Recorder on somebody’s computer

ChatGPT Record is not in your call — what to do if somebody is using it

ChatGPT's record mode runs in the ChatGPT app on its user's Mac and hears the meeting through their computer. Nothing joins the call, and OpenAI puts the duty to ask for consent on the person recording.

Not in the list of people it records on its owner's computer Read on 10 November 2026

How it hears the call

If it is yours: stop it recording

  1. Only the person recording can stop it, with the stop icon in the recording window. The X cancels it, and Delete in the next screen throws the recording away.
  2. OpenAI tells its users to check local laws and get the right consents before recording other people.

If somebody else in the call is using it

  1. There is nothing on screen to remove and no message in the meeting. Ask at the start whether anybody is recording, and ask them to stop if you do not agree to it.
  2. If they say they are using ChatGPT to take notes, ask them to delete the recording rather than send it.

What it keeps

OpenAI says the audio is deleted automatically once it is transcribed. The transcript and notes are kept in the user's ChatGPT history like any conversation; if the user deletes that conversation, they are removed within 30 days unless OpenAI is legally required to keep them.

In OpenAI's own words

Where it runs
OpenAI“only available for the macOS desktop app”help.openai.com/en/articles/11487532-chatgpt-record
How it hears the meeting
OpenAI“Note that you may need to grant microphone and/or system‑audio permissions on first use.”help.openai.com/en/articles/11487532-chatgpt-record
Consent is the user's job
OpenAI“Please make sure you check local laws and always get the right consents before recording others.”help.openai.com/en/articles/11487532-chatgpt-record
And so is the law
OpenAI“You're responsible for making sure that your use of record mode follows applicable laws, which may vary depending on where you and the people you're recording are located.”help.openai.com/en/articles/11487532-chatgpt-record
What happens to the audio
OpenAI“Audio files delete automatically after transcription.”help.openai.com/en/articles/11487532-chatgpt-record
Deleting it
OpenAI“If a user deletes a conversation, the canvas and transcript in that conversation are removed from our systems within 30 days, unless we are legally required to retain them.”help.openai.com/en/articles/11487532-chatgpt-record

Read on 10 November 2026 from OpenAI's own help pages. Something changed? Tell us.

A meeting with nothing to remove

On Meetful the notes are written by the meeting itself, from each person's own microphone, so no extra guest joins. Anybody can leave themselves out of the notes and stay in the call.

Other notetakers

The whole list →

Try Meetful

Meetings that take their own notes

Free video meetings in the browser: every line of the transcript under the name of who said it, and the summary and action items when you hang up. Nothing to install — guests just open the link.