Record Zoom calls on Mac — both sides, one file
Capture any Zoom call on macOS without asking the host for permission, without a bot joining, and without BlackHole. Both sides are mixed into a single .m4a, and transcription happens locally on your Mac.
How it works with Zoom
- 1
Click record in your menubar
Before or after the Zoom call starts. ⌘R toggles recording instantly — no settings to open.
- 2
Talk normally
CallCove captures Zoom's output (their voice) and your mic in parallel. You'll see a red dot in the menubar and a gentle reminder every 5 min.
- 3
Stop — get a mixed .m4a
Hit stop and both sides are mixed into a single timestamped file in ~/Recordings/CallCove/. Click Transcribe to get a local transcript.
Why CallCove for Zoom
Zoom's built-in recording requires host permission and saves separate audio tracks you then have to mix. CallCove sits in your menubar, captures Zoom's system audio plus your mic, and hands you a finished .m4a the moment you stop.
- No need to ask the Zoom host for recording permission
- No 'recording' banner shown to other participants
- Works with Zoom, Zoom Phone, and Zoom webinar audio
- Captures screen-shared video audio (e.g. if someone plays a clip)
- Transcription uses Whisper large-v3-turbo on the Apple Neural Engine
- Skip the post-call mixing — you get one file, not four
Zoom — Q&A
Does Zoom notify the host that I'm recording?+
No. CallCove captures the audio at the OS level — Zoom has no idea it's being recorded. Please check your local law before using this; in two-party-consent jurisdictions you must inform everyone.
Can I record Zoom Phone calls?+
Yes. Any audio that plays through your Mac's speakers — Zoom meetings, Zoom Phone, voicemails — is captured the same way.
Do I still need BlackHole / Loopback?+
No. CallCove uses ScreenCaptureKit, Apple's native system-audio API. No kernel extension, no virtual audio device.
What about Zoom's own recording?+
You can run both. But Zoom requires host permission and saves separate tracks you have to mix. CallCove gives you a ready-to-share mixed file immediately.
Will transcription handle cross-talk?+
Whisper large-v3-turbo handles overlapping speech reasonably, but timestamps are more reliable when people take turns. For heavy cross-talk, mic-only recordings give cleaner transcripts per speaker.
Is it legal to record a Zoom call without the other person's permission?+
It depends on your jurisdiction. Most US states, the UK, and Canada are one-party-consent — you can record a call you're part of without asking. California and most of the EU are two-party-consent — you must inform everyone. CallCove is a tool; the law on consent is yours to follow.
Does CallCove work on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini?+
Yes. Any Mac on macOS 14+ with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) gets the full ANE-accelerated transcription. Intel Macs on macOS 14 work too — recording is identical, transcription is slower.
Ready to record zoom properly?
$15 lifetime, or $12/year. 30-day refund. Transcription included.
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