what you hear from other participants)

  • Microphone audio (your voice)

Speaker identification uses macOS accessibility API because meeting platforms don't expose participant data directly. The app reads display names shown on screen—Zoom participant panels, Google Meet name labels, Teams attendee lists. Names matching existing contacts link automatically. Unmatched names create new person records.

Processing happens locally during the meeting. After the meeting ends, video and transcript upload to Clarify. Upload takes 2-5 minutes per hour of recording.

Why scheduled and unscheduled meetings differ: Scheduled meetings appear in your connected calendar, so the app detects them automatically. Unscheduled meetings require manual Quick Record because the app doesn't know about them in advance.


Recording meetings

Scheduled meetings

Notification banner appears when meetings start.

Start recording:

  • From notification: Click "Start recording"

  • From menu bar: Clarify icon → "Start recording"

Stop recording:

  • From notification: Click "Stop recording"

  • From menu bar: Clarify icon → "Stop recording"

Video and transcript upload automatically after stopping.

Unscheduled meetings

Quick Record captures meetings not on your calendar—impromptu calls, unscheduled demos, or meetings in personal calendar apps not connected to Clarify.

Start Quick Record:

  1. Join your meeting (Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams)

  2. Click Clarify menu bar icon → "Quick Record"

  3. Clarify creates a new meeting and starts recording instantly

ℹ️ Quick Record detects conference meetings automatically if the meeting platform is already open. If no conference meeting is detected, recording treats it as an in-person meeting and captures audio only (no video).

Add participants:

  1. Click "Edit participants" in the recording tab

  2. Search by name or email

  3. Select contacts to link them to the recording

ℹ️ Edit participants during or after recording. For scheduled meetings detected from your calendar, participant editing isn't available.

Stop recording:

  • Menu bar: Clarify icon → "Stop Recording"

After stopping:

  • Edit the meeting name in the recording tab

  • Video and transcript upload automatically (2-5 minutes per hour)

  • Meeting appears in activity feed and calendar view

  • AI insights generate after processing completes


Requirements and limitations

System requirements

  • macOS 13 or later

  • 500MB free disk space per hour of recording (temporary, deleted after upload)

Setup requirements

  • Calendar connected: Settings > Account > Connected accounts

  • Screen recording permission: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording

  • Microphone permission: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone

  • Internet connection: Uploads take 2-5 minutes per hour at typical speeds

Recording behavior

  • Only captures what's visible on screen (switching windows records those windows)

  • Recording fails silently without screen recording permission

  • Cannot record if meeting platform isn't visible on screen

  • Upload queues locally if offline, retries when connection restores

  • For video recording: Conference meeting (Zoom, Meet, Teams) must be open before starting Quick Record

  • Audio-only fallback: If no conference meeting is detected, Quick Record captures audio only (treated as in-person meeting)

Speaker identification

  • Cannot retroactively edit participants for scheduled meetings

  • Quick Record meetings allow participant editing

Upload and processing

  • Upload requires internet connection (queues locally if offline)

  • Upload: 2-5 minutes per hour of recording

  • AI insights processing: 2-3 minutes after upload completes

  • Failed uploads retry automatically when connection restores

Platform limitations

  • Works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and any platform visible on screen

  • Meeting bot recording and local recording cannot run simultaneously on the same meeting

  • Scheduled meeting detection requires calendar connection


Common issues

Menu bar icon not visible: macOS hides menu bar icons when too many are present. Use a menu bar manager like Ice (icemenubar.app) or reduce other menu bar apps.

Meeting not detected: Calendar must be connected at Settings > Account > Connected accounts. Meeting must appear in your Clarify calendar. App checks for meetings every 60 seconds.

Recording didn't upload: Check internet connection and verify Clarify app is still running. Failed uploads retry automatically when connection restores.

Video is blank or black: Screen recording permission required. Enable at System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording. Restart Clarify app after enabling.

Quick Record only captured audio (no video): Conference meeting must be open before starting Quick Record. Open Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams first, then start Quick Record. If no conference meeting is detected, recording defaults to audio-only (in-person meeting mode).


Installation

Download: https://www.clarify.ai/desktop or Settings > Account > Apps & Tools

After installation:

  1. Grant screen recording permission when prompted

  2. Grant microphone permission when prompted

  3. App runs in menu bar (look for Clarify icon)

Uninstall:

  1. Quit app from menu bar

  2. Move Clarify.app from Applications to Trash

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