# Transcribe widget > Record from your Home dashboard in one click, get a transcript, then keep it on a desk as a Voice note or as a document. The audio is saved in Files. Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/home-widget-transcribe Section: Home dashboard > Home widgets Plans: All plans Updated: 2026-10-10 The Transcribe widget records your voice from the Home dashboard and turns it into text. One click starts recording. When you stop, PlexiDesk saves the recording in Files, writes the transcript, and asks where to keep it: on a desk, as a Voice note widget, or as a document. Use it when a thought arrives and you want it written down without deciding first where it goes: an idea between meetings, notes straight after a call, or a quick brief you would rather say than type. ## Before you start - The Transcribe widget is available on every plan. - You need a microphone, and PlexiDesk needs permission to use it. On a Mac, macOS asks the first time you record. See [Allow microphone, camera and screen recording on a Mac](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mac-permissions). - Transcription follows your choice in Settings, on the **AI** tab, under **Voice · transcription provider**: - **Cloud** (OpenAI Whisper) uses your own OpenAI key, which you add in the same tab under **OpenAI API key**. OpenAI charges for it per minute. New installs start on Cloud. - **Local** (Whisper tiny) transcribes on this computer. It works offline, is free and uses a model of about 80 MB. See [Choose how speech is transcribed: Cloud or Local](https://plexiidesk.com/help). - The widget works on your Home dashboard and also on **Office Home**, **People Home** and **Brain Home**. Each dashboard can hold one Transcribe widget. ## Add the Transcribe widget 1. Open your Home dashboard. Click **Home** in the side menu, or click the **Desk** tab. 2. Click **Customize** at the top right of the page. The widgets show an outline and the greeting fades back. 3. Click **Add widget**. The widget gallery opens over the page. 4. Click the **Communication** chip, or type `transcribe` in **Search widgets**. 5. Click **Transcribe**. Its page shows a preview of the widget. 6. Choose a size with the arrows either side of the preview, or with the dots under it. The size name shows underneath: - **Icon** is a small square button named **Transcribe**, like an app icon. It is chosen to start with. - **Medium** is a wider card with a **Record** button. 7. Click **Add widget**. The widget appears at the end of the board and glows for a moment so you can find it. 8. Drag the widget to where you want it. The other widgets move aside to make room. 9. Click **Done**. If the Transcribe card in the gallery has a tick and says **Already on your home**, this dashboard already has a Transcribe widget. > **Tip:** > **Set up with Plexii**, at the top of the dashboard, can add the widget for you. It may include Transcribe when you answer **Record and transcribe** to **Anything you want one tap away?** See [Set up a dashboard with Plexii](https://plexiidesk.com/help/home-setup-wizard). ## Record and transcribe 1. Click the **Transcribe** icon, or **Record** on the Medium card. The **Transcribe** window opens and recording starts straight away. There is no second button to press. 2. Speak. A red dot and a timer at the top right of the window show that you are recording and for how long. The box under **Recording. Speak naturally; the transcript comes when you stop.** is for a live preview of your words. The preview is only a guide and is not saved. 3. Click **Stop** when you have finished. 4. The window shows **Transcribing…**. Your recording is saved in Files first, so the audio is kept whatever happens next. 5. When the transcript is ready, the window shows: - a name box, which starts as **Transcription** - the transcript, which you can scroll - **Keep it where?**, with two choices: **On a desk** and **In Documents** > **Note:** > The transcript is kept only when you choose **On a desk** or **In Documents**. If you close the window before choosing, the recording stays in Files but the transcript is not kept. ## Keep it on a desk 1. Type a name in the name box. It becomes the widget's title on the desk. 2. Click **On a desk**. 3. Pick the desk. The list shows your most recently changed desks. Type in **Search desks…** to find another one. Click **Back** to return to the two choices. 4. Click the desk. PlexiDesk adds a **Voice note** widget to it and opens the desk. The Voice note widget holds the transcript and the recording. On the desk you can: - replay the recording with the player under the transcript - switch the text to **Cleaned** or **Speakers**, which use AI with your own Anthropic key, or back to **Full** - use **Send to…** to put the text into a new Sticky, Note, Markdown or Page widget, or add it to the end of a sticky, note or markdown widget already on the desk See [Voice note widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-voice-note) for everything the widget does. ## Keep it as a document 1. Type a name in the name box. 2. Click **In Documents**. PlexiDesk creates a document with the transcript, named after what you typed followed by **— transcript** (for example **Transcription — transcript**). It files the document at the top level of Files and opens it, so you can edit and format it like any other document. The recording stays in Files. ## Where your recordings are kept Every recording you make with the Transcribe widget is saved in Files, at the top level, as an audio file whose name starts with **transcription-**. That happens before transcription starts, whichever place you choose afterwards. See [Files: your folders and files](https://plexiidesk.com/help). ## Troubleshooting **A message says PlexiDesk cannot use the microphone.** On a Mac, open **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone** and turn on **PlexiDesk**. Then close the window and click the Transcribe widget again. See [Allow microphone, camera and screen recording on a Mac](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mac-permissions). **A message says the recording is safe in Files, with a reason the transcript could not be made.** Do what the message suggests, then click **Try again** in the same window. It transcribes the same recording again, so you do not need to record it twice. If the reason mentions an OpenAI key, either add your key in Settings, on the **AI** tab, or switch **Voice · transcription provider** to **Local**. See [Add your own API keys](https://plexiidesk.com/help/api-keys). **The transcript says "Silence. Nothing was heard."** The recording had no speech PlexiDesk could hear. Check that the right microphone is selected in your computer's sound settings and that it is not muted, then record again. ## Good ways to use it - **Catch an idea before it goes.** Click the icon, say it, stop, and send it to the desk it belongs to. It lands as a Voice note you can turn into a sticky later. - **Notes straight after a call.** Talk through what was agreed while it is fresh, and keep it **In Documents** so you can tidy it up and share it. - **Brief yourself for tomorrow.** At the end of the day, record what is next and put it on the desk you will start with. - **One tap from anywhere on Home.** A [Shortcuts widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/home-widget-shortcuts) can hold a **Transcribe** tile too: in its composer, look under **Actions**. ## Common questions **Can I record a meeting with it?** It records from your microphone only. To record a meeting, use PlexiiMeet. See [Record notes or a meeting held elsewhere](https://plexiidesk.com/help) and [Recording, consent and transcripts](https://plexiidesk.com/help). **Which desks can I send it to?** Any desk that is not archived. The list starts with the ones you changed most recently, and the search box finds the rest. ## Related tasks - [The Home dashboard](https://plexiidesk.com/help/home-dashboard) - [Customize your Home dashboard](https://plexiidesk.com/help/home-customize) - [Voice note widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-voice-note) - [Choose how speech is transcribed: Cloud or Local](https://plexiidesk.com/help) - [Allow microphone, camera and screen recording on a Mac](https://plexiidesk.com/help/mac-permissions) - [Files: your folders and files](https://plexiidesk.com/help) - [New meeting widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/home-widget-new-meeting)