How to transcribe a meeting without a bot joining the call
Most AI note takers work by sending a bot into your call. It shows up as an extra participant, records the meeting and usually processes it on the vendor's servers. If that is what you want to avoid, you can record and transcribe the meeting from your own Windows PC instead: nobody new appears in the call and, with a local app, the audio does not have to leave your computer.
Real AirGapScribe screens, with a sample meeting.
Why people want to get rid of the bot
It appears in the participant list, and clients ask who or what it is.
Some hosts remove or refuse unknown participants, so the bot never gets in.
It turns every meeting into a conversation about recording, often before you have said hello.
The recording usually ends up on a third party's servers, which some clients and contracts do not allow.
Three ways to take notes without a bot
Approach
Bot in the call?
Where the audio goes
Browser extension that captures the meeting tab
No
Usually to the vendor's cloud. Only works for calls you take in the browser.
Desktop app that records your computer's audio and uploads it
No
To the vendor's cloud for transcription.
Desktop app that records and transcribes on your PC (AirGapScribe)
No
Stays on your computer.
All three remove the bot. Only the third also keeps the audio local, and that is the difference that matters if the meeting is confidential.
Bot-free does not mean secret. Without a bot, nobody gets an automatic notice that you are recording, so tell the other participants yourself. The rules on recording conversations change from country to country.
Step by step with AirGapScribe
Install it from the Microsoft Store. It is free, and the Whisper Small speech model ships with the app, so there is nothing else to download to start.
Join your call as usual, in the app you already use. AirGapScribe does not join the meeting.
Start a recording in AirGapScribe. By default it records your microphone and your computer's audio together, so both sides of the call are captured. Headphones help keep the other side out of your microphone.
Stop when the call ends. The transcript is saved on your PC, with speakers separated as Speaker 1, Speaker 2.
With Pro, a local assistant drafts minutes, a summary, tasks and a follow-up email from the transcript.
What goes online, and what does not
Your meeting audio is not uploaded. AirGapScribe connects to the internet for three things only: validating a Pro license from time to time (a valid license keeps working up to 14 days without a connection), downloading a larger model if you choose one, and Microsoft Store updates.
Check it yourself
Do not take our word for it. Our page Verify it yourself shows three ways to check on your own PC: Resource Monitor, a PowerShell command and airplane mode. On 10 October 2026 we measured the Store build 1.2.72 on Windows 11, idle, and saw zero remote TCP connections. That test was idle and TCP only, so repeat it while you record.
Honest limits
Windows 10 and 11 only. There is no Mac, Linux or mobile version.
Transcripts can contain errors, especially with overlapping speakers, accents or poor audio. Review anything you will rely on.
The free plan covers sessions up to 45 minutes. Pro is $5.99 per month or $49 per year.
It is made by one developer: write to support@airgapscribe.com if something fails.
Local processing reduces what leaves your computer. It does not by itself make you compliant with your industry's rules. Check them.
Questions
Does a bot join my call?
No. AirGapScribe records on your PC, so nobody new appears in the meeting.
Will the other participants know I am recording?
Not automatically, because no bot appears. Tell them yourself before you start.
Is my meeting audio uploaded?
No. It is transcribed on your computer. The app goes online only to validate a Pro license, to download a larger model if you choose one, and for Microsoft Store updates.
How long can I record on the free plan?
Sessions of up to 45 minutes. Pro removes that limit.