Did not receive the meeting notes/ transcript? Troubleshoot transcription issues

If you're missing a meeting transcript or it seems stuck in progress, don’t worry—this guide covers all possible causes and steps to fix them.

Need help figuring out why Fred didn’t join your meeting in the first place?
Check our full Fred did not join troubleshooting guide →

🚫 Didn’t receive the meeting transcript

Here are the most common reasons and what to do:

1. 🔧 Your Auto-Join Settings are blocking Fred

If your Auto-Join is set to “Only when I invite fred@fireflies.ai,” and you forgot to add Fred to the invite, Fireflies won’t show up—so no transcript.

join by inviting fred@fireflies.ai

✅ Fix it:
Update your preferences under Settings > Meeting Settings > Auto-Join.

Learn how to use Auto-Join →

2. 👤 You were not the host, and the meeting recap privacy was set to "Only host"

If you attended the meeting but didn’t host it—and the host has recap sharing set to “Only owner”—you won’t see the transcript

✅ Fix it:
Ask the host to change the recap privacy setting or share the meeting manually with you.

How to manage recap privacy →

3. ⏳ The meeting is still processing

It can take 5–10 minutes for your transcript to be generated after a meeting. Go to your Fireflies dashboard and check the status under Meeting Status.

If the status is still “In Progress,” give it some time.

4. 🕒 Meeting was too short

Fireflies doesn’t process meetings that last less than 3 minutes. So if your call ended quickly or Fred was removed early, there won’t be a transcript.

5. 🛑 Fred was denied entry or blocked by platform settings

If Fireflies wasn’t allowed into the meeting (stuck in waiting room, denied recording, login required, etc.), the bot couldn’t record anything.

✅ Fix it:
Check the Meeting Status page to see if Fred tried to join and was blocked. Look for error messages like:

• ❌ “Login or Captcha required”

• ❌ “Host declined recording permission”

• ❌ “Meeting requires sign-in”

• ❌ “Waiting room: no one let Fireflies in”

✅ Use the setup guides to fix these:

• Zoom →

• Google →

• Microsoft Teams →

🌀 Transcription progress is stuck or slow

If your meeting shows “In Progress” for too long or the transcript isn’t loading:

1. 🌐 Check your internet connection

Ensure you have a stable Wi-Fi or LAN connection. If you were on mobile data or switched networks mid-call, processing may slow down.

2. 📥 Transcript is large and still loading

Longer meetings or calls with multiple speakers can take longer to process and display in your Notepad.

✅ Tip:
Wait a few more minutes. Refresh the Notepad or open the meeting again.

3. 🧼 Clear cache or try incognito

Try opening your Fireflies dashboard in an incognito window or clear your browser cache. Sometimes browser-side issues prevent transcript loading.

✅ Recap: Troubleshooting checklist