How to Effectively Disable Otter.ai on Zoom: A Comprehensive Guide
Are you finding Otter.ai automatically joining your Zoom meetings, transcribing everything, and perhaps sharing notes without your explicit consent? While Otter.ai is an incredibly powerful tool for meeting transcription and summarization, there are definitely times when you want to take back control. Whether it's for privacy concerns, a preference for manual note-taking, or simply decluttering your virtual meeting space, disabling Otter.ai from your Zoom sessions is a straightforward process.
Let's dive in and take control of your meeting privacy!
Step 1: Identify How Otter.ai is Joining Your Meetings
Before we jump into the disabling steps, it's crucial to understand how Otter.ai is connecting to your Zoom meetings. This will help you choose the most effective method for disabling it. There are generally two primary ways Otter.ai integrates:
A. OtterPilot Auto-Join: This is the most common scenario, where you've likely connected your calendar to Otter.ai, and it's set to automatically join all or specific scheduled meetings. This is often a set-it-and-forget-it feature that can become quite persistent.
B. Manually Added Notetaker/Live Notes: Someone (either you or another participant) might be manually adding the Otter.ai Notetaker during a live meeting, or using Otter Live Notes.
C. Zoom Marketplace App Installation: Otter.ai can be installed as an app directly from the Zoom App Marketplace, giving it certain permissions within your Zoom account.
D. Organization-Wide Deployment: In some corporate or educational environments, an administrator might have deployed Otter.ai across the entire organization's Zoom accounts. In this case, individual users might have limited control.
Understanding the source of the connection is your first step to a successful disconnection!
Step 2: Disabling OtterPilot's Auto-Join Feature (Most Common Method)
If OtterPilot is automatically joining your meetings, this is the most likely culprit, and fortunately, it's relatively easy to disable.
A. Through Your Otter.ai Account Settings
This is the most direct and effective way to stop OtterPilot from automatically joining your Zoom meetings.
Log in to your Otter.ai account: Open your web browser and go to
otter.ai Navigate to Account Settings:
Once logged in, look for your profile icon (usually in the top-left or top-right corner, often your initial or a picture). Click on it.
From the dropdown menu, select "Account Settings".
Access the Meetings Tab:
Within Account Settings, you'll see various tabs. Click on the "Meetings" tab. This section is specifically designed to manage how Otter.ai interacts with your calendar and meeting platforms.
Locate OtterPilot/Otter Assistant:
Scroll down until you find a section titled "OtterPilot" or "Otter Assistant."
Under this section, you'll see an option like "Auto-join all meetings" or similar.
Toggle Off Auto-Join:
This is the crucial step! Toggle this setting to "OFF". It's usually a switch or a checkbox.
You might receive a pop-up confirming your decision and indicating how many upcoming meetings Otter Assistant was scheduled to join. Confirm by selecting "Yes, turn them off" or a similar confirmation.
Review Calendar Events (Optional but Recommended):
Otter.ai often displays a calendar view on its homepage. After disabling auto-join, it's a good idea to quickly review your upcoming meetings on this calendar within Otter.ai to ensure that the Notetaker icon (often a small otter head) is no longer visible next to your Zoom meetings. If you previously toggled individual meetings on or off, those specific settings might persist, so double-checking ensures complete control.
B. Managing Auto-Join for Specific Meetings (If Auto-Join is Still On)
If you don't want to disable auto-join for all meetings but only for certain ones, or if you had previously manually enabled it for some:
Access your Otter.ai Home Page: Log in to Otter.ai.
Go to the Calendar Tab/Section: On the home page, you'll typically see a "Meetings" or "Calendar" section on the right side.
Toggle Off Individual Meetings: For any upcoming meeting listed, you'll likely see a toggle or an "Otter Notetaker" option next to it. Manually toggle this OFF for the specific meetings you don't want Otter.ai to join.
Step 3: Removing Otter Notetaker During a Live Zoom Meeting
If Otter.ai still manages to join a meeting (perhaps it was manually added by another participant who has an Otter.ai account, or you forgot to disable it for a specific recurring meeting), you, as the host or co-host, can remove it.
During the Zoom Meeting: Once the meeting has started and Otter.ai's Notetaker is present as a participant.
Access Participants List: Click on the "Participants" icon at the bottom of your Zoom meeting window.
Locate "Otter.ai Notetaker": In the participants list that appears on the right, find "Otter.ai Notetaker" or a similar entry (it often appears as a bot or an AI participant).
Remove the Participant:
Hover over "Otter.ai Notetaker."
Click on the "More" button that appears next to it.
Select "Remove" from the options.
Confirm your action if prompted.
This will immediately remove Otter.ai from the current meeting and stop its real-time transcription.
Step 4: Disconnecting Otter.ai from the Zoom App Marketplace (for hosts/admins)
If Otter.ai was installed as an application through the Zoom App Marketplace, or if you're an admin trying to control its deployment, you might need to disconnect it from the Zoom side.
A. For Individual Users
Log in to your Zoom account: Go to the Zoom website and sign in.
Navigate to Integrations/Apps:
On the left-hand navigation menu, look for "Apps" or "App Marketplace."
Click on "Manage" or "My Apps."
Find Otter.ai: Look for "Otter.ai" in your list of installed applications.
Uninstall/Remove:
Click on "Otter.ai."
You should see an option to "Uninstall" or "Remove" the application. Click on this.
Follow any on-screen prompts to confirm the uninstallation.
B. For Zoom Account Administrators
If you are a Zoom administrator for your organization, you have more control over which third-party apps can be used.
