# Quick start: your first ten minutes

> Get started with NoteOwl on your Mac. Dictate into any app with fn, record a meeting with ⌥Space, then ask a question about it in Chat.

Source: https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/getting-started/quick-start · Last updated 2026-09-27 · Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0

To get started with NoteOwl, tap **fn** and dictate into any app, press **⌥ Space** to record a meeting, then open **Chat** and ask about it. Dictation is free, and meetings and Chat are NoteOwl Pro, which you can try for 7 days with no card.

## What will I do in the first ten minutes?

Three things, each one building on the last. You'll type with your voice, record a conversation, and ask NoteOwl what was said in it.

1. Tap **fn** in any app, say a sentence, and tap **fn** again. Your words appear at the cursor.
2. Press **⌥ Space**, have your meeting, and press **⌥ Space** again. NoteOwl writes the summary and action items.
3. Open **Chat** and ask a question about the meeting. NoteOwl answers and shows the sources it used.

## Before you start

* NoteOwl is installed and set up: its permissions are granted and the one-time download of its on-device AI models has finished.
* NoteOwl is running. Its waveform icon is in the menu bar.
* Meetings and Chat are part of NoteOwl Pro. If you haven't bought it, start the free trial: see [what's free and what's in NoteOwl Pro](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/getting-started/free-and-pro).

## Dictate your first words

Dictation works in any app and is part of NoteOwl Free.

1. Click where you want the words to go: an email, a message or a note.
2. Tap **fn**. The NoteOwl panel opens at the top of the screen and starts listening.
3. Say a sentence or two. Your words appear at the cursor as you speak.
4. Tap **fn** again, or press **● Stop** in the panel. The panel shows where the words went, for example **Inserted into Mail**.

NoteOwl also saves the dictation in **Dictations**, with a polished copy in the tone for that app. Press **Polish** in the panel to use the polished copy instead: see [set the dictation tone for each app](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/tone-for-each-app).

To unlock meetings and Chat, open a Pro screen such as **Meeting Scribe**, verify your email address and choose **Start 7-day Pro trial**. If you're signed in, NoteOwl also offers **Try Pro for 7 days** after your first dictation. To keep the trial for later, choose **Continue with Free**.

## How do I record my first meeting?

Press **⌥ Space** in any app, or click **Start Meeting** on the **Meeting Scribe** screen. NoteOwl records your microphone and your Mac's audio, so no bot joins the call. Press **⌥ Space** again, or click **Stop Meeting**, when it ends.

1. Open NoteOwl and click **Meeting Scribe** in the sidebar.
2. Click **Start Meeting** at the top right of the window, or press **⌥ Space** from any app.
3. Join your call in Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, FaceTime or any other call app.
4. When the meeting ends, click **Stop Meeting** or press **⌥ Space** again. The button reads **Processing…** while NoteOwl writes the transcript, summary and action items on your Mac.
5. Click **Open the meeting** to read the summary, the action items and the full transcript.

To hear the other people on a call, NoteOwl needs the macOS **Screen Recording** permission, which is how macOS shares your Mac's audio. Let the people you're meeting with know that you're taking notes.

![NoteOwl's Meeting Scribe screen with a recorded meeting open, showing its summary, key decisions and action items](https://www.noteowl.ai/product/08-meetings-list.webp)

## How do I ask a question about my meeting?

Open **Chat**, start a new chat and type your question. NoteOwl answers from your own meetings and notes, and lists the sources it used, so you can check where each answer came from.

1. Click **Chat** in the sidebar.
2. Click **New chat**. If you already have chats, click **New** above the list.
3. Type a question in the box at the bottom, such as "What did we decide?", and press Return. You can also click the microphone and say it.
4. Read the answer. Click the line under it, such as **1 source · 2 passages**, to see the passages it came from, and click a passage to open it.

If nothing you've recorded answers the question, NoteOwl says so instead of guessing.

![NoteOwl Chat answering what changed on a customer pilot since the kickoff, with the meeting and the two passages the answer cites](https://www.noteowl.ai/product/03b-chat-pilot-changes.webp)

## Related

- [Install NoteOwl and set it up](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/getting-started/install-and-set-up): Download NoteOwl from noteowl.ai, drag it to Applications and open it. Setup asks for four permissions, then downloads the on-device AI models once.
- [Dictate into any app with the fn key](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/dictate-into-any-app): Tap fn to start dictating in any Mac app and tap it again to stop. NoteOwl types your words at the cursor and keeps exactly what you said.
- [NoteOwl keyboard shortcuts](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/reference/keyboard-shortcuts): Every NoteOwl keyboard shortcut. fn dictates, ⌥Space records a meeting, ⌥X rewrites selected text, ⌥Z asks your memory, and ⌘K jumps to search.
- [What's free and what's in NoteOwl Pro](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/getting-started/free-and-pro): NoteOwl Free gives you unlimited dictation into any app and voice notes. NoteOwl Pro adds meetings, summaries, memory and Chat for $79, once.

Learn more: [Every NoteOwl feature, on the Features page](https://www.noteowl.ai/features)