The Great Escape: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting Rid of Otter.ai Notetaker
Has Otter.ai Notetaker become an uninvited guest in your virtual meetings, or are you simply looking to streamline your digital tools? While Otter.ai offers incredible transcription services, there are times when you need to politely, but firmly, show it the door. Whether it's to maintain privacy, reduce clutter, or simply switch to another solution, this lengthy post will guide you through every step of getting rid of Otter.ai Notetaker, ensuring it no longer automatically joins your important discussions.
Are you ready to reclaim your meeting privacy and control? Let's dive in!
Step 1: Identify the Otter.ai Notetaker's Presence
Before you can get rid of something, you need to confirm it's there and understand how it's integrated. Otter.ai Notetaker can join meetings in a few ways, primarily through calendar integrations or direct manual additions.
1.1. Check Your Meeting Participants List
During a live meeting (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams), the most immediate way to confirm Otter.ai's presence is to look at the participant list. You'll typically see a participant named "Otter.ai Notetaker," "OtterPilot," or something similar.
1.2. Review Your Otter.ai Account's Calendar Integration
Often, Otter.ai is set to auto-join meetings by syncing with your calendar (Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar). This is a common culprit for its uninvited appearances.
Log in to your Otter.ai account.
Navigate to your Account Settings.
Look for a section related to "Apps," "Integrations," or "Connected Calendars." This is where you'll see if your calendar is linked.
1.3. Examine Your Meeting Platform Settings (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams)
Sometimes, Otter.ai might be integrated directly with your meeting platform, especially if you're part of an organization that uses it.
For Zoom: Check your Zoom account's integrations or marketplace settings.
For Google Meet: Look at your connected apps in your Google account settings.
For Microsoft Teams: Admins often have control over third-party app installations. If you're an individual user, check your personal app permissions within Teams.
Step 2: Stop Otter.ai from Joining Live Meetings (Immediate Removal)
If Otter.ai is currently in a meeting and you want it gone now, here's how to do it.
2.1. Removing from the Meeting Platform Directly
This is the quickest way to remove Otter.ai from a live meeting if you have host or co-host permissions.
In Zoom:
Click on the "Participants" button at the bottom of the Zoom window.
Find "Otter.ai Notetaker" or "OtterPilot" in the list.
Hover over its name and click "More," then select "Remove."
Confirm your action when prompted.
In Google Meet:
Click on the "People" icon in the bottom right corner.
Find "Otter.ai Notetaker" or similar.
Click on the three dots next to its name and select "Remove from meeting."
In Microsoft Teams:
Click on the "People" icon in the meeting controls.
Find "Otter.ai Notetaker" or its equivalent.
Click on the three dots next to its name and select "Remove."
2.2. Stopping from the Otter.ai Homepage/Live Conversation
If you have access to your Otter.ai account during the meeting, you can stop the recording from there.
From Otter.ai Home Page Calendar:
Sign in to Otter.ai.
On the right side of the Home page, navigate to the calendar section.
The current live Notetaker recording will be displayed.
Click the "Stop recording" button.
Click "Yes, turn it off" to confirm.
From the Live Conversation Portal:
Navigate to "My Conversations" in your Otter.ai account.
Select the conversation that is currently being recorded by Notetaker.
Click "Stop Notetaker" in the control playback bar.
Click "Yes, turn it off" to confirm.
Step 3: Prevent Otter.ai from Auto-Joining Future Meetings (Long-Term Solution)
This is the crucial step to ensure Otter.ai doesn't resurface in your upcoming meetings.
3.1. Disabling Auto-Join within Otter.ai Settings
This is the most common and effective method for individual users.
Sign in to your Otter.ai account.
Click on your Profile icon (usually in the top left or right corner).
Select "Account Settings."
In the settings menu, look for the "Meetings" tab or section.
Find the "Otter Notetaker" or "OtterPilot" section.
Toggle off the "Auto-join all meetings" option. This will prevent Otter from automatically joining your synced calendar events.
3.2. Disconnecting Your Calendar from Otter.ai
If Otter.ai is linked to your calendar, disconnecting it will stop it from seeing your meeting schedule.
Sign in to your Otter.ai account.
Click on your Profile icon.
Go to "Account Settings."
Select the "Apps" or "Integrations" tab.
Scroll down to the "Connect calendars & contacts" section.
Click "Disconnect" next to the calendar account you want to unlink (e.g., Google Calendar, Microsoft Calendar).
If you previously synced an Apple Calendar via the iOS mobile app, you might need to disconnect it directly through the Otter mobile app.
3.3. Reviewing Individual Calendar Events in Otter.ai
Even after disabling auto-join, it's a good practice to double-check specific events.
On the Otter.ai homepage, review your individual calendar events.
Click on an event to bring up its settings pop-up.
Verify that "Otter Notetaker" is toggled off for that specific event.
Step 4: Address Browser Extensions and App Permissions
Sometimes, Otter.ai might have a lingering presence as a browser extension or an authorized application.
4.1. Removing Browser Extensions
If you installed an Otter.ai browser extension for quick access, it's time to remove it.
