The Otter.ai Mac app: installing it, its permissions, and recording a meeting without a bot
By Ryleigh Newman · Published
Otter has a desktop app for the Mac, for macOS 12.3 or later. It does everything the web app does and adds what a browser cannot: it records a meeting's audio from your computer without Otter Notetaker joining the call, lets you wear headphones while it records, detects meetings, and can start and stop recordings by itself. It asks for two permissions, Microphone and Screen and System Audio Recording.
I built YapToText, a dictation app for the Mac, so read what I say about Otter with that in mind. Every fact about Otter here comes from its own help center, read on October 11, 2026.
This 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.
Install it
- Download the Otter macOS Desktop app from Otter.
- Open the DMG file.
- Drag Otter into the Applications folder and open it from there.
- Sign in, or create an account.
- Follow the prompts to allow the permissions, then restart the app.
The two permissions
From Otter's desktop app article, read October 11, 2026.
| Permission | What Otter says it is for |
|---|---|
| Microphone | Transcribing the audio from your microphone, including headsets and external microphones |
| Screen and System Audio Recording | Capturing what meeting participants say and what plays on the computer, which is what lets you wear headphones |
Both are in System Settings. After switching one on, macOS offers Quit and Reopen. Without the second permission, Otter can only hear what your microphone hears.
Record a meeting without a bot
In the desktop app, click Record in the upper-right corner. Otter records the sound your computer is playing, so the other people on a Zoom, Google Meet or Teams call are captured, and no Notetaker joins as a participant.
- Headphones are fine. The audio is taken from the system, not from the speakers.
- Meeting detection. The app can remind you to record, or record automatically, when it detects Zoom, a browser meeting such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, a Slack Huddle, a dialer or a messaging app.
- Ending. It can remind you to end a recording, or end it automatically after you leave.
- An indicator. A floating recording indicator stays above other apps so you can pause or end from anywhere.
Otter's own note belongs here too: ask the other participants for permission before you record. In Teams, the app can post a message to the meeting chat saying you are recording. Stopping Otter joining meetings covers the Notetaker bot.
Desktop settings
Open them from your profile menu, under Desktop App Settings: launch at startup, meeting detection notifications, calendar event notifications, recording indicators, and end-of-recording reminders and automation. Everything else is in Account Settings, Meetings.
What it does not change
- It is still a cloud service. The app records on your Mac, and transcription happens on Otter's servers under your plan's minutes. Offline, it keeps recording and transcribes once a connection returns.
- Languages. Six, the same as on the web.
- The free plan's limits. 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes a conversation on Basic.
The pricing page and the Otter safety page cover cost and data.
A recorder against a dictation app
Otter's Mac app records conversations. It does not type into other apps. YapToText, the free Mac app I built, is the other kind of tool: tap a key, speak, and your words are typed where the cursor is, with the speech recognized on the Mac. It also turns a recording you already have into plain text. It does not record meetings or capture system audio. The Otter alternative page and transcribing a meeting on a Mac go further.
This 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
- Needs. macOS 12.3 or later.
- Permissions. Microphone, and Screen and System Audio Recording.
- Botless. Click Record. No Notetaker joins.
- Automation. Detects meetings, starts and ends recordings.
- Still cloud. Transcription and minutes are on Otter's side.
If Otter changes its desktop app, open an issue on GitHub and I will update this page. Every one gets read.
This 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.
Related
Sources
- https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/35973988280215-Otter-Desktop-App-Mac-Windows (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/44008744581271-Record-with-Otter-offline-or-without-an-internet-connection (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/360047538094-Conversation-import-and-app-limits-on-the-Basic-free-plan (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-11)
Questions
Does Otter.ai have a Mac app?
Yes. The Otter desktop app runs on macOS 12.3 or later, and on Windows 10 or later.
Can Otter record a meeting without a bot joining?
Yes, in the desktop app. Click Record and it captures the meeting audio from your computer, with no Notetaker in the call.
Why does Otter need Screen Recording permission on a Mac?
Otter says Screen and System Audio Recording lets it capture what meeting participants say and what plays on the computer, so you can wear headphones.
Can I wear headphones while Otter records on a Mac?
Yes, in the desktop app with the system audio permission granted. In a web browser you cannot.
Does the Otter Mac app transcribe offline?
No. Otter keeps recording while you are offline and the live transcript pauses. The audio is uploaded and transcribed when a connection returns, so keep the app open until then.