LensNote for macOS

The macOS app records what is on your screen and sends it to the same library as the web app. Sessions, folders, plan limits, and minutes are shared between the two.

Requirements

• macOS 14 or later.
• On macOS 15 or later, system audio and your microphone are recorded as separate tracks. On macOS 14, the microphone is recorded from your built-in mic alongside the screen recording.

Sign in

Click Sign in with Browser. LensNote opens your browser, you sign in to your LensNote account there, and the browser hands you back to the app. Create your account on the web first if you do not have one.

Permissions

The app asks for:

• Screen & System Audio — required to record a window or your screen.
• Microphone — optional, needed only when you include your voice.

Each Grant button opens System Settings → Privacy & Security. After you turn a permission on, quit and reopen LensNote to apply it.

Record your screen or a window

1. Choose New Recording (⌘N).
2. Pick Entire Screen or a single window. Windows must be visible and at least 280 × 200 points.
3. Choose an Audio Source:
   • System + Mic (default) — the meeting or video sound plus your voice.
   • System Audio — only the sound your Mac plays.
   • Microphone — only your voice.
   • Video Only — visual notes only. Slide detection still runs; speech transcription is skipped.
4. Wait for the Pre-flight Checks to pass: macOS 14 or later, permissions granted, at least 2 GB of free disk space, and a capture target selected.
5. Click Start Recording. A floating bar shows the timer.
6. Click Stop in the floating bar or the in-app banner when you are done.

There is no pause. To skip a section, stop and start a new recording.

Recording other people may require their consent. Check the rules where you and they are, and your organization's policy, before you start. Capture begins only when you press Start.

Record audio only

Record Audio records your microphone as an M4A file. Click Stop & Process to send it for processing, or Discard Recording… to delete it. Stay on this page while recording.

Import files

Import… (⇧⌘O) accepts the same formats as the web app. See Importing Video and Audio.

Uploads

Keep LensNote open until the upload has finished. Brief network failures are retried automatically. If an upload fails, use Resume upload: the app re-sends the whole file from its local copy, or asks you to choose the original file.

Library and exports

The library shows the same sessions as the web app. On the Mac, search also looks inside transcripts. Video sessions export to PPT, PDF, Word, Markdown, Transcript, or the original video. Audio sessions export the transcript, the summary image, or the original audio. See Exporting Notes.

Updates

The app checks for updates automatically. You can also choose Check for Updates… from the app menu or in Settings → Updates.