How to Transcribe Google Meet?

In this guide, I’ll show you how to transcribe meetings in Google Meet. I’ll walk you through Google’s built-in transcription feature and also introduce a smart tool that makes the whole process smoother and more reliable (and works for free). Let’s begin!

How to Turn on Transcripts in Google Meet?

Google Meet can automatically generate a transcript of what's said during a meeting (available as a built-in feature within Google Meet). These transcripts are useful for record-keeping, note-taking, or sharing with participants afterward.

Before we get to the steps, here are some key points you should know: 

Transcript location: Transcripts are saved to the meeting host’s Google Drive.

What's included: Only spoken dialogue is transcribed. Chat messages are not included. To capture the chat, you’ll need to record the meeting.

Permission settings:

• If host management is off: Anyone from the host's domain can start transcripts
• If host management is on: Only the host or co-hosts can turn it on

Step-by-step guide to start transcription

1. On your computer, start a Google Meet meeting or join with a meeting link .
2. At the bottom right, click Activities.
3. Select Transcripts.
4. Click Start Transcription, then confirm by clicking Start again.
5. A Transcripts icon will appear at the top left to indicate that transcription is active.

How to Stop Transcription?

1. Click Activities.
2. Select Transcripts.
3. Click Stop Transcription, then confirm by clicking Stop.

When all participants leave the meeting, transcription stops automatically.

Please note, the transcription feature is currently available only on the web version of Google Meet (not mobile apps).

How to Find a Transcript in Google Meet?

After a Google Meet session ends, the transcript becomes available through two primary methods:

1. Via Email

An automated email with a link to the transcript is sent to:

• The host
• Any co-hosts
• The person who turned on transcription

For longer meetings, it takes a while for the email to arrive. You have to allow it some processing time.

2. Via Google Calendar event

• The transcript is automatically attached to the corresponding event in Google Calendar
• All invitees within the host’s organization can access the transcript through the event
• If the meeting has more than 200 invitees within the organization, only the host, co-hosts, and the person who enabled transcription will be able to access it

How to Enable Automatic Transcription in Google Meet

As the host, you can configure transcription (and other features) to start automatically when a meeting begins.

The steps are: 

1. While creating or editing a meeting, go to Video call options.
2. Click Meeting records.
3. Select Transcribe the meeting.

Here are some important things you should keep in mind to make better use of this feature: 

• Participants will see an on-screen notification when automatic features like transcription or recording are enabled

• Automatic transcription will not begin until the host or co-host joins the meeting from a web browser
• Once active, transcripts, recordings, and notes from Gemini are automatically shared with hosts and co-hosts

The Downsides of Google Meet’s Native Transcription

Let’s give credit where it’s due—the biggest advantage of Google Meet’s native transcription is convenience. You get transcripts saved directly to your Google Drive, neatly tied into the Google ecosystem.

It’s a step forward for sure, but the feature is far from perfect. Here are some of the downsides: 

1. Only available on paid plans

Transcription is locked behind paid Google Workspace accounts:

• Business Standard/Plus
• Enterprise Starter/Standard/Plus
• Teaching & Learning Upgrade/Education Plus
• Workspace Individual

Free users are excluded, which limits access for students, solo professionals, and small teams on tight budgets.

2. Dependent on Google Drive storage

You need to make sure there’s enough free storage in both your organization’s Drive and the meeting host’s Drive. If either one runs out of space, the transcript won’t be saved. 

It’s an easy detail to overlook—and unfortunately, Google doesn’t always make it clear when this happens. 

3. Accuracy can be inconsistent

The transcription quality is decent in quiet, two-speaker meetings. But once things get lively, accuracy drops. 

Overlapping voices, background noise, and domain-specific terms can throw it off. You may find yourself spending more time cleaning up the transcript than you'd like.

Need Accurate and Secure Transcripts?

Jamie has your back.

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How to Get Accurate Google Meet Transcripts?

Google Meet’s built-in transcription is a welcome addition—but let’s be honest, it still leaves a lot to be desired. It captures the words, sure. But if you’ve ever tried to make sense of a messy transcript after a jam-packed meeting, you know it’s not always helpful. 

If you’re looking for more accurate, well-organized transcripts along with actionable summaries, you can try a third-party AI note-taker like Jamie.

Jamie works quietly alongside Google Meet to give you clean, reliable transcripts and meeting notes (no bots joining your calls!). 

You get speaker-attributed notes, clear action items, and smart summaries you can refer back to anytime. 

Jamie lets you customize terms, which helps it understand your industry-specific conversations.

How to transcribe Google Meet calls with Jamie

Here’s your 4-step guide on how to get Zoom transcript after meeting using Jamie: 

Step 1: Install Jamie

Download and install Jamie on your device. Ensure your microphone or audio input settings allow Jamie to capture the meeting audio.

