#Installation & First Launch

Follow the steps below to download, install, and configure Clearminutes for your platform. The entire process takes 5–10 minutes.

#System Requirements

Check that your system meets the minimum requirements:

#Download Clearminutes

1. Visit clearminutes.app
2. Click Download and select your platform:
   • macOS — Choose based on your processor:
     • Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4): Clearminutes-aarch64.dmg
     • Intel: Clearminutes-x64.dmg
   • Windows — Clearminutes-Setup.exe (automatically handles Windows x64)

#Installation

#macOS

1. Open your Downloads folder and locate the .dmg file
2. Double-click the .dmg to mount it — a Finder window appears
3. Drag the Clearminutes icon to the Applications folder
   • [SCREENSHOT: Clearminutes.dmg mounted with icon and Applications folder]
4. Close the Finder window

First Time You Run Clearminutes:

When you open Clearminutes for the first time, you'll see a security warning because the app isn't from the App Store. This is expected:

1. Locate Clearminutes in your Applications folder
2. Right-click on Clearminutes → Select Open
3. A security dialog appears: click Open to proceed
   • [SCREENSHOT: macOS security dialog for Clearminutes]
4. The app launches and the onboarding wizard begins

#Windows

1. Locate the Clearminutes-Setup.exe in your Downloads folder
2. Double-click to launch the installer
3. A Windows SmartScreen warning appears (this is expected):
   • Click More info if needed to see the full message
   • Click Run anyway to continue
   • [SCREENSHOT: Windows SmartScreen dialog with "Run anyway" button]
4. The installer begins. Follow the prompts:
   • Accept the license agreement
   • Choose an installation location (default: C:\Program Files\Clearminutes\)
   • Click Install
5. When complete, uncheck Launch Clearminutes now unless you're ready to continue with onboarding
6. The app is installed in your Start Menu and on your Desktop

First Time You Run Clearminutes:

When you launch the app, the onboarding wizard starts automatically.

#First Launch Wizard

When you open Clearminutes for the first time, you'll see the onboarding wizard. Complete all steps before recording.

#Step 1: Grant Microphone Permission

Clearminutes needs access to your microphone to record meetings.

macOS:

• A system dialog appears asking: "Clearminutes would like to access your microphone"
• Click Allow and return to Clearminutes

Windows:

• If you're using Windows 10, a system dialog may appear — click Allow
• Windows 11 typically grants permission automatically

#Step 2: Select Language

1. Choose your language from the dropdown
2. This sets the language for all UI text and determines how Whisper processes transcription

#Step 3: Download a Whisper Model

Whisper is the transcription engine. You must download a model to record meetings.

1. Click Download Model
2. Select a model:
   • Recommended: large-v3-turbo — Best balance of speed and accuracy. ~800 MB, transcribes in real-time on most hardware
   • For more options and detailed comparisons, see Choose the Right Model
3. Click Download
   • A progress bar shows download speed and time remaining
   • [SCREENSHOT: Model download progress bar]
4. Click Continue when the download finishes

#Step 4: Select Summary Model

You've set up transcription. Now choose a model for generating summaries from transcripts.

1. Choose a summary model:
   • Built-in AI (recommended) — 9 local models included. The app recommends the best one for your hardware. See Built-in AI Models.
   • Ollama — If you have Ollama running locally, select this to use any model you've pulled
   • Claude (requires API key) — More accurate for complex meetings, but requires internet and your transcript leaves the device
   • OpenAI (requires API key) — Cloud-based transcription and summarization
   • OpenRouter (requires API key) — Access multiple cloud models through one API
   • Groq (requires API key) — Fast cloud option, token-based pricing
   • See Generate Summaries for more details
2. If you choose Claude, Groq, or another cloud option, enter your API key now (you can skip and add it later in Settings)
3. Click Finish

The onboarding wizard closes and you're ready to record your first meeting.

#Grant System Audio Permission (macOS Only)

Clearminutes uses Core Audio to capture system audio (the audio coming from your speakers — things like Zoom audio, Spotify, YouTube). You must grant screen recording permission to enable this.

To grant permission:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
2. Navigate to Privacy & Security → Screen Recording
   • [SCREENSHOT: macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording]
3. Click the + button to add an app
4. Browse to Applications → Clearminutes → Click Open
5. Clearminutes now appears in the list with a checkmark
6. Return to Clearminutes and restart the app

#Verify Your Installation

After installation and permissions are complete:

1. Open Clearminutes
2. The app displays the main interface with a Record button (top-right)
3. Click Settings (⌘, on macOS, or the gear icon)
4. Verify:
   • Transcription section shows your Whisper model with a green checkmark
   • Audio section shows available microphones
   • Summary section shows your chosen summary model
5. If any section shows an error or missing model, see Model Download Errors

#Storage Locations

Know where Clearminutes stores your data (all local, nothing leaves your device):

You can change the recordings location anytime in Settings → Storage → Change Location.

#Troubleshooting Installation

Problem: macOS says the app is damaged

Solution: macOS may quarantine apps downloaded from the internet. Try:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Clearminutes.app

Then right-click → Open again.

Problem: Windows installation fails with "installer is corrupted"

Solution: Your download may have been interrupted. Delete the .exe file and download again from clearminutes.app.

Problem: Whisper model download fails

See Model Download Errors for detailed solutions.

#Related

• Record Your First Meeting →
• Grant System Audio Permission (macOS)
• Troubleshoot Installation Issues →