# A meeting did not record

> The state on the meeting row tells you whether capture failed or processing failed. Check the recorder license, the pairing and the three macOS permissions before you re-record anything.

- Source: https://spiich.ai/help/troubleshooting/recording-problems
- Section: Troubleshooting
- Who can do this: Everyone
- Time: 5 minutes
- Last updated: 2026-08-24

The Spiich Recorder captures audio locally on your own machine, so a missing recording is a problem on that machine, not a bot that failed to join a call. Start with the state shown on the meeting, because capture failures and processing failures look similar and are fixed differently.

## Read the state first

| State | What it means | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "Meeting window detected" with a `Start recording` button | The recorder saw the call, but "Auto-record meetings" is off so nothing is capturing. | Click `Start recording`, or turn `Auto-record meetings` on in `Recorder > Settings > RECORDING`. |
| "Recording in progress" | Capture is running. | Nothing. Use Pause and Resume as needed, then `Stop and save`. |
| "Recording needs attention" with `Retry recording` | Capture never started properly. | Click `Retry recording`. |
| `Processing` pill, or "Processing recording" | Capture finished. Spiich is building the transcript and summary. | Wait a few minutes and reload. |
| "Transcribing recording" | The transcript is still being produced. | Wait. The Summary and Transcript tabs fill in on their own. |
| `Failed` pill, or "Recording processing failed" | Audio was captured but transcription or processing did not complete. | Open the meeting and use `Retry recording` where it is offered. If the recording already finished, Spiich has to reset it before you can try again. |
| "Transcript failed" | Spiich could not finish transcription for that recording. | Same as above. Send us the meeting if the audio matters. |
| "Recording available" | Everything worked. | If you still cannot play it, jump to the playback section below. |

## Nothing was captured at all

1. **Check you have a Meeting Recorder license**
   If [`Settings > Meeting Agent`](https://app.spiich.ai/settings/notetaker) shows "Meeting recorder license required" instead of a pairing code, no license is assigned to you. An admin grants one from [`Settings > User Management`](https://app.spiich.ai/settings/user-management). An admin on a self-serve plan can click `Grant myself a license`. Workspaces on a contract go through their account manager.

2. **Check the device is still paired**
   Open `Settings > Meeting Agent > Connected devices`. If your computer is not listed, it was revoked or signed out and has to be paired again.

3. **Check the three macOS permissions**
   In the recorder, open the Access screen and confirm Accessibility, Microphone and System Audio all read `Granted`. Windows needs none of these and skips the screen entirely.

4. **Check auto-record**
   With "Auto-record meetings" off, detection still happens but capture waits for a click. Turn it on in `Recorder > Settings > RECORDING`, or start each call by hand from the meeting detail or the floating `Record` pill.

## Permissions granted to the wrong copy of the app

If a permission still does not read `Granted` after you click Enable, it may have been granted to a different installed copy of the recorder rather than the one you are running now. Grant it again from the Access screen on the copy you actually use, then click `Relaunch`.

Click `Enable` or `Settings` on the row that is missing, approve it in macOS, and then click `Relaunch` when the banner "Relaunch required for new grants to take effect." appears. A permission that was previously denied will not take effect until the recorder restarts. Full walkthrough in [Recorder permissions](/help/meetings/recorder-permissions).

## The recorder captured silence

Silence, or a call the recorder never noticed, comes from the same three permissions. Accessibility is what detects the meeting window, Microphone captures meeting audio, and System Audio captures the meeting's system audio. If one of the three is missing or was granted to a different copy of the app, you get a file with nothing usable in it. Re-check the Access screen, relaunch, and test with a short call before relying on it.

## The pairing was lost

Pairing codes are six digits and expire 10 minutes after they are generated. When a code expires it is shown struck through with dashes and the button changes to `Regenerate`.

- Generate a fresh code at `Settings > Meeting Agent > Pairing code`, click it to copy, and enter it in the recorder before the countdown runs out.
- Revoking a device at `Connected devices` signs that copy of the recorder out immediately.
- Suspending someone in `Settings > User Management` signs out every device they had paired.

## The recording exists but you cannot play or download it

If the summary and transcript are there but there is no player and no download button anywhere, including in the desktop app, an admin has turned off "Show recordings in meetings" at `Settings > Meeting Agent > Recording playback`. Nothing was deleted and transcripts and summaries are never affected. An admin can switch it back on.

Downloads are also limited to participants of that meeting. If you were not on the call, ask someone who was.

## Before you delete or re-record anything

> **Careful:** You cannot re-record a call that has already ended. Check the state on the meeting, confirm you are a participant, check whether an admin has turned recording playback off, and open the Transcript tab, before you assume the audio is gone. A meeting can carry more than one recording, and chips let you switch between sources. If the state says processing failed on a finished recording, email hello@spiich.ai rather than deleting the meeting.

## Still stuck

Email hello@spiich.ai with the meeting, the state shown on the row, your operating system, and whether the Access screen reports all three permissions as granted. We can reset a recording that is stuck in a failed state. You can also use the [contact form](/contact).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does a bot join my meeting?

No. The Spiich Recorder captures audio locally on your own computer, so other participants never see an extra attendee. That also means anyone who needs an explicit in-meeting recording notice has to announce it themselves.

### A speaker is labelled wrongly all the way through the transcript.

Open the meeting in the desktop recorder, go to the Transcript tab and use **Rename speaker**. The correction applies to every turn for that speaker in the recording at once.

### Windows blocked the recorder installer. Is that expected?

Yes. The Windows build is unsigned, so SmartScreen warns on first launch. Click **More info**, then **Run anyway**. Later automatic updates install without the warning. Windows needs none of the macOS permissions.

### Why is "Process Meeting" greyed out?

Either the note is empty, or a run is already in progress. Type something into the note, or wait for the processing modal or the background indicator to finish. If it reports that the workspace does not have enough credits, top up under `Settings > Billing` and run it again.

## Related

- [Install the Spiich Recorder](https://spiich.ai/help/meetings/install-the-meeting-recorder)
- [Recorder permissions and capture](https://spiich.ai/help/meetings/recorder-permissions)
- [How Spiich handles meetings](https://spiich.ai/help/meetings/how-meetings-work)
- [Meeting notes and CRM updates](https://spiich.ai/help/meetings/meeting-notes-and-crm-updates)
- [Meetings in Spiich](https://spiich.ai/product/meeting)
- [Talk to Spiich](https://spiich.ai/contact)