Quickstart

Runa is a desktop app for macOS and Windows that captures the meetings you’re already in, transcribes them locally, and turns them into searchable notes, summaries, and follow-ups. This guide walks you from a fresh download to your first finished meeting summary.

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1. Download and install

Get the latest build from downloads.joinruna.com and run the installer for your platform.

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2. Sign in

Open Runa. You’ll land on the sign-in screen. Choose one of:

• Continue with Google
• Continue with Microsoft (email verification required the first time)
• Email me a magic link

All three flows are powered by WorkOS. Once you’re signed in, you’ll see a brief “Restoring session…” spinner, then the app loads.

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3. Set up your microphone

The first time Runa launches, it walks you through Audio Setup:

1. Try microphone — grant Runa permission to access your microphone, then say something to confirm the level meter responds.
2. Record other participants — toggle this on (default) so Runa captures the audio of the people on the other end of Zoom, Meet, Teams, or any browser call. This works on macOS and Windows; it isn’t available on Linux.
3. On macOS, Runa will also ask for Automation permission so it can detect when you join a call in a native app (Zoom desktop client, Teams desktop, etc.).

Click Next to continue.

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4. (Optional) Teach Runa your voice

The next screen is Get to know your voice — read a short prompt out loud for about ten seconds. This helps Runa label you correctly in transcripts and remember your voice across meetings. You can:

• Save this language to finish, or Skip this step if you’d rather not.
• Record additional languages by repeating the flow — Runa will say “Multilingual — nicely done.” when you save a second one.

This step is fully skippable; speaker labeling works without it, just slightly less accurately.

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5. Connect your calendar

You’ll land on the Home screen. The Coming up card on the right shows a Connect Google Calendar button — click it and authorize Runa to read your events. Once connected, Runa will:

• Show your upcoming meetings in Coming up.
• Pop a reminder before each scheduled call (if Remind me before calendar meetings is on in Settings).
• Use the event title and attendees to pre-fill your meeting record.

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6. Capture your first meeting

You have two ways to start a meeting:

• Scheduled — when a calendar event starts, Runa nudges you to begin recording. Click Start meeting and Runa starts capturing audio locally on your device.
• Unscheduled — if you jump into a Zoom / Meet / Teams / browser call without it being on your calendar, Runa detects the call (controlled by Detect unscheduled calls in Settings) and offers to record.

While recording, you’ll see a floating recording indicator pill (toggle in Settings → Meeting assistance → Show recording indicator). Runa can also move itself beside the call window automatically (Move Runa beside calls).

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7. End the meeting and see your summary

When the call ends — or when you click Stop — Runa:

1. Finalizes the transcript with speaker labels.
2. Generates a summary using the default template (you can change templates in Settings → Summary templates).
3. Extracts action items and key takeaways.
4. Drops the meeting into your Personal folder by default.

Open the meeting from Recent meetings on Home, or from the sidebar, to read the transcript, edit notes, and share it.

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Where to go next