NotchLive Start Guide

How to set up live captions on Mac.

NotchLive captions app audio and microphone speech, translates live captions, saves local transcripts, and can turn meetings into private summaries on supported Macs.

Updated for NotchLive 1.7.0

First-time setup

The first launch flow is built around the same notch surface you use later. Finish these steps once, then start captions from the menu bar, notch controls, or shortcut.

1. Install NotchLive. Open the DMG, drag NotchLive into Applications, and launch it from Applications or Spotlight.
2. Allow app audio. macOS calls this Screen Recording permission, even though NotchLive uses it to hear apps and media for captions.
3. Allow microphone access if you need it. This is optional for app audio, but needed for My Voice, Everything mode, and Voice Notes.
4. Prepare a speech model. Small is the best starting point for most people. You can switch later in Settings.
5. Decide on Meeting Intelligence. Pro users on supported Macs can turn on private meeting summaries during setup.

If setup is not finished: NotchLive shows a Finish Setup action in the notch, menu bar, main window, and Settings. Use it to recover missing app audio permission or a missing speech model.

First captions

Open a Zoom call, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams meeting, podcast, lecture, video, or any other Mac audio source. Then start captions. For the broader product view, see Mac live captions for calls, videos, and Mac audio.

• Press ⌥⌘C to start or stop captions.
• Use the NotchLive menu bar item if you prefer clicking.
• Hover over the notch to reveal controls for mode, recording, display, audio source, Ghost Mode, and Settings.
• Press ⌥⌘K to copy the latest caption.

Audio sources

Settings uses clear audio-source names, while compact notch controls may use shorter labels. You can switch sources from either place.

Apps & Media

Captions audio from Mac apps: meeting apps, browser video, podcasts, lectures, music, and other system audio. This is the best default for most people.

My Voice

Captions microphone speech only. Pick a Microphone Language if you mostly speak one language and want better microphone accuracy.

Everything

Captions app audio and your microphone together. Use it when you want your own speech and other speakers captured in the same workflow.

Translation Pro

Translate live captions on device with Apple Translation on compatible macOS and language pairs. For the full translation workflow, see the Mac live translation app.

• Press ⌥⌘T to cycle caption modes, or choose Translate from the notch controls.
• Pick a target language from the language menu.
• Turn on bilingual captions if you want the original and translated text together.
• The first time you use a language pair, macOS may need to download Apple language support.

Meeting Intelligence Pro

Live captions work without recording. Pro adds Meeting Intelligence on supported Macs when you choose to save a session: NotchLive can keep local transcripts, summarize caption evidence, and export TXT, Markdown, or JSON.

Meeting Intelligence

On supported Macs with Apple Intelligence enabled, NotchLive can turn captions into current focus, key points, open questions, action items, key moments, and saved meeting summaries.

Ask-to-record prompts

NotchLive can prompt when it detects a likely meeting or call. It does not automatically record meetings; recording still requires your action.

Export and share

Saved Meetings, Sessions, and Notes support native sharing, copy, export, and delete actions from the NotchLive window.

Voice Notes Pro

Voice Notes turns your microphone into a focused speech-to-text notepad. Keep the raw transcript, review an AI-cleaned version, translate the note, or send it onward to NotchPad.

• Choose Notes from the NotchLive mode controls.
• Tap Record and speak naturally into your microphone.
• Switch between AI, Translate, and Raw views when reviewing the note.
• Save, copy, export, share, or send the result to NotchPad.

Ghost Mode

Ghost Mode hides NotchLive from screen sharing and screen recordings while captions keep running locally on your Mac.

Settings

The NotchLive window has tabs for Sessions, Meetings, Notes, and Settings. Settings are searchable, so you can jump straight to model setup, audio, translation, Ghost Mode, shortcuts, license, diagnostics, or experimental Sign Cues.

Useful shortcuts

About Sign Cues: Sign Cues are ASL-inspired visual markers for selected caption moments. They are experimental and are not sign language translation or interpretation.

Troubleshooting

NotchLive asks to finish setup

Use the Finish Setup button. It opens the right setup step for missing app audio permission or a missing speech model.

NotchLive is missing from Screen Recording

Launch NotchLive once, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording, and add NotchLive from Applications if macOS does not list it. The app also shows a drag-to-add helper during setup.

Captions are inaccurate

Try Medium, Large Turbo Compact, or Large Turbo for accents, dense speech, or technical vocabulary. If you mostly speak one language, set Microphone Language instead of Auto. Also check that the selected audio source matches what you want NotchLive to caption.

The Mac runs hot

Large models use more CPU, memory, and disk space. Switch back to Small or Base if you prefer lower resource use.