In short
Record each meeting on whichever Mac you take the call on; the recording, the better transcript and speaker separation stay and are made there. With sync on, the transcript and notes reach your other Mac within minutes, so you can write up, search and send follow-ups from either.
A laptop and desktop workflow on a Mac for meetings comes down to one rule: record on the Mac you take the call on, and do the writing wherever you like. With Notey's sync on, a meeting recorded on your laptop appears on your desktop with its transcript and notes a few minutes after it ends, and anything you write on the desktop goes back to the laptop. The recording stays on the Mac that made it.
This guide covers which Mac should record, what happens after the meeting on each Mac, what the other Mac shows, and the settings to check on each so that the two behave the way you expect. Setting sync up is covered in keeping your meeting notes on two Macs; this is about the working day once it is set up.
The laptop and desktop workflow on a Mac, in one table
| Step | Which Mac | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Take the call, record | Whichever you are on | Both tracks and the live transcript are kept on that Mac |
| Better transcript | The recording Mac, by itself | After an English meeting, the transcript is improved there and syncs out |
| Speaker separation | The recording Mac | Voices on the other side are told apart there, and the result syncs |
| Write-up, AI notes | Either | Notes and edits sync both ways |
| Search and look back | Either | ⌘K searches every synced meeting by time or by what was said |
| Play the recording | The recording Mac | Only there; recordings are never uploaded |
Record on the Mac you take the call on
Notey records the microphone and what the Mac plays, as two tracks, on the Mac where the call is happening. There is no way, and no need, to record a call on one Mac from another. If you take calls on the laptop in the morning and on the desktop in the afternoon, each Mac records its own.
Some habits that help:
- Give each Mac a name you will recognise. The name appears in "Recorded on …" lines and in the filter for which Mac recorded a meeting.
- Set up recording rules on each Mac separately. "Always record" for an app, arming the next call and recording from your calendar are per-Mac settings, and calendar choices do not sync. Decide which Mac records from which calendar, and tick calendars only on the Mac that takes those calls.
- Check the audio setup on each. A laptop's built-in microphone and a desktop with a USB microphone are different inputs. Choosing the microphone input covers picking the right one.
After the meeting, on the recording Mac
When a recording stops, the Mac that made it does the work that needs the audio:
- Speaker separation. Voices on the other side of the call are told apart, so you can name them.
- A better transcript, for English meetings. Notey reads the recording again on that Mac and keeps the words the recognisers agree on. Re-transcribing after a meeting explains when it runs and when a meeting is left as recorded.
Both results sync out like any other change. The other Mac never redoes either, because it has no recording to work from. One thing to know: if you rename a speaker or move a line on the desktop before the laptop has improved the transcript, the meeting counts as changed by you, and the laptop leaves its transcript as recorded. If you want the improved version, give the recording Mac a little time before you start correcting.
On the other Mac
A meeting recorded elsewhere looks the same as a local one, with one difference: where the player would be, there is a single line such as "Recorded on Ana's MacBook Pro. The recording stays on that Mac; the transcript and notes are here." No play controls, no error, and the meeting is not marked incomplete.
Everything else works:
- Read and edit the transcript, name speakers, move a line to the other side.
- Ask for AI notes: summary and action items, minutes, a follow-up email, or a question with Ask Notey. Only the transcript text is sent, as on the recording Mac, and the notes sync back.
- File it in a project and find it later. A searchable archive of your meetings covers organising a large number of them.
When you do need the audio on the desktop
Listen back on the Mac that recorded the meeting. Notey never uploads a recording, not even encrypted, so there is no way to bring one onto the desktop through Notey. Most people do not need it for a write-up: the transcript lines carry timestamps, so you can find the moment on the desktop and play it on the laptop.
When both Macs are open
Sync is not live collaboration. A change on one Mac is on the other within about five minutes, sooner after an edit, and Sync now on the Sync screen runs one immediately. If you edit the same note on both before they sync:
- Your typing beats the AI. If the AI rewrote a summary on one Mac and you had edited it on the other, your version stands.
- Between two edits of yours, the later one stands, and the other is kept under Edits kept aside, with the Mac it came from.
The simple habit is to write up on one Mac at a time.
Deleting and retention across both
Deleting a meeting on either Mac deletes it on both, recording included; the confirmation names the Mac that holds it. That makes a retention schedule easy to apply from whichever Mac is in front of you. How long to keep meeting recordings has a starting schedule.
Settings that stay per Mac
These do not sync, so check them on each Mac:
- whether voice recognition is on (voices you named sync, sealed, but a Mac uses them only with its own switch on);
- Improve transcripts after each meeting;
- recording from your calendar and which calendars are ticked;
- the floating button's standing choices, such as "always record" for an app.
Sync between your Macs is part of the paid plans, and it does not count against the AI hours a plan includes. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I record on my MacBook and edit the notes on my iMac?
Yes, with sync on both. The meeting arrives on the iMac with its transcript and notes; edits you make there sync back. The recording stays on the MacBook.
Can I play a meeting on the Mac that did not record it?
No. Recordings stay on the Mac that made them and are never uploaded, not even encrypted. On the other Mac the meeting says "Recorded on …" and names the Mac that has it.
Which Mac makes the better transcript?
The one that has the recording. After an English meeting, that Mac reads the recording again and the improved transcript syncs out to the others.
What happens if I edit the same note on both Macs?
The later edit stands, and the other is kept under Edits kept aside on the Sync screen so you can copy it back. Something you typed always beats something the AI wrote.
Do settings sync between my Macs?
No. Each Mac keeps its own settings, such as voice recognition, transcript improvement and calendar recording.