Recording Widget
Keep the time, your level, moments and the stop button on top of your meeting app with the Kalima recording widget, and name and file the recording without switching windows.
While you record in the desktop app, a small widget floats on top of every other app. You see the running time and your audio level, capture a moment, or stop the recording without leaving the meeting window. Open it into a panel to name the session and choose where it is filed while the recording keeps running.
The recording widget is part of the Kalima desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. In the browser, the recording stays in the Studio tab. See Web App vs. Desktop App.
The collapsed widget
When a recording starts, the widget appears as a small dark capsule at the top centre of your screen. It shows the Kalima dove, the recording time and a quiet level line, so you can tell at a glance that sound is coming in.
Move your pointer over the capsule and three buttons appear:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Moment (bookmark) | Captures a moment at the current point in the recording. |
| End recording | Stops and saves the recording. |
| Expand | Opens the widget into the full panel. |
Small icons on the capsule tell you when your microphone or your computer audio is muted, when the connection is down, and when your recording time is running low. The expanded panel spells these out, for example Saved locally while you are offline: Kalima keeps recording on your computer and transcribes the gap once the connection is back. See Reliability & Recovery.
The expanded panel
Click Expand to see everything about the running recording:
- Name: click the name to rename the session. Enter saves, Esc discards. Leave it unnamed (or choose Name automatically) and Kalima names the session after the recording.
- Filed in: shows the workspace and project the recording goes to. Click it to choose another place. A separate window opens with your workspaces on the left and their projects on the right, a search field, and a New project button. Click Apply and the change takes effect right away, while the recording keeps running.
- Moments: a timeline of the moments you captured, with how long ago the last one was.
- Moment and End recording: the same controls as on the capsule, as large buttons.
- Privacy mode: the switch at the bottom turns Kalima's Privacy Mode on or off, the same setting as under Settings › Privacy.
The header of the panel has buttons to Collapse it back to the capsule, Open Kalima, and Hide for this recording.
Move it and tuck it away
Drag the widget wherever it suits you. When you let go near a corner, or near the middle of the top or bottom edge, it snaps into place. Kalima remembers the position for each screen.
Push the widget past the left or right edge of the screen and it docks there as a slim tab. Click the tab to bring the widget back.
To put the widget back in its default spot, open Settings › Recording widget › Position and click Reset. It returns to the top centre of your main screen.
Bring back a hidden widget
Hide for this recording puts the widget away until the recording ends. To show it again, click Show widget in the Studio header, or choose Show recording widget in the Kalima tray menu. The next recording shows the widget as usual.
After you stop
When the recording is saved, the widget shows the result: the session name (or a note that the title is being set automatically), with buttons to Open transcript, View moments, and Change where it is filed. The card closes on its own after 20 seconds, or when you click Close.
Settings
Choose how the widget behaves under Settings › Recording widget, the first entry in the Desktop app group. Display holds everything about when and how it appears, Position brings it back to its default spot.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Show the recording widget | On or off | On |
| When to show it | Always while recording, or When Kalima is in the background | Always while recording |
| When a recording starts | Collapsed (time and level) or Expanded (the full panel) | Collapsed |
| Appearance | Always dark, or Match Kalima (follows your light or dark theme) | Always dark |
| Show the result after stopping | On or off | On |
| Reset position | Puts the widget back at the top centre of your main screen |
The dark default stands out against most meeting apps, which are mostly light. If you prefer the widget to look like the rest of Kalima, choose Match Kalima.
Frequently asked questions
Not when Privacy Mode is on. The widget follows Kalima's Privacy Mode like every other Kalima window, and you can switch Privacy Mode right in the expanded panel. See Privacy Mode for how reliable this is on your system.
Yes. Click Filed in in the expanded panel, pick a workspace and project (or create a new project), and click Apply. The recording keeps running and is filed in the new place. If you pick a workspace without a project, the recording goes into that workspace until you choose a project.
Click Show widget in the Studio header, or choose Show recording widget in the Kalima tray menu. Hiding only lasts for the current recording.
Yes. Turn off Show the recording widget under Settings › Recording widget. You can still control the recording from the Studio and with your global shortcuts.