In short
Put Spanish at the top of Preferred Languages in System Settings › General › Language & Region, restart Notey, and record. Apple's on-device transcriber lists Spanish for Spain, Mexico, Chile and the United States. The after-meeting improvement is English only, so the live Spanish transcript is final.
To transcribe a meeting in Spanish on a Mac, on the device, make Spanish the Mac's primary language, restart your notetaker, and record. Apple's on-device transcriber in macOS 26 supports Spanish in four regional variants: Spain, Mexico, Chile and the United States. Once the Spanish model is on your Mac, it needs no connection. In Notey, the Mac's language is the transcription language; there is no picker per meeting.
This guide covers the steps, the variants, what a Spanish transcript gets wrong, and what changes compared with English, where Notey improves the transcript after the meeting.
Set your Mac up to transcribe Spanish
- Open System Settings › General › Language & Region.
- Add Spanish. Under Preferred Languages, click + and choose the Spanish you want, such as Spanish or Spanish (Latin America), then click Add.
- Use it as the primary language. When macOS asks, choose to use Spanish as the primary language, or drag it to the top of the list.
- Restart if macOS asks, so apps pick up the change.
- Quit Notey and open it again.
- Download the Spanish model online. Record a short Spanish test with a connection the first time; macOS fetches the model from Apple once.
- Check the test transcript before a meeting that matters.
Switching the primary language to Spanish also changes menus and most apps. To switch back, move your usual language to the top and restart Notey.
The Spanish variants
Apple's on-device transcriber listed these on macOS 26.6 in September 2026:
| Variant | Locale |
|---|---|
| Spanish (Spain) | es-ES |
| Spanish (Mexico) | es-MX |
| Spanish (Chile) | es-CL |
| Spanish (United States) | es-US |
Other varieties of Spanish are not listed separately. Speakers from Argentina, Colombia or Peru, for example, would be transcribed by one of the listed models, and accuracy may vary. Which languages a Mac can transcribe lists all ten languages.
What to expect from a Spanish transcript
- Regional vocabulary. Words that differ between countries ("ordenador" and "computadora", "coche" and "carro") are usually recognised, but slang and local expressions are less certain.
- Fast speech. Spanish is often spoken quickly, with words running together. Recognisers can merge or split words there.
- Numbers and money. "Mil quinientos" and "un millón y medio" can come out as digits or words. Check amounts against the recording.
- English words. Business Spanish uses many English terms ("el meeting", "el deadline", "hacer un call"). Common ones often come through; others may be written as similar-sounding Spanish words.
- Names. As in every language, the words most often wrong.
- Several people talking. Meetings where people talk over each other produce the most errors, in any language.
Headphones, a microphone close to your mouth, and one person speaking at a time help more than anything else. Getting better meeting transcripts covers them.
No second pass for Spanish
For English meetings, Notey reads the recording again on your Mac after the meeting and keeps the words the recognisers agree on. That step is English only. A Spanish meeting keeps its live transcript, so:
- Check names, numbers and decisions soon after the meeting.
- Listen when in doubt. Every transcript line plays from its timestamp.
Spanglish and bilingual meetings
A meeting that moves between Spanish and English, or mixes them in the same sentence, is hard for any transcriber, and the Mac's on-device transcriber listens for one language at a time. Choose the language most of the important talk is in. Transcribing a meeting held in two languages covers the choices.
Recording in Spain and elsewhere
A transcript starts with a recording. Rules differ from country to country; in Spain, recording a conversation you are part of and what you then do with it are separate questions, and data-protection law applies. Tell everyone and get agreement first. Recording calls and meetings in Spain covers Spanish law, and how to ask for consent to record has wording that works in any language.
Switching between Spanish and English meetings
Many people hold meetings in both languages in the same week. Keep both in Preferred Languages and change the order when you need to.
- Before a Spanish meeting, open System Settings › General › Language & Region and drag Spanish to the top.
- Quit and reopen Notey.
- Afterwards, drag your usual language back to the top and restart Notey.
Switch between meetings, not in the middle of one. A meeting keeps the language it was transcribed in; changing the Mac's language later does not re-transcribe it.
A quick check after a Spanish meeting
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Names of people and companies | The most common errors in every language |
| Amounts and dates | "Quince" and "cincuenta", "millón" and "mil" are easy to confuse in fast speech |
| English terms | Business words borrowed from English may be written as Spanish lookalikes |
| Who agreed to what | The line matters more than the summary; play it if unsure |
| Accents on key words | "Sí" and "si", "está" and "esta" change meaning; recognisers usually get them right, but not always |
Check the ones you will act on or quote. There is no need to correct every line. A transcript is a working record; what matters is that the decisions, amounts and names you pass on are right, and that you can find the moment again when someone asks.
Notey and Spanish
- Transcription on your Mac, live, as people speak. Audio never leaves the Mac, and no account or network is needed.
- You and Them. Your microphone and what the Mac plays are separate tracks, so the transcript knows your side from theirs in any language.
- One language per meeting, the Mac's. Set Spanish before the meeting.
- The live transcript is final for Spanish meetings; the improvement after a meeting is English only.
- Every line plays from its timestamp, so checking an amount or a name takes a click.
If you want the words on screen during the call rather than a transcript to keep, live captions for meetings on a Mac compares the options.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Mac transcribe Spanish without the internet?
Yes, once the Spanish speech model is on the Mac. macOS downloads it from Apple the first time an app transcribes Spanish; after that, transcription works offline.
Which Spanish variants can a Mac transcribe?
On macOS 26.6 in September 2026, Apple's on-device transcriber listed Spanish for Spain, Mexico, Chile and the United States.
Why is my Spanish meeting transcribed as English words?
The transcriber was set to English. In Notey that means the Mac's language was English. Change it to Spanish in Language & Region, restart Notey, and record the next meeting.
Does Notey improve Spanish transcripts after the meeting?
No. The after-meeting pass is English only, so a Spanish meeting keeps the transcript made live.
Can I record a meeting in Spain?
Recording a conversation you take part in and using the recording are treated differently, and data-protection law applies. Tell everyone first. The guide on recording calls in Spain covers the rules.
Can I hold some meetings in Spanish and others in English on the same Mac?
Yes. Keep both languages in Preferred Languages, move the one you need to the top before the meeting, and restart Notey. Switch between meetings, not during one.
Can I transcribe a Spanish 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.