Log in to the Zoom Web Portal as an Administrator.
Navigate to Account Management > App Marketplace: In the left sidebar, go to "Account Management," then "App Marketplace."
Manage Installed Apps: Click on "Manage" in the top right corner, then select "Admin App Management."
Find Otter.ai: Under the "Apps on Account" tab, locate "Otter.ai."
Disable or Remove:
Click on "Otter.ai."
You should see options to "Disable" the app (preventing users in your organization from using it) or "Remove" it entirely. Select the appropriate action.
Confirm your decision.
This step is particularly important for organizations wanting to enforce a policy against specific AI notetakers.
Step 5: Addressing Organizational Settings & Waiting Rooms
If you're still facing issues, especially in an organizational setting, or if external participants are bringing Otter.ai into your meetings, consider these Zoom settings:
A. Enable Waiting Room in Zoom
Implementing a Waiting Room for your Zoom meetings is an excellent security measure that can help prevent unwanted participants, including AI bots like Otter.ai, from joining your meetings without your explicit approval.
Log in to your Zoom account on the web portal.
Go to Settings: On the left navigation panel, click "Settings."
Navigate to Security Settings: Under the "Meeting" tab, scroll down to the "Security" section.
Enable Waiting Room: Toggle the "Waiting Room" option to ON.
Customize Waiting Room Options: You can choose who goes into the waiting room (e.g., "All participants" or "Users not in your account"). For maximum control, select "All participants."
With the Waiting Room enabled, you'll see a notification when someone (or something) tries to join, allowing you to admit them manually. This gives you the power to decline Otter.ai if it attempts to join.
B. Only Authenticated Users Can Join
Another powerful setting in Zoom is to require participants to be authenticated users. This means they must be signed into a Zoom account.
Log in to your Zoom account on the web portal.
Go to Settings.
Navigate to Security Settings: Under the "Meeting" tab, scroll to the "Security" section.
Enable "Only authenticated users can join meetings": Toggle this setting to ON.
This helps prevent uninvited bots, as they typically don't have authenticated Zoom accounts.
Step 6: Final Checks and Troubleshooting
After performing the above steps, it's always a good idea to double-check:
Test a Meeting: Schedule a short test Zoom meeting and see if Otter.ai joins automatically.
Check Otter.ai's Calendar Sync: In Otter.ai's settings, ensure your calendar is disconnected or that the auto-join feature is explicitly off.
Clear Browser Cache: Sometimes, browser cache can cause lingering issues. Clear your browser's cache and cookies, then try logging into both Zoom and Otter.ai again.
Contact Otter.ai Support: If you're still experiencing persistent issues, especially if you believe your account is linked in an unusual way, contact Otter.ai's customer support. They can often provide specific guidance or even manually unlink accounts if necessary.
Contact Zoom Support: Similarly, if you suspect an issue on the Zoom side, reaching out to Zoom support can be helpful, particularly for complex organizational setups.
Patience and thoroughness are key in resolving persistent tech issues!
Frequently Asked Questions about Disabling Otter.ai on Zoom
Here are 10 common "How to" questions related to disabling Otter.ai on Zoom, with quick answers:
How to stop Otter.ai from automatically joining all my Zoom meetings?
Log in to Otter.ai, go to Account Settings > Meetings, and toggle off "Auto-join all meetings" under the OtterPilot/Otter Assistant section.
How to remove Otter.ai Notetaker from a live Zoom meeting?
As the host or co-host in a live Zoom meeting, click "Participants," find "Otter.ai Notetaker," click "More," and then select "Remove."
How to disconnect the Otter.ai app from my Zoom account?
Log in to the Zoom web portal, go to "Apps" or "App Marketplace," find "Otter.ai" in "My Apps," and then "Uninstall" or "Remove" it.
How to prevent Otter.ai from transcribing a specific upcoming Zoom meeting?
Log in to Otter.ai, go to the "Calendar" or "Meetings" section on the homepage, and manually toggle off the Otter Notetaker for that particular meeting.
How to stop Otter.ai if another meeting participant added it to a Zoom call?
As the meeting host or co-host, you can remove the "Otter.ai Notetaker" participant from the participants list during the live meeting (see question 2).
How to ensure Otter.ai doesn't join my Zoom meetings if I use the Otter.ai Chrome extension?
While the extension primarily allows for manual activation, ensure that any auto-join settings within your Otter.ai account (as per question 1) are disabled. You can also disable or remove the Chrome extension itself if you no longer need it.
How to block Otter.ai for all users in my organization's Zoom account as an administrator?
Log in to the Zoom web portal as an admin, go to Account Management > App Marketplace > Admin App Management > Apps on Account, find "Otter.ai," and then choose to "Disable" or "Remove" the application.
How to make sure only approved attendees can join my Zoom meetings and block uninvited AI bots like Otter.ai?
Enable the "Waiting Room" feature in your Zoom settings (Zoom web portal > Settings > Security). This allows you to manually admit participants.
How to stop Otter.ai from sending chat messages in my Zoom meetings?
Log in to Otter.ai, go to Account Settings > Meetings. Under "Notetaker chat messages," toggle off "Send live transcript and summary" and "Send Otter Chat Q&A."
How to completely delete my Otter.ai account to ensure no future interaction with Zoom?
Log in to Otter.ai, click on your profile icon, go to "Account Settings," select the "General" tab, scroll down, and find the "Delete account" option. Follow the prompts to confirm deletion. Be aware this is a permanent action.