To select language, go to Settings > Summary > Notes language > Choose Auto-detected or pick a preferred language from the dropdown menu.

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Step 2: Activate Jamie for transcription

Open Jamie and select Start meeting before/during the meeting. Jamie will start capturing audio silently in the background, without sending any bots to your meeting. 

Now join or host a Google Meet meeting as usual. 

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Step 3: End the meeting and generate transcription

After ending the meeting, open Jamie and click Stop meeting to finalize the audio capture. 

Jamie will process the recording and use advanced speaker identification to differentiate voices automatically. You can label speakers for even clearer attribution. 

Within a few minutes, Jamie will generate a complete transcript along with an AI-powered summary that highlights key decisions and action items.

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‍Step 4: Access and share the summary

Now you can access the structured meeting notes from Jamie’s dashboard. Share them instantly with meeting participants in just one click via email, and keep everyone on the same page. You can also copy and paste the notes or generate a shareable URL for easy access.

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‍Jamie vs. Google Meet Native Transcription 

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Let’s find out which one’s the best option to transcribe Google Meet meetings—Google Meet’s native transcription or Jamie. 

1. Plan type 

Jamie offers a fully usable free plan that includes AI-powered meeting summaries, full transcripts, action items, decisions, and speaker identification. You can record up to 10 meetings per month and get 20 smart assistant interactions per day.

But Google Meet’s transcription is locked behind paid Workspace editions, which means free users (like students or solo workers) don’t get access to transcripts at all.

2. Storage

Jamie provides unlimited cloud storage for all your meeting notes and summaries, so you never have to worry about running out of space. Everything is stored securely in Frankfurt, Germany, under strict GDPR compliance.

On the other hand, Google Meet relies on Google Drive storage. If either the host’s or organization’s Drive is full, the transcript won’t be saved.

3. Transcription quality

Jamie’s AI is designed to deliver natural, human-like summaries with excellent accuracy, even in multi-speaker or noisy environments. It understands context, recognizes speakers, and groups information into easy-to-read sections.

Whereas Google Meet transcripts are basic text logs, and accuracy drops with overlapping conversations or background noise. You’ll probably have to spend extra time editing and formatting.

4. Meeting summary

With every transcript, Jamie also creates a structured summary of key topics, along with action items and decisions. After every meeting, you can quickly go through the summary to catch up on what to do next.

Google Meet does not generate summaries or highlight action items. You’ll have to use Gemini (Google’s AI assistant) for these tasks, which is again available only on paid Workspace plans at the moment. 

5. Reviewing meeting transcripts/notes

Jamie’s Executive Assistant Sidebar (accessible via Ctrl+J or Command+J) helps you retrieve past meeting information instantly, draft emails, or brainstorm ideas. You can choose between Jamie’s own AI model (for internal notes), GPT-4, or Claude 3.5, depending on your task.

Google Meet offers no assistant or sidebar, so there’s no built-in help for reviewing or following up on meeting content.

When Google Meet Falls Short, Jamie Steps In

Some meetings are too important for guesswork. Whether you're closing a deal, running a strategy call, or documenting key decisions, you need notes you can trust—not a messy transcript you’ll have to spruce up later.

Jamie gives you that peace of mind. It captures your Google Meet calls with clarity, ensures more accurate transcriptions, supports 100+ languages, tags speakers with precision, highlights action items, and keeps notes organized in an easily accessible repository. You won’t have to waste time digging through hours of raw text!

When the stakes are high and precision matters, Jamie is just what you need. 

Need Google Meet Transcripts and Notes?

Jamie delivers.

Use Jamie for Free

Start transcribing your Google Meet meetings for free with Jamie! (No credit card details required)

Or do you want a closer look before deciding? Schedule a free demo today.

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Read More

• 10 Best AI Note Takers for Google Meet in 2025
• Take Notes for Me Google Review: Is It Any Good?
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• The 10 Best AI Meeting Assistants for 2025
• 7 Best AI Note Takers in 2025 [Updated March]
  

FAQs

Is Google Meet native transcription reliable?

Google Meet's native transcription provides a basic transcript of what was said during the meeting. While it captures spoken words, the accuracy can vary depending on factors like background noise, speaker accents, and overlapping conversations. It may not always handle loaded discussions or technical jargon effectively, which means you might need to spend additional time reviewing and editing the transcript for clarity.

Can you pause Google Meet transcription?

You cannot pause transcription, but you can stop and restart it. Each session creates a separate transcript file.

What is a free transcription software for Google Meet?

One of the best free transcription tools for Google Meet is Jamie. It's a third-party tool that silently works in the background, captures your Google Meet conversation, transcribes it, and turns it into actionable notes. The free plan includes all the premium features of the paid plan. The tool is hosted in EU and GDPR-compliant, so your data stays safe, always. 

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