Name speakers in Otter.ai: tag Speaker 1, fix a wrong name, and rematch old conversations

By · Published

To name a speaker in Otter, open the conversation, go to the Transcript tab, and click the speaker label, such as Speaker 1. Choose a suggested name, search for an existing speaker, or create a new one. You only need to tag a numbered speaker once: every paragraph by that speaker in the conversation updates, and Otter learns the voice for later recordings.

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.

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.

Tag a speaker

  1. Open the conversation and click the Transcript tab.
  2. Click the speaker label, for example Speaker 1.
  3. In the pop-up, click a suggested speaker, search for an existing one, or create a new speaker.
  4. Wait while Otter applies it. A green check mark appears beside a speaker you tagged by hand.

Speaker identification runs after the recording stops or the import finishes, so labels are not final while a meeting is still live.

What the labels mean

From Otter's help articles on speaker identification, read October 11, 2026.

LabelMeaning
A nameOtter matched a speaker it already knows
A name with a green check markYou tagged that speaker by hand
Speaker 1, Speaker 2Otter could tell the voices apart, but none matches a speaker in your account
Unknown speakerOtter could not identify a unique speaker for that part

Fix a wrong name

  • Retag. Click the speaker and choose the right one. A retag only changes that paragraph, so repeat it wherever the wrong name appears.
  • Rename. Click any speaker label to open the list, find the speaker, open the three-dot menu beside it and select Rename. The new name applies across all your conversations.
  • Split a paragraph. Edit the conversation and press Return where the speaker changes.

You can only rename speakers you added to your own account.

Rematch old conversations

If an older conversation still shows Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, and you have since tagged those people in a newer one, rematch it:

  1. Open the older conversation.
  2. Click the three-dot menu in the upper right.
  3. Select Rematch.

Otter applies your current speaker data to the numbered speakers. It cannot rematch unknown speakers.

In a team

In a Workspace, each member's speaker profile is shared, so Otter can tag a colleague in your meeting without your tagging them first. Speaker tags in a Channel are available to that Channel's conversations. In Zoom meetings, Otter Notetaker can tag speakers live from the participant names.

If you only need the words

Speaker labels are one of the things Otter does that plain transcription does not. YapToText, the free Mac app I built, turns a recording into text on the Mac with no upload, and it does not label speakers at all. If you need to know who said what, use Otter or another tool with speaker recognition. MacWhisper's speaker recognition is the on-device route on a Mac, and transcribing an interview on a Mac compares the options.

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

  • Tag. Transcript tab, click the speaker label, pick or create a name.
  • Once is enough. A numbered speaker updates everywhere in that conversation.
  • Wrong name. Retag the paragraph, or Rename the speaker.
  • Old recordings. Three-dot menu, Rematch.
  • Check mark. A speaker you tagged by hand.

If Otter changes speaker tagging, 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 name speakers in Otter?

Open the Transcript tab, click the speaker label such as Speaker 1, and choose a suggested speaker, search for one, or create a new speaker.

How do I change a speaker name in Otter?

Click a speaker label to open the list, find the speaker, open the three-dot menu and select Rename. It updates across all conversations.

Does Otter recognize speakers automatically?

Yes, for speakers it has learned. New voices appear as Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on until you tag them.

What does Rematch do in Otter?

It applies your current speaker data to an older conversation, naming numbered speakers Otter has since learned.

Why does Otter show an unknown speaker?

Otter could not identify a unique speaker for that part. You can tag it by hand, but Rematch does not work on unknown speakers.