Guides / On-Device Transcripts
How do I transcribe a meeting on my Mac without uploading the audio?
To transcribe a meeting on a Mac without uploading audio, use a tool that runs a speech model such as Whisper directly on your computer. Capture the call audio and your microphone locally, let the model turn it into text on your own processor, and keep the files on disk. Avoid meeting bots and cloud transcription services, because both send your audio to someone else's servers.
Why on-device transcription keeps your audio private
Most meeting transcription works by sending a recording to a server, where a model turns it into text and sends it back. It is convenient, but your audio, and often your transcript, ends up on someone else's infrastructure.
On-device transcription flips that. A speech recognition model such as Whisper runs on your Mac's own processor, so the words are produced without the audio ever leaving the machine.
Picking a local model is only part of the job. Audio can still leak in three places, so check each one:
- The capture method. Some tools send a bot into the call to record it. That recording lives with the vendor, and everyone on the call sees the bot join. Capturing audio on your own Mac avoids both problems.
- The processing step. A tool can record locally and still upload the file to transcribe it. Look for a plain statement that the model runs on your computer.
- Everything after the transcript. If summaries and search run in the cloud, your transcript leaves anyway. The whole chain should stay local.
How to transcribe a Mac meeting on-device with Donna
Donna is a Mac menu-bar assistant that records your calls locally and transcribes them with Whisper on your Mac. No bot joins. Here is the path from install to a finished transcript.
- Download Donna from the download page. She needs macOS 13 (Ventura) or later and runs on Apple silicon and Intel.
- Subscribe to Pro. Recording and transcripts are Pro features, while the free plan covers the calendar features and the private on-device chat. See pricing.
- Join your call as usual in Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, a Slack huddle, FaceTime, Discord or Webex. Donna starts recording the moment your mic goes live, including ad-hoc calls that were never on your calendar.
- Let the transcript build while you talk. It captures your mic and the call audio together.
- When the call ends, open the recording for the polished transcript. Click any line to hear that moment.
- Name the speakers once. Donna matches voices to the people on the invite, recognizes them in future meetings and relabels past transcripts.
Live as you talk, polished after the call
Transcription happens in two stages. Whisper transcribes live as you talk, so text builds up while the conversation is still going. After the call, Donna polishes the transcript, so the version you keep is the cleaned-up one.
Live in-call captions on macOS 26 are powered by Apple's newest on-device speech engine. On earlier macOS versions, the full transcript is ready right after the call instead. Either way, the work happens on your Mac.
Playback is synced to every transcript line, so a word you doubt is one click from the real audio. If you turn on the optional screen recording, it captures the meeting window in 720p, so slides, demos and faces play back in step with the transcript. It is stored on your Mac too.
Once you have a transcript, you can ask the recording questions like what did we decide on pricing, and Donna answers from that meeting's transcript, on-device.
What stays on your Mac
- Recording, Whisper transcription, speaker matching and summaries all run on-device. Audio and transcripts never leave the Mac, and nothing is uploaded.
- No bot joins. Nothing appears in the participant list, and nobody gets a recorder-has-joined notice.
- Summaries are written by a local model on your Mac once the transcript settles, with key points, decisions and action items with owners.
- Old audio can be auto-deleted on a schedule you pick.
- A three-finger swipe frosts Donna's window instantly, so a transcript never ends up in a screen share.
Donna reads your calendar, never your inbox. If you ask for a follow-up email, she opens a pre-filled draft addressed to the attendees in Gmail or your mail app. You read it over and send it. Drafting needs macOS 26.
Limits and when this is not the right fit
- Mac only. Donna needs macOS 13 or later. Windows is coming soon, with no date.
- Pro required. On-device transcripts come with Pro, at $8 per month or $80 per year. The free plan does not record or transcribe.
- Consent still matters. Because no bot joins, other people are not told automatically. Donna reminds you to get consent where it is required, so tell people you are recording. For webinars, there is an optional listen-only mode.
- One Mac, no cloud workspace. Transcripts are not synced to other devices or shared with teammates. If your team wants one shared cloud library of every call, that is a different kind of tool.
If privacy is the point, the trade is simple: you get a local, bot-free transcript that only you hold, and you give up automatic sharing.
Try Donna. Records, transcribes and summarizes your meetings on your Mac, with nothing sent to a server.
Frequently asked questions
Does Donna send my audio anywhere to transcribe it?
No. Whisper runs on your Mac, and audio and transcripts never leave the machine. Nothing is uploaded.
Will other people on the call know I am transcribing?
Donna does not add a bot, a participant or a recording notice to the call. She does remind you to get consent where it is required, so it is best to tell people yourself.
Is on-device transcription free?
No, it is part of Pro, which costs $8 per month or $80 per year. The free plan covers auto-opening meetings, the next-up list, reminders and the private on-device chat.
What happens to my transcripts if I stop subscribing?
Everything already recorded, audio and transcripts, stays on your Mac and stays viewable. Donna just stops recording new calls until you subscribe again.
Do I need the newest macOS?
Donna runs on macOS 13 (Ventura) or later. Live in-call captions and follow-up email drafting need macOS 26. On earlier versions, you get the full transcript right after the call.