Ask your memory out loud from any app (⌥Z)
Last updated Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0
To ask your memory a question from any app, press ⌥ Z and say it. NoteOwl answers on your Mac and shows the answer in the NoteOwl panel at the top of the screen, with the recording it came from, and never types it into the app you're in.
Recall is part of NoteOwl Pro, which you can try free for 7 days: see start the 7-day NoteOwl Pro trial. NoteOwl only has to be running, with its waveform icon in the menu bar. Its window can be closed.
How do I ask a question with ⌥Z?
Press ⌥Z, say your question, then pause. NoteOwl stops listening after a short silence and writes the answer in the panel, under your question. You don't need to switch apps or open NoteOwl's window first.
- In any app, press ⌥ Z. The NoteOwl panel opens at the top of the screen, labelled Recall, and shows …ask your memory aloud… while it listens.
- Say your question, such as "What did Priya say about the budget?". Your words appear in the panel as you speak.
- Stop talking. After about a second and a half of silence, NoteOwl stops listening and the answer appears under your question.
- Read the answer, then press Esc or click Done to close the panel.
Start talking within about 7 seconds of pressing ⌥Z. If NoteOwl hears nothing, it stops listening and says Didn't catch a question — try again. Press ⌥Z to try again. A question can be up to about 20 seconds long.
Recall searches everything NoteOwl has saved, including your dictations, and uses your Vocabulary to read the names and terms in your question.
What happens to the answer?
It stays in the panel until you close it, and goes nowhere else. The panel says never inserted, never sent: NoteOwl doesn't type, paste or send the answer. Click Copy to put it on the clipboard, then paste it where you want it.
Under the answer, NoteOwl shows where it came from:
- The source. The name of the recording the answer used. Click it to open that recording in NoteOwl at the passage, in Meeting Scribe, Transcripts or Dictations.
- An unverified source. If NoteOwl couldn't check which passages were relevant, the source ends with — unverified, or the line reads Sources not verified. Treat that answer with care.
- No source. If the answer didn't use anything you've recorded, no source is shown.
If nothing you've recorded matches the question, NoteOwl says so instead of guessing: Nothing in your memory that matches that. Try recording or importing something, then ask again.
A Recall answer isn't saved once you close the panel. To keep it, click Open in Chat first.
Can I ask a follow-up question?
Yes. While an answer is showing, press ⌥Z again, or click Ask follow-up, and say your next question. NoteOwl treats it as part of the same conversation, so "Who's doing that?" follows on from the question before. Your previous question is shown above the new one.
- Wait for the answer to finish. While Recall is listening or answering, pressing ⌥Z again says Recall is listening — finish that first.
- Close the panel to start over. After Esc or Done, the next ⌥Z starts a new conversation.
How do I carry an answer into Chat?
Click Open in Chat under the answer. The NoteOwl window opens on Chat with your question and its answer, sources included, and you can keep asking there. Chat keeps the conversation, and its sources open the same way. See ask questions about your meetings in Chat.
Why doesn't ⌥Z start listening?
NoteOwl listens for one thing at a time. If a meeting is recording or a dictation is running, ⌥Z shows why in the panel instead of listening, such as A meeting is recording — stop it first. or Dictation is running — finish that first. Finish that, then press ⌥Z again.
- NoteOwl isn't running. Open it from your Applications folder. Its waveform icon appears in the menu bar.
- ⌥Z opens NoteOwl instead. You're on NoteOwl Free, and NoteOwl shows what NoteOwl Pro adds.
- NoteOwl never hears your question. Check the Microphone permission: see dictation or meetings record silence.
- NoteOwl is exporting or deleting your data. The panel says so. Wait for it to finish, then try again.
Common questions
Does NoteOwl type the ⌥Z answer into the app I'm using?
No. A NoteOwl Recall answer appears only in the NoteOwl panel at the top of the screen. It is never typed into the app you're in and never sent anywhere. Click Copy if you want to paste it yourself.
Does NoteOwl Recall work offline?
Yes. NoteOwl hears your question and writes the answer on your Mac with on-device AI models, so Recall works without an internet connection, just like Chat.
Is Recall part of NoteOwl Free?
No. Recall is part of NoteOwl Pro, along with Chat and memory. On NoteOwl Free, pressing ⌥Z opens NoteOwl and shows what NoteOwl Pro adds.
Ask questions about your meetings in Chat
Ask NoteOwl Chat about your meetings in plain words. It answers on your Mac from your own recordings, shows the passages it used, and says when nothing matches.
Search everything with ⌘K
Press ⌘K in NoteOwl to search every meeting, note and person on your Mac. Each match opens at its passage, and a question gets a short answer too.