Granola for Windows: Setup, Teams and Zoom capture, and what IT controls

TL;DR: Granola runs natively on Windows 10 and later, capturing device audio from Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet. You jot rough notes during the meeting, and Granola enhances them with AI-powered context from the transcript, turning your bullet points into detailed summaries while you stay in control. Setup takes under 5 minutes: download, connect your calendar, and start your first meeting. IT teams deploy Granola with SSO (Enterprise), SCIM (Enterprise), and org-wide data retention policies. We are SOC 2 Type 2 certified. Audio is cached during each meeting and deleted once transcription completes. Transparency features including automated chat messages and video watermarks keep participants informed.

Granola's Windows app, released in June 2025, is a full native release with human-guided note enhancement, device-level audio capture, and Enterprise plan deployment controls.

You get the same notepad interface, the same AI enhancement that turns rough notes into detailed summaries, and the same privacy-first architecture. For IT teams, we offer Enterprise plan deployment controls including SSO, SCIM, and configurable data retention.

How Granola compares to Windows alternatives

Fireflies and Otter offer audio playback and sales-focused CRM insights, including deal analysis and coaching features. Fathom focuses on AI-generated meeting summaries and supports Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. We capture device audio and give you human-guided enhancement where you control what stays.

Step by step: installing Granola on Windows

Installing Granola on Windows takes under 5 minutes. You download the installer, sign in, connect your calendar, and grant audio permissions. No training or complex configuration is required.

System requirements for Granola Windows

Granola for Windows runs on Windows 10 or later. You need a working microphone and an internet connection. Granola captures device audio and transcribes in real time, so a stable internet connection is required.

Granola uses your computer's microphone and system audio. There is no separate audio configuration menu inside Granola.

How to deploy Granola on Windows

You can install Granola through the standard installer or via command line for scripted deployments.

Standard installation:

1. Download the Windows installer from the Granola website.
2. Run the installer from your Downloads folder and follow the on-screen installation flow.
3. Sign in with your Google Workspace or Microsoft account.
4. Connect your calendar when prompted. Upcoming meetings appear automatically in the Granola app.

IT-managed deployment:

Granola does not yet provide step-by-step managed installation support for tools like Jamf, Kandji, Omnissa Workspace ONE, FleetDM, or WinGet. See the managed installations guide for current guidance.

Enable Granola on your Windows device

After installation, Granola's audio permissions are automatically granted on Windows. No manual permission step is required.

If you need to review or troubleshoot microphone access, navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone to confirm Granola appears in the list.

System audio is captured automatically, with no extra setup needed. If you need to reinstall or troubleshoot, the reinstallation guide walks through the clean install process.

Granola captures Zoom meetings without host permissions or API setup

Granola captures Zoom meetings on Windows by transcribing your device audio in real time, so you can capture any Zoom meeting you attend, whether you are the host or a guest. No Zoom host permissions or API setup is required.

Setting up Granola Zoom integration

Granola does not require a Zoom-specific integration. Because capture happens locally on your Windows device, the setup process is about giving Granola access to your audio and calendar, not connecting accounts inside Zoom.

1. Install the desktop app: Download Granola for Windows and complete the installation flow described above.
2. Sign in and connect your calendar: Granola syncs your upcoming Zoom meetings automatically once calendar access is authorized.
3. Grant audio permissions: Ensure microphone access is enabled in Windows settings. System audio capture is automatic on Windows.
4. Configure audio device matching: Zoom and Windows should use the same default microphone and output device. Check your Zoom audio settings and Windows sound settings before the meeting to confirm they match.

Granola works regardless of your Zoom host status. It captures your device's system audio and microphone directly, the way your computer hears the call. The app prompts you one minute before a scheduled meeting starts, so you can open your notepad and begin jotting rough notes as the conversation begins.

For organizations deploying Granola across Zoom and Teams, the admin setup guide covers workspace-level configuration.

Granola captures Teams meetings on Windows

Microsoft Teams capture on Windows works the same way as Zoom. Granola transcribes device audio in real time without requiring a Teams app integration. Granola works through the Teams desktop app on Windows.

Capturing Teams meetings on Windows

Open Granola before your Teams meeting starts. We sync your calendar, so scheduled Teams calls appear automatically. Click the meeting in Granola to open your notepad.

As the Teams meeting begins, jot rough notes about key points, decisions, or questions. We transcribe the audio in real time. When the meeting ends, your rough notes are enhanced with transcript context. Direct quotes, action items, and details you missed appear in gray text below your black notes.

For IT teams, Granola's admin controls let you configure automated chat notifications so participants see a message when transcription starts.

Granola captures Google Meet without a Meet-specific setup

Google Meet capture on Windows follows the same pattern as Zoom and Teams. Granola transcribes device audio, so you can capture Meet calls whether you join through Chrome, Edge, or any browser on Windows.

Setting up Granola capture on Windows

Connect your Google calendar to Granola. Upcoming Google Meet calls appear automatically in the app. One minute before the meeting starts, Granola sends a notification. Click it to open your notepad and begin capturing.

For individuals who want to notify participants, the Google Meet transparency guide covers how to enable the automated chat message.

What Granola captures automatically

We capture the full conversation audio from your device, transcribe it in real time, and enhance the rough notes you jot during the meeting. You get:

• Speaker attribution: See who said what in multi-person meetings when speaker tags are enabled for Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams.
• Timestamped quotes: Jump to specific moments in the transcript.
• Action items and decisions: Enhanced notes highlight commitments and next steps based on what you marked as important.
• Searchable archive: Query across all your past Google Meet calls with questions like "What did the customer say about pricing last month?"

