Delete your Otter.ai account: what to do first, the steps, and why the button can be missing

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You delete an Otter account in Account Settings, General, at the bottom of the page. It is permanent: Otter says the account, its conversations and its data are removed from its servers and cannot be recovered. Do four things first, or you can lose recordings you wanted and leave a bot attending meetings until the deletion goes through.

I built YapToText, a dictation app for the Mac that is not a meeting recorder, so I have little stake in this one. Every fact about Otter here comes from its own help center, read on October 10, 2026.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

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Before you delete

  1. Turn off Otter Notetaker auto-join. The page on stopping Otter from joining meetings has the setting.
  2. Disconnect your calendar.
  3. Export the conversations you need to a text or audio file.
  4. Review and cancel your subscription. Otter says paid subscriptions are forfeited when you delete.

Delete the account

  1. On the web, open Account Settings, then General.
  2. Scroll to the bottom and click Delete account.
  3. Enter your password and click Verify and continue. If you signed up with Google, Microsoft or Apple, verification goes through that sign-in.
  4. Read the pop-up and click Delete account.

Deleting the mobile app does not delete the account. The account stays until you go through these steps.

If Delete account is missing

From Otter's help article Delete your Otter account, read October 10, 2026.

Your situationWhat Otter says to do
You are a member or admin of a workspace with two or more peopleAsk the workspace owner to delete your account. An admin has to be changed to a member first
You own a workspace with other membersRemove or delete every other user, including deactivated ones, then delete your own account
You are the only userThe option appears at the bottom of Account Settings, General

Otter hides the option in shared workspaces to prevent accidental data loss.

What happens afterward

  • Your conversations. Permanently deleted, and not recoverable.
  • Conversations you shared. Deleted too. The people you shared them with lose access.
  • Your subscription. Canceled and forfeited if you delete before the end of the billing cycle.
  • The account. Cannot be restored.

Transcription that keeps nothing online

If you are leaving because your recordings sat on someone else's servers, the alternative is an app that never uploads them. YapToText transcribes an audio or video file on the Mac, free, with no account, so there is nothing to delete later except the app. It is not a meeting assistant: no bot, no speaker labels, no summaries. The Otter alternative page compares the options, and the Otter pricing page covers its plans if you are only thinking of downgrading.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

The short version

  • First. Auto-join off, calendar disconnected, conversations exported, subscription canceled.
  • Where. Account Settings, General, bottom of the page.
  • Missing button. You are in a workspace with other people.
  • Result. Permanent. Shared conversations go too.
  • Phone. Removing the app is not deleting the account.

If Otter changes these steps, open an issue on GitHub and I will update this page. Every one gets read.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Sources

Questions

How do I delete my Otter.ai account?

On the web, go to Account Settings, General, scroll to the bottom, click Delete account, verify, and confirm.

Why is there no Delete account option in Otter?

It is hidden when you belong to a workspace with two or more members. The workspace owner has to remove you, or you have to remove everyone else.

Can I recover a deleted Otter account?

No. Otter's help center says deletion is permanent and the account and its conversations cannot be restored.

Does deleting the Otter app delete my account?

No. The account remains until you delete it in Account Settings.

Does deleting my Otter account cancel my subscription?

Otter says subscriptions are canceled and forfeited on deletion, so review and cancel first.