In short
No, Notey does not run on Intel Macs. It needs a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, because it transcribes with the on-device speech recognition Apple added in macOS 26, and it is built only for Apple silicon.
An Intel Mac can still get meeting transcripts, but not in the same way. This guide covers how to check which Mac you have, why on-device transcription is tied to newer hardware, and the options that remain on an Intel Mac, with what each one asks of you.
Check which Mac you have
Choose Apple menu › About This Mac.
- Chip: Apple M1, M2, M3, M4 or later — Apple silicon. Check the macOS version on the same screen; Notey needs macOS 26 or later.
- Processor: Intel — an Intel Mac. Notey will not run on it.
Why on-device transcription is tied to newer Macs
Transcribing speech well on the device takes a lot of computation, done continuously for as long as the meeting lasts. Apple silicon chips include a Neural Engine and share memory between the processor and graphics, which makes running speech models locally practical without the fans spinning up and the battery draining.
Apple's own newer on-device features reflect this. Its Live Captions, which transcribe any audio on the Mac in real time on the device, are documented as available only on Macs with Apple silicon. (Apple: use Live Captions on Mac) On-device transcription explained covers the wider picture.
What an Intel Mac can do
Use your meeting app's own transcript
Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet can produce transcripts themselves on some plans, made in their cloud from the call. Your Mac's chip does not matter, because the work happens on their servers. Whether you can use it depends on your plan, your organisation's settings, and often on being the host. How to record a Zoom meeting on a Mac covers Zoom's options.
What it asks of you: the audio or transcript is stored with the meeting provider, and the host usually decides.
Use a notetaker that transcribes in the cloud
Most meeting notetakers send audio to a server to be transcribed, either through a bot that joins the call or through a desktop app that captures your Mac's audio. The heavy work is done elsewhere, so many of them support Intel Macs. Check each vendor's system requirements; some desktop apps state Intel support explicitly, others require Apple silicon. The best AI notetakers for Mac describes the main ones by how they capture a meeting.
What it asks of you: your meeting audio goes to the vendor or its transcription provider. For some people and some clients that is fine; for others it is the reason they wanted on-device transcription in the first place.
Use a general-purpose speech recognition tool
Open-source speech recognition models can run on Intel processors. They are usually slower than on Apple silicon, and they are general tools: you give them an audio file, they give you text. They do not capture a call, tell your side from theirs, or write notes. If you are comfortable with that, you can record a meeting with any recorder and transcribe the file afterwards.
What it asks of you: time, some setup, and your own process for recording the call with consent.
Record now, transcribe later
If you have access to another computer that can transcribe, you can record on the Intel Mac and transcribe elsewhere. Notey cannot import recordings made by other tools, so this route needs a transcription app that accepts audio files.
Questions to ask of any option
Whichever route you take on an Intel Mac, the same few questions decide whether it fits:
- Where is the audio transcribed? On a vendor's server, on your meeting provider's, or on your own machine.
- Is the audio kept, and where? Some services keep the recording, some keep only the transcript, some keep neither.
- Who has to allow it? The host, your organisation's admin, or only you.
- Can you tell your side from theirs? Tools that capture your microphone and the call separately can; a single mixed recording needs speaker detection, which is less reliable.
- Does it join the call? A bot participant is visible to everyone and is blocked by some organisations.
Where does your meeting audio go? turns these into a checklist you can send to a vendor.
If you are replacing the Mac
If an Intel Mac is due for replacement anyway, any Apple silicon Mac that can run macOS 26 can run Notey. Recording, transcription and search are free and need no account; you can try them on the new Mac from the download before deciding anything else.
If transcription is not working on an Apple silicon Mac that should support it, see speech recognition not working on a Mac.
Frequently asked questions
Does Notey work on an Intel Mac?
No. Notey requires a Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 26 or later. It does not run on Intel Macs, and there is no Windows or web version.
How do I know if my Mac has Apple silicon?
Choose Apple menu › About This Mac. If the chip is listed as Apple M1 or later, it is Apple silicon. If it lists an Intel processor, it is not.
Can I record on my Intel Mac and transcribe on another Mac?
You can record with any recorder that runs on the Intel Mac, then transcribe the file somewhere else. Notey cannot import recordings from other tools, so that second step would need a different transcription app.
Is there any on-device meeting transcription for Intel Macs?
Some open-source speech recognition tools run on Intel processors, but they are general tools rather than meeting apps, and slower than on Apple silicon. Most meeting notetakers that support Intel Macs transcribe in the cloud.