How to record a Zoom meeting on your Mac, with no bot

Zoom’s built-in recording works, but it comes with strings. Local recording needs the host to allow it, cloud recording needs the right plan, and either way everyone in the call sees the recording notice.

Trace records the meeting from your side instead. It captures the audio your Mac plays (everyone else on the call) through a system-audio tap built into macOS, and your mic on a separate track. Zoom itself is not involved, so there is nothing to enable and nobody has to grant you anything.

When you stop, Trace transcribes both tracks on-device into a clean markdown transcript. The audio never leaves your Mac, and after the one-time model download the whole flow works offline.

Record a Zoom call in four steps

1. Install Trace and grant two permissions. Trace asks for Microphone access when you first run it, and for System Audio Recording the first time you record. Both are standard macOS prompts, and neither one touches your screen.
2. Start recording when the call starts. Press ⌘⇧R, or click Start Recording in the menu bar. A small pill appears at the bottom of your screen with a timer and a live waveform.
3. Star the moments that matter. Press ⌘⇧K when something important comes up, and add a short note if you like. Key moments appear inline in the finished transcript.
4. Stop, and the transcript is yours. Press ⌘⇧R again. Trace transcribes on-device and hands you the markdown transcript, one click from your clipboard and ready to paste anywhere.

FAQ

Do I need the host’s permission to record with Trace?

Zoom only gates its own recording feature. Trace records the audio your Mac plays, so there is no permission dialog and no recording notice inside Zoom. Recording consent laws still apply to you, so know the rules where you are.

Will Zoom show that I am recording?

No. Nothing changes inside Zoom because nothing touches Zoom. Whether you should tell people is a legal and courtesy question.

Does it work for webinars and breakout rooms?

Yes. Meetings, webinars and breakout rooms all look the same to Trace, because it takes the audio from your Mac rather than from the platform.

Can I tell who said what?

Your mic and the meeting audio are saved as separate tracks, so your side is always distinct, and Trace can label the other speakers for you to name after the call.

What does it cost?

Trace is a one-time purchase: from £29 direct, or £39 on the Mac App Store. No subscription.

Get Trace

Stop asking for recording permission. One-time purchase, on-device transcription.

Compare

• Otter alternative: Record on your Mac with no bot in the call, transcribed on-device.
• Offline transcription for Mac: Everything stays on your machine, and it works with the network off.
• Granola alternative: The same record-the-meeting simplicity, without the cloud notebook.
• No-bot transcription: Capture system audio with no extra participant in Zoom, Meet or Teams.
• MacWhisper alternative: Both stay on your Mac. Trace is shaped around meetings first.
• Fireflies alternative: No notetaker joining your calls, and nothing sent to a cloud.
• Transcribe Teams meetings: No admin policies, no notification banner, transcribed on your Mac.
• Transcribe Google Meet: Works on any Meet call, any plan, straight from the browser tab.

Related guides

• Record a meeting on a Mac: Capture your mic and the other people on the call as two tracks, no bot required.
• Is recording a meeting legal?: A plain, high-level look at consent rules, and why you should check your own jurisdiction.
• All guides: the full library of how-tos and explainers.