macOS permissions NoteOwl asks for, and why
Last updated Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0
NoteOwl asks macOS for four permissions when you set it up: Microphone, Accessibility, Input Monitoring and Screen Recording, with Calendar and Contacts as optional extras you choose to connect. Everything each one gives NoteOwl stays on your Mac.
Which permissions does NoteOwl need?
Microphone, Accessibility and Input Monitoring for dictation, and Screen Recording to hear the other people in a meeting. NoteOwl asks for these four during setup. Calendar and Contacts are optional, for NoteOwl Pro features, and asked for only when you choose.
| Permission | What NoteOwl uses it for | What happens without it | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Hearing you: dictation, voice notes, your side of a meeting, and questions you say to Chat or with ⌥ Z | Dictation stops, and the panel says Microphone access is off. Enable NoteOwl in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone, then try again. | Free and Pro |
| Accessibility | Typing your dictation at the cursor in any app, and swapping in the polished version when you choose Polish | NoteOwl copies the text instead, and the panel says Copied — press ⌘V | Free and Pro |
| Input Monitoring | Noticing the fn key in any app, so a tap starts dictation | fn does nothing. Dictation still starts from the menu bar | Free and Pro |
| Screen Recording (in System Settings: Screen & System Audio Recording) | Recording your Mac's audio during a meeting, which is how the other people on a call are heard | A meeting doesn't start, and NoteOwl says Meeting capture needs Screen Recording & Microphone access. | Pro |
| Calendar (in System Settings: Calendars) | Reading your upcoming events for the Calendar screen, meeting prep and Review. NoteOwl never changes them | The Calendar screen shows examples and Connect your calendar | Pro |
| Contacts | Filling in a phone number, company and job title on People profiles, by matching names to your contacts | People profiles don't get details from your contacts | Pro |
Turn on a permission
The quickest way is from NoteOwl, which opens the right place in System Settings for you.
- Open NoteOwl and click Settings in the sidebar, then click the General tab.
- Under Privacy & Access, find the permission. Its status reads Granted, Not requested, Not granted or Restricted by policy.
- Click the button beside it. Grant asks macOS to show its prompt. Open Settings opens the right pane of System Settings, and Review does the same for a permission that's already on.
- In the prompt or in System Settings, allow NoteOwl, or turn on NoteOwl in the list. macOS may ask for your password.
- For Input Monitoring and Screen & System Audio Recording, quit NoteOwl and open it again. If macOS offers Quit & Reopen, choose that.
Without NoteOwl, open System Settings, click Privacy & Security, then the permission's pane: Microphone, Accessibility, Input Monitoring, Screen & System Audio Recording, Calendars or Contacts.
Restricted by policy means the Mac is managed, for example by your employer, and the button reads Managed. Only the people who manage the Mac can change it.
When does NoteOwl ask for each permission?
Only when you do something that needs it, never on its own when NoteOwl opens. Setup lists Microphone, Accessibility, Input Monitoring and Screen Recording, each with an Allow button, and you can continue without any of them.
- Calendar is asked for when you click Connect under Connect your calendar on the Calendar screen, or Grant beside Calendar in Settings → General.
- Contacts is asked for only when you click Grant beside Contacts in Settings → General.
- Microphone is also asked for the first time you dictate, if you skipped it during setup.
What if a permission is on but something still doesn't work?
Turn the permission off and on again for NoteOwl in System Settings → Privacy & Security, then quit and reopen NoteOwl. For specific problems, see the fn key doesn't start dictation, or email support@noteowl.ai with your macOS version and what NoteOwl shows.
Common questions
Can NoteOwl turn a macOS permission on or off by itself?
No. Only macOS can grant or remove a permission. NoteOwl shows where each one stands in Settings → General, under Privacy & Access, and its button takes you to the right place in System Settings.
Does NoteOwl record my screen?
No. macOS shares a Mac's audio with apps through its Screen & System Audio Recording permission, which is why NoteOwl asks for it. NoteOwl takes only the audio, and only while it's recording a meeting.
Which permissions does NoteOwl Free need?
For dictation, NoteOwl Free needs Microphone, Accessibility to type at the cursor, and Input Monitoring for the fn key. Screen Recording, Calendar and Contacts are only used by NoteOwl Pro features.
Languages NoteOwl understands
NoteOwl understands 34 languages on your Mac. Dictation and meetings follow the Spoken language setting; imported recordings are detected automatically.
Supported import and export formats
NoteOwl imports mp3, wav, m4a, aiff, flac, aac and mp4 recordings one at a time, and exports notes as Markdown, PDF, text or SRT, or everything as a zip.