# Notta Tutorial: Recording, Uploads, Meeting Bot and the Free Plan > Start with Notta: record a class, upload files and YouTube links, send Notta Bot or record bot-free on a Mac, and avoid the Free plan's 3-minute catch. - URL: https://freelivecaption.com/en/posts/notta-guide - Published: 2026-10-01 - Updated: 2026-10-01 - Author: Vocena team (https://freelivecaption.com/en/about) - Topic: Classes and lectures (https://freelivecaption.com/en/topics/lectures) - Tags: Notta, Transcription, Lectures, Mac ## Summary - On the Free plan you can view only the first 3 minutes of each recording or upload, and downloading a transcript needs Pro or higher. - Notta Bot joins Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and Webex from a meeting link. If there is a waiting room, the host has 5 minutes to let it in. - Notta Desktop records Mac meetings without a bot. Capturing system audio needs macOS 13 or later and a permission switch. - YouTube links work only for public videos and Shorts. For other videos in the browser, record the tab with the Chrome extension. --- We make Vocena, a live caption app. What follows about Notta comes from its help center and pricing page, read on October 1, 2026. We didn't record anything with Notta for this guide. ## The Free plan's 3-minute catch Read this before you record a whole class. The [Notta pricing page](https://www.notta.ai/en/pricing) lists the Free plan with 120 transcription minutes a month, up to 3 minutes per conversation, 50 file uploads a month and 10 AI summaries. Notta's [upload guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/15358519267611-Import-files-from-local-storage) calls the 3 minutes an accessible length per record: however long the recording runs, Free shows you its first 3 minutes. Downloading a transcript is also a paid feature: the [download guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/15289070397851-Download-transcription-file) lists it for Pro and above. Notta's [plan prices](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/55339089140123-Understand-Notta-s-Plans-Pricing) put Pro at $13.49 a month, or $97.99 a year. The [Notta pricing page](https://www.notta.ai/en/pricing) lists Pro with 1,800 transcription minutes a month and up to 5 hours per recording. To test Notta on something long, use the 3-day Pro trial. Its [trial page](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/19248072943771-What-are-the-differences-between-3-day-free-trial-and-Free-Plan) gives 300 minutes on the web trial and 1,800 in the mobile app. To avoid a charge, cancel the web trial before it ends, or the app trial at least 24 hours before it ends. If you downgrade later, your transcripts stay, but only their first 3 minutes stay visible, so export anything you need first. ## Record a class or conversation On the web, click Instant record; in the mobile app, tap + and then Record an Audio. The [Instant Record guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/15388442646939-Instant-Record) says Notta transcribes while you record and saves the audio and text to your account. On the web, the pause and stop controls are at the bottom of the screen. Notta needs a connection for this. Its [offline page](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/37293457169051-Can-I-record-and-transcribe-using-the-Notta-mobile-app-offline) says recordings upload to Notta's servers for transcription. Where the signal is bad, record with your phone's own voice recorder and upload the file later. Set the transcription language to the language being spoken. You can [change the default](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/36668225267611-Change-the-default-transcription-language) under Settings → Preferences on the web, or Mine → Transcription language in the app. ## Upload a file or a YouTube link In Notta's [upload guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/15358519267611-Import-files-from-local-storage), you click Upload & transcribe, drag in the file and click Next. Pick the language of the recording, tick speaker identification if several people talk, and start. Notta accepts common formats including MP3, M4A, WAV, MP4 and MOV. An audio file must be no longer than 5 hours and no larger than 1 GB. With speaker identification, the limit is 3 hours, and the 1 GB cap still applies. If you have minutes left but the upload won't start, count your files. Uploads need both transcription minutes and the monthly file allowance, and a batch bigger than your remaining allowance is refused as a whole. For YouTube, paste the link into Upload & transcribe instead. The [YouTube guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/36378423534235-Upload-transcribe-YouTube-videos) limits this to public videos and Shorts: live streams, private and unlisted videos don't work, there's no speaker identification or bilingual mode, and you can't play the audio back in Notta. ## Record audio playing in Chrome For an unlisted video, an online class or a podcast in the browser, the Notta Chrome extension records the tab. 1. Install the extension and sign in to Notta, as the [tab recording guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/36901351478939-Record-and-transcribe-tab-audio-with-the-Chrome-extension) describes. 2. Open the page, click the extensions icon in Chrome's toolbar and choose Notta. 3. Pick the workspace, set the language, and set the audio source to Current tab sound. 