How to Use AI Meeting Minutes in 2026: A 5-Step Beginner's Guide

How to Use AI Meeting Minutes in 2026: A 5-Step Beginner's Guide

Have you ever found yourself staring at a pile of audio recordings and notes after a meeting, not knowing where to start? Actually, there are many AI tools now that can automatically generate meeting minutes for you, allowing you to focus on the meeting without scrambling to take notes. This article will use Tinrec (Seconds Listening) as an example to guide you through using AI tools to create meeting minutes.

Before You Start: What You Need

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

• A smartphone or computer (Tinrec supports iOS, Android, and web versions)
• Download the Tinrec app or register an account on the official website (the free version is enough to start)
• An audio recording you want to transcribe (it can be a meeting recording, interview, or lecture)
• A stable internet connection (real-time transcription requires internet; for offline use, download the language pack in advance)

Once you're ready, let's get started!

Step 1: Record the Content You Want to Transcribe

The goal of this step is to obtain a clear audio recording, which is the foundation for all subsequent steps.

Open Tinrec and tap the record button on the main screen to start recording. When recording, try to keep the phone close to the speaker; the closer the distance, the clearer the audio, and the higher the transcription accuracy. For multi-person meetings, place the phone in the center of the table to capture more voices.

Why is recording quality so important? Because AI transcription accuracy depends on audio quality; even the best transcription engine struggles with unclear recordings. Rather than spending time correcting later, spend an extra 30 seconds confirming the placement during recording.

After finishing, you'll see the recording on the main screen of Tinrec, with the duration and file size displayed next to it.

(Illustration: A person sitting in a meeting room, phone on the table recording, screen showing real-time transcript text)

Step 2: Let AI Transcribe the Audio into Text

After recording, the next step is to let AI convert the speech into text.

In the recording list in Tinrec, tap the file you just recorded and select the "Transcribe" function. The system will automatically start processing, and depending on the length of the recording, it usually completes within a few minutes. During transcription, you can see the text appearing word by word, like real-time subtitles.

Tinrec's transcription supports multiple languages, including Chinese, English, Japanese, etc., and can also automatically identify different speakers, so you know who said what. This is very useful for meeting minutes, as you can clearly see each person's contributions.

Once transcription is complete, you'll get a full transcript with timestamps, making it easy to quickly locate specific sections.

(Illustration: Phone screen showing transcription in progress, text appearing line by line, with different speakers indicated)

Step 3: Quickly Proofread the Transcript

Although AI transcription accuracy is already high, errors can still occur due to accents, technical terms, or background noise. Therefore, proofreading is a necessary step.

In Tinrec, you can directly edit the transcript to correct typos or add missing content. We recommend proofreading while listening to the recording to ensure the text matches the audio. If the recording environment is noisy, you can enable the "Smart Noise Reduction" feature before transcription to reduce background noise interference.

Additionally, Tinrec automatically highlights key sentences, allowing you to quickly review these points and check if any corrections are needed. After proofreading, your transcript is ready for the next step.

(Illustration: A person wearing headphones, editing text on a phone while listening to the recording)

Step 4: Let AI Generate Meeting Minutes

This step is the essence of AI meeting minutes—letting AI organize the meeting summary, key points, and action items.

In Tinrec, tap the "AI Summary" function, and the system will automatically generate meeting minutes based on the transcript, including the meeting topic, discussion points, decisions, and next actions. You can also use the "AI Q&A" function to directly ask AI, "What was the conclusion of this meeting?" or "What are the action items?" and AI will answer based on the meeting content.

Even more impressive, Tinrec's AI assistant can help you turn action items into an action plan, and even generate reports, tables, or documents. For example, if the meeting decided to follow up with a client, AI can help you draft a follow-up email or compile a list of client requirements.

However, please note that AI-generated content is for reference only; for important decisions and content sent externally, we recommend human review.

(Illustration: Phone screen showing AI-generated meeting minutes, including summary, key points, and action items)

Step 5: Export and Share

The final step is to export or share your meeting minutes with those who need them.

Tinrec supports multiple export formats, including text files (TXT), Word, PDF, etc., which you can download directly to your computer or phone. Additionally, Tinrec supports exporting to third-party tools like Notion, Google Docs, and OneNote, making it easy to integrate into your existing workflow.

