In short
Make German your Mac's primary language in System Settings › General › Language & Region, restart Notey, and record. Apple's on-device transcriber lists German for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The after-meeting improvement is English only. In Germany, get everyone's agreement before recording.
To transcribe a meeting in German on a Mac, on the device, make German the Mac's primary language, restart your notetaker, and record. Apple's on-device transcriber in macOS 26 supports German in three variants: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. After the German model has been downloaded once, transcription works with no connection. In Notey the transcription language is the Mac's language; there is no language setting per meeting.
This guide covers the steps, what German transcripts tend to get wrong, and two things to know first: the after-meeting improvement is English only, and in Germany recording a conversation without everyone's agreement can be a criminal offence.
Set your Mac up to transcribe German
- Open System Settings › General › Language & Region.
- Add German. Under Preferred Languages, click +, choose German (Deutsch), and click Add.
- Make it primary. macOS asks whether to use German as the primary language; accept, or drag German to the top.
- Restart when macOS asks, if it does.
- Quit Notey and reopen it, so it starts in German.
- Get the model while online. The first German transcription on the Mac downloads the speech model from Apple. Do a short test recording with a connection.
- Read the test transcript before relying on it.
The whole Mac's menus and apps switch to German too. To go back, move your usual language to the top again and restart Notey.
The German variants
On macOS 26.6 in September 2026, Apple's on-device transcriber listed:
| Variant | Locale |
|---|---|
| German (Germany) | de-DE |
| German (Austria) | de-AT |
| German (Switzerland) | de-CH |
Which languages a Mac can transcribe has the full list across all ten languages.
What to expect from a German transcript
German has a few features that trip recognisers in predictable places.
- Compound words. Common ones are usually right. Long, rare or company-specific compounds ("Quartalsumsatzplanung", a product name joined to a noun) can come out split into parts or with a wrong piece. Check technical terms.
- Dialect. Recognisers are trained mostly on standard speech. Strong regional accents, and Swiss German dialects in particular, which differ a great deal from standard German, produce more errors.
- English terms. German business speech uses many ("das Meeting", "der Call", "committen"). Common ones may come through; others may be written as similar-sounding German words.
- Numbers. German says the units before the tens ("fünfundzwanzig"). Recognisers handle this, but long numbers and amounts are worth checking.
- Names and acronyms. As in every language, the most common errors.
A close microphone, headphones and one speaker at a time help most. Getting better meeting transcripts has more.
No after-meeting improvement for German
For English meetings, Notey reads the recording again on the Mac once the meeting ends and keeps the words the recognisers agree on. That pass is English only. A German meeting keeps the transcript made during the meeting. Correct names, numbers and decisions soon afterwards, and listen to any line that looks wrong: every line plays from its timestamp.
Meetings in German and English
International teams in Germany often switch between German and English. The Mac's on-device transcriber listens for one language per meeting, so one of the two will be transcribed poorly. Choose the one that matters most. Transcribing a meeting held in two languages covers the options.
Captions in German
For captions on screen, macOS Live Captions lists German (Germany) on Apple's feature availability page as of September 2026. Live captions for meetings on a Mac compares the options.
Recording in Germany
Germany protects the spoken word strongly. Recording words not spoken for the public without consent can be a criminal offence, and GDPR governs what you then do with the recording. At work, a works council may also have a say. Ask everyone before you record, and record only with their agreement. Recording calls and meetings in Germany explains both layers.
Switching between German and English
If you meet in German on Monday and English on Tuesday, keep both languages in Preferred Languages and change the order before each meeting.
- Before a German meeting, open System Settings › General › Language & Region and drag German to the top.
- Quit and reopen Notey.
- Afterwards, drag your usual language back and restart Notey.
Do it between meetings, not during one. A meeting keeps the language it was transcribed in.
A quick check after a German meeting
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Compound nouns and product names | The most likely to be split or misheard |
| Names | As in every language |
| Numbers and amounts | Long numbers and "Komma" figures are worth a second look |
| Anglicisms | "Deadline", "Meeting", "Feedback" usually survive; rarer ones may not |
| Sie and du | Recognisers usually get them right; check them in anything you forward, where the form of address matters |
Correct the lines you will act on or quote, and play any doubtful one from its timestamp. There is no need to tidy every line; a transcript is a working record, and the recording is there when the exact words matter.
Notey and German
- Transcription runs on your Mac. Audio is never uploaded, and no account or network is needed to record, transcribe or search.
- Two tracks. Your microphone and what your Mac plays are recorded separately, so your side and theirs are kept apart whatever the language.
- The Mac's language decides the transcript's language. Set German before the meeting.
- The live transcript is the final one for German meetings.
- The red dot and timer show you, not the call, that audio is being kept. Telling the others is up to you, and in Germany it matters.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Mac transcribe German on the device?
Yes. Apple's on-device transcriber in macOS 26 lists German for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The model downloads once and then works offline.
How does a German transcript handle compound words?
Usually well for common compounds. Long or unusual ones, especially company-specific terms, may be split into parts or written wrongly. Check technical terms against the recording.
Does it understand Swiss German?
Apple lists German (Switzerland). Swiss German dialects differ a lot from standard German, so expect more errors when people speak dialect rather than standard German.
Does Notey improve German transcripts after a meeting?
No. The after-meeting pass is for English meetings only. German meetings keep the live transcript.
Is it legal to record a meeting in Germany?
Recording spoken words that were not meant for the public without consent is a criminal offence in Germany, and GDPR applies as well. Ask everyone first. The guide on recording calls in Germany explains the rules.
Can I switch between German and English meetings?
Yes. Keep both languages in Preferred Languages, drag the one you need to the top before the meeting, and restart Notey. Switch between meetings, not during one.
Can I transcribe a German meeting offline?
Record a short test in that language while online, a day or so before. macOS downloads the speech model for the language the first time it is used, and after that transcription works with no connection, on a train or a plane.
Does the Mac need to be set to Austrian or Swiss German?
Apple lists the three variants separately. Notey follows the Mac's language settings; make a short test recording with your settings and check the result before an important meeting.