4. Click Start Recording. A small widget on the page has Pause, Resume and Finish. It records sound only, not video. You can also drag a file from your Mac onto a Chrome tab, play it there and record it the same way. ## Send Notta Bot to a meeting Notta Bot can join Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and Webex meetings from an invitation link. On Notta Web, click Record online meeting, set the language, paste the meeting link and click Transcribe now. If people switch between two languages, choose Bilingual transcription and name both. Notta's [meeting guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/20903974921243-Record-and-transcribe-online-meetings) lists the snags: - The meeting has to be running already, and if there's a waiting room or lobby, the host must admit the bot within 5 minutes or it's removed. - In Zoom, the host also has to approve the bot's recording request, and external participants must be allowed to record. Zoom webinars aren't supported. - Teams meetings that require sign-in aren't supported. For Webex, the link has to include the passcode. - On Free, you can't rename the bot or hide its recording notice. To decide between Notta and Otter for meetings, see [Notta vs Otter](/en/posts/notta-otter-comparison). ## Record a meeting on a Mac without a bot Notta Desktop records on your own computer, so nothing joins the call. The [getting started guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/48300234055707-Getting-Started-with-Notta-Desktop) lists macOS 11 or later on Apple silicon or Intel, but capturing system audio, the other people's voices, needs macOS 13 or later. Bot-free recording is available on every plan. 1. Download the .dmg from Notta, drag Notta into Applications and sign in. 2. Give Notta the audio permission. The [system audio guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/48349422172827-System-Audio-Setup-for-Notta-Desktop) says: on macOS 14.4 or later, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording and turn Notta on under System Audio Recording Only; on macOS 13 to 14.3, turn it on under Screen Recording. Then restart Notta. 3. Join your meeting. When Notta notices it, click Start transcribing in the pop-up. Or click Record a meeting, choose Bot-free, pick Audio only, decide whether to include your microphone, set the language and click Transcribe now. System audio picks up every sound on the Mac, including music and notifications, so close other audio first. Headphones cut down echo. On macOS 11 or 12, Notta records only your microphone. The [bot-free guide](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/48345161234203-What-is-Bot-Free-Recording) notes that other attendees get no sign they're being transcribed, and that getting their consent is your job. Closing the Notta window doesn't quit the app; it keeps running from the menu bar. For meetings that must stay off Notta's servers, Notta Desktop has a [Privacy Mode](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/52683417314587-What-is-Privacy-Mode-Recording) on the Pro, Business and Enterprise plans, though Notta says availability can vary by billing method, so check that your account includes it first. You pick a local folder and install an offline speech model first; sign-in, model downloads and a licence check about once a month still need a connection. [Offline Otter alternatives for Mac](/en/posts/otter-offline-mac-alternatives) covers it next to other local options. ## Instant record misses the meeting audio If you use Instant record in the browser while the meeting plays in another tab of the same browser, Notta may catch only your microphone. Its [speaker audio page](https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/37291431469211-Why-can-t-record-the-meeting-audio-played-from-my-speakers) blames the browser's privacy limits between tabs and suggests opening the meeting in a different browser, using the meeting's desktop app, or switching to Notta Bot. If the meeting plays through your computer's speakers, you can also run Instant record in the Notta phone app and let the phone's microphone pick up the sound. ## Live captions during a class If you mainly want to follow a class while it happens, rather than read a transcript later, a Mac with Apple silicon has Live Captions built in. Apple's [Live Captions guide for Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/get-captions-of-spoken-and-computer-audio-mchldd11f4fd/mac) puts it in System Settings → Accessibility → Live Captions and says it isn't available in every language or region. Vocena shows free live captions with no time limit on iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 26 or later, and on Macs with macOS 15.5 or later. On a Mac it can caption the room through the microphone and an online class playing on the computer. ## Sources and checks - [Notta Pricing]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Import files from local storage]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Download transcription file]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Understand Notta's Plans Pricing]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [What are the differences between "3-day free trial" and "Free Plan"?]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Instant Record]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Can I record and transcribe using the Notta mobile app offline?]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Change the default transcription language]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Upload & transcribe YouTube videos]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Record and transcribe tab audio with the Chrome extension]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Record and transcribe online meetings]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Getting Started with Notta Desktop]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [System Audio Setup for Notta Desktop]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [What is Bot-Free Recording?]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [What is Privacy Mode Recording?]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Why can’t record the meeting audio played from my speakers?]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Get captions of spoken and computer audio on Mac]() — Checked 2026-10-01 ### Device testing We have not tested these steps on a device. This guide is based on official documentation and Vocena's product information.