> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.granola.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# How transcription works
> How Granola transcribes your meetings. Real-time transcription, speaker identification, and how audio is processed.
In order to create great [AI-enhanced notes](./ai-enhanced-notes "./ai-enhanced-notes"), Granola transcribes the audio from your meetings when you choose to.
## When does Granola start transcribing?
Granola only starts capturing audio and transcribing when you:
* click on a [notification](./notifications)
* open a meeting from your home screen once the scheduled start time has passed
* click '➕ Quick Note' in the top right to open a new note
* if you're clicked into an upcoming meeting before it starts - Granola will automatically start transcribing at the scheduled meeting start time
Granola does not automatically transcribe meetings without you having clicked into a note. If Granola doesn't seem to start for a meeting, check that you've opened that meeting's note (or a Quick Note) and that the meeting has started according to your calendar. There is no meeting bot — Granola runs only on your computer and uses your system audio and microphone.
Transcription requires the Granola desktop app (macOS or Windows) or the iPhone app. The web interface at notes.granola.ai is for viewing and editing existing notes only — it cannot capture or transcribe meetings.
## How do I know it's transcribing?
When you're in a Granola note, you'll see green dancing bars at the bottom of the screen to show Granola is capturing audio.
Click the transcript button to show or hide the live transcript panel:
In the transcript panel:
1. **Show/hide & Stop/Resume** - click the transcript icon to show or hide the panel, and use Stop/Resume to temporarily stop transcription without ending the meeting
2. **Copy all** - copy the entire transcript to your clipboard
3. **Copy/delete chunks** - click on any transcript chunk to copy or delete it individually
4. **Search** - search through your transcript to find specific words or phrases
**Transcript colours:**
* **Grey bubbles** (left side) - transcription from system audio, usually other people in your meeting
* **Green bubbles** (right side) - transcription from your microphone
If you're not seeing transcription start, we'd recommend checking your audio settings, and restarting Granola - [see our troubleshooting guide for more info](../troubleshooting/transcription-issues).
While Granola is transcribing, if you've got another app open, you'll see the live meeting indicator floating on the right-hand side of your screen. Click it to get back to your meeting note, or drag it around by the handle at the bottom to reposition it.
## When does Granola stop transcribing?
You can stop Granola transcribing any time by clicking the stop button at the bottom of the screen, but Granola will also auto-stop in a few other scenarios:
* when it detects that your call has ended, based on the length of the transcript, whether or not you are still using the call software (e.g Zoom, Teams, Google Meet), and — for calendar-linked meetings — the scheduled end time of the event
* when 15 minutes passes without any new audio being detected to transcribe
* when you put your computer to sleep
For meetings linked to a calendar event, Granola uses the scheduled end time as an additional signal to detect when the meeting is over. Ad-hoc meetings (started from a "call detected" notification or a Quick Note) don't have a scheduled end time, so auto-stop relies on detecting when your call app stops using the microphone. If audio continues — for example, if you keep talking after hanging up — the 15-minute inactivity timeout won't trigger and Granola may keep transcribing. For ad-hoc meetings especially, clicking the stop button when the meeting ends is the most reliable way to end transcription.
On macOS, meeting auto-end detection requires admin rights on your Mac. If you don't have admin rights (common on company-managed devices), meeting auto-end detection won't work and you'll need to manually click the stop button when your meetings end.
**Back-to-back meetings:** If you jump directly from one call to another, your meeting app (e.g. Zoom) may keep the microphone active between calls. When this happens, Granola can't detect that the first meeting ended, and both meetings may be merged into a single transcript. To avoid this, manually click the stop button between meetings to ensure separate notes are created for each call.
## What audio is Granola capturing?
Granola uses your system audio to capture transcription, capturing whatever audio inputs and outputs happen on your computer. This means Granola can transcribe any call where the audio plays through your computer — including calls from VoIP or internet calling apps. Since these calls won't be linked to your calendar, use **Quick Note** to start transcription, and make sure your [audio devices are configured](../troubleshooting/transcription-issues#match-system-audio-with-your-meeting-audio) so Granola can hear the call audio.
Granola cannot isolate audio from individual applications — it captures the combined audio stream from your system. If you play music or other audio during a meeting, that audio will be included in the transcription even if it's routed to a different output device.
Granola passes audio directly from your microphone and system audio to our transcription provider for the purpose of transcription. It does not record or save audio or video at any point during the call, so there's no way to access audio from your meetings.
Granola is designed for live meeting transcription only — it does not support importing or uploading pre-recorded audio files (such as MP3s) for transcription.
## Can Granola recognize different speakers?
At the moment, only our iPhone app can recognize different speakers in the transcript, during face-to-face meetings.
As Granola for Desktop uses real-time transcription, the models don't yet support live diarization. We hope to support this in the future.
For now, you'll see 'Me' and 'Them' displayed in the transcript, which correspond to your microphone input and your system audio.
## How can I improve transcription accuracy?
We recommend:
* **Adding any company-specific words to 'Internal Jargon'** in your [Language settings](../customising-granola/customising-transcription)
* **Ensuring your audio devices are set up correctly**, and that the input volume of your microphone isn't too low
* **Using a headset where appropriate** to minimize background noise
## How can I extract or copy the transcript from my meeting note?
To copy your transcript, open the meeting note and click the transcript button at the bottom to reveal the transcript panel. From there you can:
* **Copy the whole transcript** - click the copy icon in the top right of the transcript panel
* **Copy individual chunks** - click on any transcript chunk and click the copy icon
* **Delete individual chunks** - click on any transcript chunk and click the delete icon to remove it from your transcript