Google Meet transcription

Which plans include Google Meet transcripts?

According to Google's help page (checked October 2026), Meet transcripts are available on:

• Business Standard
• Business Plus
• Enterprise Starter
• Enterprise Standard
• Enterprise Plus
• Education Plus
• Teaching and Learning Upgrade
• Workspace Individual

Not on the list: free personal Google accounts and Business Starter. Transcripts are on by default for most eligible editions (off for student accounts in Education). Supported languages are English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.

How to transcribe a Google Meet call

1. Join or start the meeting in Google Meet on a computer.
2. At the bottom right, click Meeting tools, then Transcribe.
3. Click Start transcription, then Start in the pop-up. Everyone is told the meeting is being transcribed.
4. To stop, click Meeting tools > Transcribing > Stop transcription and confirm.

Who can start a transcript

If Host management is off, anyone from the host's organization can start one. If it's on, only the host and co-hosts can. The host can also set transcripts to start automatically for a meeting; that kicks in once the host or a co-host joins on the web.

Where the transcript goes

Meet saves transcripts in the organizer's Google Drive, in the Google Meet folder, with a sub-folder per meeting. If you're a guest or a participant, you won't find it in your own Drive unless the organizer shares it.

Captions, recordings and Gemini notes: what's the difference?

If your plan includes them, Meet's own transcripts are the simplest option: no extra software, and everyone is notified automatically. To record the video as well, see how to record Google Meet.

Google Meet transcription on a free account

If your account can't use Meet transcripts, these are the realistic alternatives:

• Caption-saving browser extensions. Several Chrome extensions save Meet's live captions into a transcript. They're quick to set up; accuracy is whatever Meet's captions manage, and you're giving an extension access to your meetings, so check its privacy policy.
• Note-taking bots such as Otter or Fireflies join the call, record it in their cloud and send a transcript and summary. Great for teams who want shared notes; everyone sees the bot, and it needs to be let in.
• A desktop recorder that transcribes. Meet plays through your computer, so an app on your computer can record and transcribe it without joining the call or needing a Workspace plan.
• Record, then transcribe the file. Record the call's audio (see how to record computer audio) and run the file through a transcription app.

Transcribing Google Meet with Hark

Hark is a free desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux that records meetings and transcribes them on your own computer. It doesn't need a Google account, an extension or anyone's permission inside Meet.

1. Download Hark and sign in with a free account (an emailed code).
2. Start recording in Hark, then join the Meet call in your browser.
3. Read the live transcript as the call goes, and add your own notes.
4. Stop when you're done. Hark makes a more accurate transcript and works out who said what from their voices.
5. Name each voice once; Hark recognises them in your next meetings.

How it compares with Meet's transcripts

• Works on any account, including free Gmail, and when you're a guest in someone else's meeting.
• Stays on your computer. Transcription runs locally; audio isn't uploaded.
• Speakers by voice, which also works for several people sharing one room's microphone.
• English only, where Meet's transcripts support eight languages.
• Mac records the microphone only. On Windows and Linux Hark captures both sides; on a Mac other people are only heard if they come out of your speakers. You can always import a recording file instead.

Transcripts, speaker names and export are free forever. AI meeting notes by Claude are $12/month with a 2-day preview, and send the transcript text (not audio) to Claude. For a wider look at bot-free tools, read AI note takers without a bot.

Tips for a more accurate Meet transcript

• Use a headset or a decent mic. Every transcription tool, Google's included, struggles with laptop mics in echoey rooms.
• Pick the right language before you start. A transcript set to the wrong language is mostly nonsense.
• One speaker at a time. Crosstalk is where words go missing and lines get credited to the wrong person.
• Say names and jargon clearly early on. Product names and surnames are the most common errors. In Hark, add them to the "Names & terms" list so AI proofreading can fix them.
• Skim and fix it the same day, while you still remember what was said. Corrected transcripts make much better notes.