To use Granola, install the desktop app, sign in with Google or Microsoft, allow calendar, microphone and system audio access, then open your next meeting from the Coming up list. Granola transcribes the call and, when it ends, turns the transcript and any notes you typed into enhanced notes.
Granola is a meeting note taker. According to its help centre, you can type rough notes during a call while it transcribes, and when the call ends it builds enhanced notes from the transcript, your own notes and the calendar event details.
I went through Granola's own help centre to write this, from the first-time setup guide to the pages on transcription, templates and sharing. Here's how to get from a fresh install to your first set of enhanced notes.
Setting Granola up on your computer
- Download and install. On a Mac, the docs say you download Granola from the website, open the disk image and drag the Granola icon into the Applications folder. The setup page says Granola also runs on Windows, iOS and Android.
- Sign in. Use Google, Microsoft or your SSO provider. The docs suggest your work account, because Granola works best connected to the calendar you use for meetings.
- Allow access. Granola asks to view calendar events and basic details such as attendees, time, date and title. On a Mac you'll also be asked for microphone and system audio access; on Windows those are granted automatically.
- Watch the demo meeting. On first sign-in there's a short tutorial from a co-founder waiting in the app. The docs say it appears only once.
- Open your next meeting. Click it in the Coming up list to create a note, or click New Note for a call that isn't on your calendar.
- Let it write the notes. When the call ends, Granola builds enhanced notes. Change the template or edit them if you want a different structure.
- Share deliberately. Copy the note's link or use the sharing options from the Shared button and the three-dot menu.
When Granola starts listening, and when it doesn't
Granola doesn't capture audio all the time. The transcription docs say it only starts when you click a notification, open a meeting after its scheduled start, click New Note for an ad-hoc call, or are already inside an upcoming meeting's note when it begins.
The same page says green moving bars at the bottom of the note show that it's capturing audio. A transcript panel lets you show or hide the live transcript, stop and resume, search it and copy it.
According to the setup page, on a Mac or Windows computer it can transcribe meetings in software such as Google Meet, Teams or Zoom, in-person meetings, voice memos and any audio playing from the computer.
You don't have to wait for the meeting to start, either. Granola's getting-started guide says clicking an upcoming meeting in the Coming up list creates a note for it, so you can jot thoughts in advance and then start transcribing once the meeting has begun.
Granola's help centre at a glance
| Topic | What Granola's docs say |
|---|---|
| Devices | macOS, Windows, iOS and Android |
| Sign-in | Google, Microsoft or an SSO provider; a work account is recommended |
| Calendar access | Events plus attendees, time, date and title |
| Audio permissions | Prompted on macOS, automatic on Windows |
| Starting capture | A notification, opening the meeting after it starts, New Note, or already being in the note |
| Web app | Views and edits notes only; recording needs the desktop or mobile app |
| After the call | Enhanced notes from the transcript, your typed notes and the calendar details |
| Sharing | No automatic sharing; a copied link, a team-space folder or an integration |
Turning a transcript into notes
The enhanced notes page says that after the call, Granola combines the transcript, anything you typed and the calendar event details into enhanced notes.
Templates shape the result. The templates page says you type a forward slash in a note during a call to pick one, or change it afterwards from the dropdown on the Enhanced tab. My meeting notes template shows what a good structure includes if you want to build your own.
Who sees your notes
Granola doesn't share notes with the people in the meeting automatically. The sharing docs say a note goes out only when you copy its link, add it to a team-space folder or send it through an integration. So the people in your meeting don't see your notes unless you share them one of those ways.
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Things to check before you rely on it
- Accounts: sign-in is Google, Microsoft or SSO only, so you'll need one of those.
- Mac version: the setup page states a minimum of macOS 14 to run Granola.
- Microsoft calendars: support covers cloud-based Microsoft 365 calendars, not on-premises Exchange servers.
- Templates: they're on the desktop apps only. Notes made on iOS can get a template once they sync to desktop.
- The web app can't record: notes.granola.ai is for viewing and editing existing notes, so you'll need the desktop or mobile app for calls.
- Team features: API keys and some workspace controls are described as being for Business or Enterprise workspaces.
How Granola compares with other note takers
If you want to see how Granola stacks up, my roundup of AI note takers covers the wider field, and this list of Granola alternatives is useful if one of the limits above rules it out for you.
The short version
Install it, sign in with the account that holds your work calendar, watch the demo meeting when it appears, and then open your next call from the Coming up list. Type any rough notes while you talk, let Granola build the enhanced notes when the call ends, and share only what you choose.
Frequently asked questions
What can Granola transcribe?
On Mac and Windows, the docs say it can transcribe meetings in Google Meet, Teams or Zoom, in-person meetings, voice memos and any audio playing from the computer.
Does Granola record automatically?
No. It starts capturing audio only when you click a notification, open a meeting after its start time, click New Note, or are already in the meeting's note when it begins.
Can I record a meeting from the Granola web app?
No. The web interface at notes.granola.ai only views and edits existing notes. You need the desktop or mobile app to transcribe.
Will the people in my meeting see my Granola notes?
Not unless you share them. Granola doesn't auto-share; you copy a link, add the note to a team-space folder or use an integration.
Can I change the layout of my Granola notes?
Yes. Type a forward slash during the call to choose a template, or switch templates from the dropdown on the Enhanced tab afterwards.
