I Tested Google Gemini Meeting Notes So You Don't Have To

If you've come to rely on Gemini for day-to-day admin tasks, you're probably wondering whether it can handle meeting notes. It can, but there are significant limitations.

Can Google Gemini Take Meeting Notes?

Gemini, the AI assistant you're familiar with, doesn't join your meetings like other AI notetakers. There's no "Gemini bot" that automatically hops into your Zoom calls or Teams meetings.

Google has built "Take notes with Gemini" into Google Meet instead. It's part of their premium Google Workspace offering and works differently from the regular Gemini you use for other tasks.

When you use this feature, Gemini listens to your Google Meet conversations and creates structured notes in real-time. It shows running summaries during the call and generates a polished document afterward with key points, decisions, and action items.

The catch: it only works with Google Meet. If your team uses Zoom, Teams, or any other meeting platform, you won't be able to use the built-in solution.

How to Use Google Gemini to Take Meeting Notes

The approach depends on whether you're using Google's ecosystem or need to work with other meeting platforms.

1. If You're on a Google Meet Call

If your organization uses Google Workspace and hosts Google Meet calls, the process is straightforward.

During the meeting:

• Gemini listens to the entire conversation
• Creates real-time summaries as the meeting progresses
• Shows you "Summary so far" that updates throughout the call
• Organizes everything in a structured Google Doc

After the meeting:

• Automatically generates a complete meeting summary
• Creates suggested next steps and action items
• Saves everything to the meeting organizer's Google Drive
• Attaches the notes doc to your Calendar event
• Emails a summary to the host and co-hosts

Prerequisites:

• Google Workspace Business Standard or higher ($12/user/month minimum)
• Meeting in one of nine supported languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, or Spanish
• Sufficient storage space in your Google Drive
• Desktop access only—no mobile support

2. The Manual Approach (For Everything Else)

For people using Zoom, Teams, or other platforms, you'll need a hands-on approach. Get the transcript from your meeting platform, paste it into Gemini, and ask for summarization.

Zoom includes cloud recording with transcription on paid plans. Teams automatically transcribes when you record. Once you have that text, feed it to Gemini.

💡 Try this prompt: "Please summarize this meeting transcript. Include key decisions, action items, and next steps. Format it professionally with clear sections for main topics discussed, decisions made, and follow-up tasks assigned."

Gemini does excel at taking messy transcripts and turning them into clean, organized notes. This approach requires more work than the automated Google Meet solution, and it won't give you real-time transcription.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Gemini to Take Meeting Notes?

The Good Stuff

It produces strong summaries. When Gemini works, it catches key decisions, identifies action items, and organizes everything in a clean format you can actually use.

Real-time summaries help during calls. The "Summary so far" feature during Google Meet is handy if you want to glance over and check what you might have missed without interrupting the conversation.

It integrates with your existing tools. Notes automatically attach to your calendar events and save to your Drive with no extra steps.

The Not-So-Good Stuff

Subscription costs are steep. Google Workspace plans with this feature run $12-18 per user per month. A 20-person company pays $2,880-4,320 annually just to take meeting notes.

Privacy concerns matter. Every word spoken gets uploaded to Google's servers. That works fine for internal team meetings, but client consultations, legal discussions, or healthcare conversations pose real risk. Many organizations can't justify it.

Manual workflows defeat the purpose. For non-Google Meet platforms, you download transcripts, copy text, craft prompts, and organize results yourself. You're doing the AI's job.

Should You Use It?

After testing Google Gemini meeting notes extensively, it works well only if you meet three specific criteria:

• Your entire organization uses Google Meet exclusively
• You're comfortable with Google processing sensitive conversations
• You're already paying for expensive Workspace subscriptions

Most teams don't meet all three. You'll likely find yourself working around limitations rather than benefiting from the automation.

What Is the Best Alternative to Gemini for Note-taking?

The list of alternatives is substantial—any decent AI meeting assistant does a better job. We have guides for Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.

If I have to recommend one platform that works universally, is free, and keeps your data local, it's Char.

Quick note: I'm the co-founder of Char, but my recommendation isn't just personal bias—the platform delivers results.

Here's what it does:

• Local-first privacy. Char uses on-device AI models to transcribe and summarize meetings without sending data to the cloud.
• Universal platform support. Works with any meeting software and in-person conversations without bots or restrictions.
• Real-time intelligence. Live transcription and summaries while meetings happen, not just afterward.
• Flexible deployment. Run locally on your Mac or deploy on-premises for enterprise teams.
• Free core features. Pro upgrade ($8/month) only when you need advanced functionality.
• Reduces compliance risk. Local processing minimizes audit trails and third-party data exposure.

Char's note-taking features specifically:

• Familiar interface. Feels like Apple Notes with powerful AI running locally.
• Custom templates. Tailored formats for therapy sessions, legal meetings, job interviews, or casual conversations.
• Search your meeting history naturally. Ask "What did Sarah say about the budget?" instead of scrolling through months of notes.
• AI chat for clarification. Get immediate answers about action items, deadlines, or who said what.
• Control AI restructuring. Choose minimal improvements to your original thoughts or complete AI reorganization.
• Verify with source analysis. Hover over summaries to see the exact transcript quote behind every AI-generated point.

The difference is substantial. Instead of hoping Google's limited solution works with your workflow, you get a tool that adapts to how your team actually meets.

Want to try Char? Download it for free!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can Google Gemini transcribe audio files?

Yes, you can upload audio files directly to Gemini and ask it to transcribe them. This works for recorded meetings, interviews, or voice memos, but your audio goes to Google's servers.

2. Can Gemini generate meeting notes?

Absolutely. Gemini works well when you give it transcripts and ask for structured notes. The key is writing prompts that specify what sections and format you want.

3. Is Gemini Note Taker free?

The basic Gemini chatbot has free and paid versions, but automatic meeting note-taking requires Google Workspace Business subscriptions starting at $12/user/month.

4. How do I transcribe Google Meet calls?

You have two main options: Google Meet's built-in transcription (which requires expensive Workspace subscriptions) or a third-party tool like Char.

Unlike cloud-based tools like Otter or Fireflies that send your conversations to their servers, Char provides unlimited real-time transcription completely free while keeping everything local on your device.

5. Does Google Meet transcription work in all languages?

No. Google Meet only supports transcription in 9 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. You can only use one language per meeting.

6. Is there a free AI note taker for Google Meet?

Yes—Char is a completely free AI note taker that works with Google Meet, Zoom, Teams, and any other meeting platform.

Unlike Google's "Take notes with Gemini" feature, which requires expensive Workspace subscriptions, Char's core transcription and note-taking features are free forever.

Your conversations stay private since everything processes locally on your device instead of being sent to the cloud.