Your notes stay private unless you share them. Participants do not see your Granola notes unless you explicitly send a link or add the note to a shared folder.

How Granola handles participant privacy and deletion

We give you two transparency features to inform participants that notes are being captured. We recommend enabling at least one. Both can be enforced org-wide by workspace admins.

The first option is an automated chat message. Granola posts a message in your Teams or Zoom meeting chat when it starts transcribing. The message is quick, automatic, and visible to all participants. Workspace admins can enforce this for the whole team on Windows.

The second option is Granola Watermark. This displays a visible indicator on your video feed that Granola is transcribing. The watermark appears only while Granola is actively transcribing and disappears when you stop. Its available on macOS 14.0+ and Windows 11.

You can stop Granola at any time during a call if a participant requests it. If a participant asks you to delete their interview after the fact, delete the note from within the Granola app. Notes move to trash and are purged after 30 days.

Configuring Granola for your IT environment

IT teams deploying Granola across a Windows-based organization get admin controls for identity management, data retention, user provisioning, and security monitoring, with deployment options that scale from small teams to large enterprises.

Configuring Granola for Windows teams

Our Enterprise plan includes centralized controls for managing users, enforcing policies, and monitoring usage across your organization.

• Single Sign-On (SSO) (Enterprise): Granola integrates with major identity providers. End users sign in with their existing corporate credentials. No separate Granola passwords to manage.
• SCIM provisioning (Enterprise): Automate user provisioning and deprovisioning at scale. When someone joins your organization, SCIM creates and updates their workspace membership. When they leave, SCIM removes their workspace membership. Note that it can take a few minutes for changes to sync.
• Domain management (Enterprise): Consolidate free Granola accounts under your corporate domain. This gives you visibility into who is using Granola and lets you bring individual accounts under central management.

Configuring Granola data retention

We store notes and transcripts in our secure cloud by default, but you control how long that data persists. Individuals can set transcript auto-deletion windows from 1 day to 1 year. Deleted notes move to trash and are permanently purged from our servers after 30 days.

On our Enterprise plan, admins configure org-wide auto-deletion periods for transcripts. You set how long meeting data is retained, and we enforce that policy automatically across all users. This aligns with compliance obligations that require data minimization or time-bound retention.

Audio is temporarily cached during the meeting and deleted once transcription completes. This is an architectural choice, not a configurable setting. Because no audio is retained beyond transcription, there is nothing to replay or access after the meeting ends.

You can delete any meeting note directly within the app. Deleted notes move to trash and are permanently purged from our servers after 30 days. You can also delete your account at any time in Settings > Profile.

Admin controls for Granola deployments

Our admin dashboard gives IT teams org-wide visibility and management from a single interface. You can:

• View workspace members, their roles, and remove members as needed.
• Enforce transparency settings (chat notification, video watermark) across the organization.
• Request org-wide data retention policies by contacting Granola.
• Access the Audit API to pull workspace events into your security and compliance tools.
• Manage API access and third-party integrations.

We encrypt data in transit and at rest. Your conversation data is never used to train shared AI models from third-party providers. On Enterprise plans, the org-wide AI training opt-out is enforced by default for every user.

SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR

We achieved SOC 2 Type 2 certification in July 2025. This independent audit verifies that our security controls meet industry standards for protecting customer data.

You can access the full SOC 2 report and detailed scope documentation through Granola's Trust Center. This gives your security and procurement teams the evidence they need to approve Granola for use with customer research data.

Our Data Processing Addendum incorporates EU and UK Standard Contractual Clauses for EU-based enterprises and transfers from the EU and UK to the US

Try Granola for free. Download the Windows app, connect your calendar, and run your next meeting to see enhanced notes in action.

FAQs

Does Granola work on Windows 10 and 11?

Yes. We run natively on Windows 10 and later.

Does Granola join my meeting as a participant?

There is no meeting bot. Granola runs only on your computer and uses your system audio and microphone.

Can IT deploy Granola across the organization?

Yes. Enterprise plans include SSO, SCIM user provisioning, org-wide data retention policies, and an admin dashboard for managing users and enforcing transparency settings.

Where is my meeting data stored?

We store notes and transcripts in our secure cloud, encrypted in transit and at rest. You can delete notes and transcripts at any time.

Does Granola support other meeting platforms on Windows?

Yes. We capture device audio, so we work with any meeting platform or audio source on your Windows PC, including WebEx, Slack huddles, WhatsApp, and in-person conversations.

Key terms glossary

AI notepad: A note-taking tool where you jot rough notes during a meeting and AI enhances them with context from the transcript. We built Granola as an AI notepad, not a fully automated tool that generates notes without your input.

Device audio capture: Transcription method where Granola uses your computer's microphone and system audio, rather than joining the call as a visible participant.

Human-guided notes: Note-taking approach where you jot rough notes during a meeting and AI fills in supporting detail from the transcript afterward, rather than generating notes without your input.

SCIM: System for Cross-domain Identity Management. A standard for automating user provisioning and deprovisioning across applications. We support SCIM on Enterprise plans.

SOC 2 Type 2: An independent audit certification that verifies a company's security controls meet industry standards over time. Granola is SOC 2 Type 2 certified.

SSO: Single Sign-On. Authentication method that lets users sign in to multiple applications with one set of corporate credentials. We support SSO through major identity providers.

Transparency features: Tools that inform meeting participants that transcription is active. We offer an automated chat message and a video watermark that can be enabled individually or enforced across a team.