For Chrome:
Open Chrome, type
chrome://extensionsin the address bar, and press Enter.Find the Otter.ai extension.
Click "Remove" or toggle it off.
For Firefox:
Open Firefox, click the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the top right, and select "Add-ons and themes."
Go to "Extensions."
Find the Otter.ai extension and click the three dots, then select "Remove."
For Edge:
Open Edge, click the three dots (menu icon) in the top right, and select "Extensions."
Find the Otter.ai extension.
Click "Remove."
4.2. Revoking Application Permissions (Google/Microsoft Accounts)
When you connect Otter.ai to your Google or Microsoft account, you grant it certain permissions. Revoking these permissions adds an extra layer of security and ensures it can't access your data.
For Google Account:
Go to your Google Account security settings (
myaccount.google.com/security Under "Third-party apps with account access," click "Manage third-party access."
Find Otter.ai and click "Remove Access."
For Microsoft Account:
Go to your Microsoft account privacy dashboard (
account.microsoft.com/privacy/dashboard Under "App permissions," find Otter.ai and click "Edit" or "Remove these permissions."
Step 5: Deleting Your Otter.ai Account (Optional, but Thorough)
If you no longer wish to use Otter.ai at all and want to completely erase your data, deleting your account is the final step. Be aware this is permanent and irreversible.
5.1. Ensure No Active Subscriptions or Workspaces
Before deleting, make sure:
You have cancelled any active paid subscriptions and they have expired. You won't be able to delete your account with an active subscription.
If you are part of an Otter.ai Workspace, you must leave or be removed from the Workspace by an administrator first. Only individual accounts can be deleted directly.
5.2. Initiate Account Deletion
Sign in to your Otter.ai account on the web browser (this process often isn't available on the mobile app).
Click on your Profile icon.
Select "Account Settings."
Go to the "General" tab.
Scroll down to the very bottom and you should see a "Delete account" option.
Click "Delete account."
You will be prompted to enter your Otter password to verify (or verify through Google/Microsoft/Apple sign-in if that's how you created the account).
Carefully read the pop-up warning. Confirm that you wish to permanently delete your account.
Step 6: Inform Your Organization (If Applicable)
If Otter.ai Notetaker was introduced by your workplace or organization, or if you're an admin facing this issue across your team, you might need to take additional steps.
6.1. Contact Your IT Administrator
If you're an employee, it's best to inform your IT department. They may have central controls to disable Otter.ai for the entire organization or specific users. They can:
Block the Otter.ai app in the admin console of your meeting platform (e.g., Zoom Marketplace, Microsoft Teams Admin Center, Entra ID).
Implement domain-level blocking to prevent Otter.ai from joining meetings from external participants if it's a security concern.
Manage OAuth app permissions centrally.
Congratulations!
You've successfully navigated the process of getting rid of Otter.ai Notetaker. By following these steps, you've taken control of your meeting privacy and digital environment.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 10 related FAQs to help you further manage Otter.ai and similar tools:
How to stop Otter.ai from automatically joining all my Zoom meetings?
You can stop Otter.ai from auto-joining Zoom meetings by logging into your Otter.ai account, going to Account Settings > Meetings, and toggling off "Auto-join all meetings" under the Otter Notetaker section.
How to remove Otter.ai Notetaker from a live Google Meet?
To remove Otter.ai from a live Google Meet, open the "People" tab in the meeting controls, find "Otter.ai Notetaker," click the three dots next to its name, and select "Remove from meeting."
How to disconnect my calendar from Otter.ai?
Log in to your Otter.ai account, go to Account Settings > Apps, and under "Connect calendars & contacts," click "Disconnect" next to the calendar you wish to unlink.
How to delete my Otter.ai account permanently?
To permanently delete your Otter.ai account, ensure you have no active subscriptions or are part of a Workspace. Then, in your Otter.ai web account, go to Account Settings > General, and click "Delete account" at the bottom.
How to prevent any AI notetaker from joining my meetings on Zoom?
For individual meetings, you can enable a Waiting Room in Zoom and manually admit participants. For broader prevention, if you're an admin, you can block specific AI notetaker apps in the Zoom Marketplace or manage domain-level access.
How to check if Otter.ai has access to my Google account?
Go to your Google Account security settings (
How to disable Otter.ai chat messages in my meetings?
Within your Otter.ai Account Settings, look for options related to "Chat" or "Meeting Agent" settings. There might be a toggle to disable pre-recording emails or in-meeting chat notifications from Notetaker.
How to stop Otter.ai from sharing meeting notes automatically?
In your Otter.ai account, go to Account Settings > Meetings (or a similar sharing settings section) and look for "Default audience for shared notes" to set it to "Don't Share - keep my notes private."
How to remove Otter.ai browser extension?
For Chrome, go to chrome://extensions, find the Otter.ai extension, and click "Remove." For other browsers, access your browser's extension management settings and remove the Otter.ai extension.
How to block Otter.ai for an entire organization in Microsoft Teams?
As a Microsoft Teams administrator, you can go to the Teams Admin Center, navigate to "Teams apps > Manage apps," search for and select the Otter.ai app, and then disable it or restrict its usage to specific users/groups.