If you use Tinrec's team edition, you can also save meeting materials to a team space, allowing team members to view and search them. This way, meeting minutes are no longer personal notes but a shared knowledge base for the team.

(Illustration: Phone screen showing export options, including TXT, Word, PDF, etc.)

FAQ and Troubleshooting

Q: The transcribed text has many errors. What should I do?

Usually, the recording environment is too noisy or the distance is too far. Tinrec has a built-in smart noise reduction feature; enable it in settings before recording. If you're using an already recorded file, you can manually select "High Noise Environment" mode after importing. Most transcription tools on the market don't have this option; they use a default mode for all recordings.

Q: What's the difference between the free and paid versions?

The free version offers 100 minutes of transcription per month, suitable for occasional use. The paid version (Pro) provides more minutes and advanced features like real-time translation and team space. You can choose a plan based on your usage frequency.

Q: What languages are supported?

Tinrec supports multiple languages, including Chinese (traditional and simplified), English, Japanese, Korean, etc., and offers real-time translation, suitable for cross-language meetings.

Q: How long are meeting recordings stored?

In the free version, recordings are stored for a limited time, while the paid version allows long-term storage. We recommend regularly backing up important meeting recordings to other cloud storage.

Q: Can I use it on a computer?

Yes. Tinrec offers a web version and a desktop version, allowing you to record online meetings (such as Zoom, Google Meet, Teams) from your computer without installing additional meeting bots.

Advanced Tips: 3 Ways to Double Your Efficiency with Tinrec

Tip 1: Use AI Q&A to Quickly Find Key Points

Instead of reading the entire transcript, just ask AI: "What was the outcome of the budget discussion in this meeting?" AI will answer based on the meeting content, saving you a lot of search time.

Tip 2: Enable Real-Time Translation for Seamless Cross-Language Meetings

If you have foreign clients or colleagues, enable the real-time translation feature to see the original text and translation while recording, without waiting until after the meeting to translate.

Tip 3: Use Team Space to Share Meeting Materials

If your team has frequent meetings, upload meeting materials to the team space so members can access historical meeting minutes anytime, without digging through chat logs to find files.

If You Don't Use Tinrec, Here Are Other Options

• Otter.ai: A mature choice for English meeting notes, supporting multiple online meeting platforms, but with weaker Chinese support.
• Notta: A multilingual transcription tool that supports file upload and real-time transcription, but without bot recording for online meetings unless you purchase a separate plan.

However, if you need Chinese meeting minutes, bot-free recording, and team collaboration features, Tinrec is a more suitable choice for you.

Conclusion

Now that you've learned these 5 steps, you can use Tinrec to turn any recording into a transcript, automatically generate meeting minutes, and use AI Q&A to find key points directly. Next step: download the free version of Tinrec and try it with one of your own recordings. The monthly 100-minute free allowance is enough for you to try a couple of meetings.

Connect Meeting Minutes to Your Team's Next Steps

Tinrec doesn't just produce transcripts. After organizing summaries, key points, and action items, the Agent can help further process the action items into action plans, follow-up materials, reports, tables, or documents based on the meeting context. Important commitments and external communications should still be reviewed by humans.

The Tinrec team edition places meeting materials, action items, and post-meeting outputs in a shared team space, allowing members to continue following up, search context, and accumulate knowledge over time. The capabilities selected for this scenario include "team space, shared meeting materials."

If these meeting minutes need to be managed collaboratively by multiple people, you can further use the Tinrec team edition to establish a consistent collaboration workflow.

References

• 2026's Most Recommended AI Meeting Recording Tool, a Time-Saving Essential for Meetings!
• Meeting Minutes AI Tool: Real-Time Recording, Summary Organization! 3 Small Tools to Let You Focus on Meetings
• DigiKnow | Meeting notes too many and messy? Let AI be your meeting assistant
• AI Meeting Notes - Intelligent Meeting Transcription & Summary | MaiAgent
• 2026 AI Meeting Notes Tool Complete Guide: Automatic Transcription, AI Summary, and Team Collaboration Explained - Seconds Listening Blog