# Starting a session

Open the New session window and choose the template, audio, speakers, AI model, project, context, summary language and privacy for a recording.

Canonical URL: https://docs.talkbar.app/sessions/starting-a-session


Keyboard shortcuts shown below are Windows defaults. On macOS, check the shortcut shown in TalkBar or its settings; configurable shortcuts can be changed there.

Every recording starts in the **New session** window. You pick what kind of session it is, where the audio comes from and how many people will talk, then click **Start session**. Everything else is optional and has sensible defaults.

## Ways to start

- Click **New session** in the title bar.
- Click **Start session** on the **Sessions** page or on Home.
- Click **Start** on a scheduled session in **Upcoming sessions**. The window opens with that session's prepared setup. (**Start** in a reminder, or on a session about to begin in the **Up next** strip, starts recording right away.) See [Scheduling and preparing](/sessions/scheduling-and-preparing).
- Use the **session bar** (see [below](#the-session-bar)).


Only one session can record at a time. If another session is recording, the window shows **Recording in progress** with **Open live session**. Stop that session first, or click **Schedule for later**.


## The New session window

The window has four parts. Use the step bar at the top to jump between them. **Template** is always open; the other three expand when you click them.




### Template

| Option | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Template cards** | A [session template](/sessions/templates-and-skills) is a type of session, such as *Meeting*, *1:1*, *Interview* or *Voice Note*. It sets the summary sections, AI instructions and default audio and speaker settings. Pinned templates come first. Click **More…** to search every enabled template by category, or **Manage templates…** to open template settings. |
| **Sections** | The summary sections this template writes. Click **Customize** to switch sections on or off, or **Add section** to borrow a section from another template. These changes apply to this session only. Click **Done** when finished. |
| **Audio** | **Microphone** (your voice), **System audio** (the sound your computer plays, such as the other side of a call) or **Mic + System** (both). |
| **Upload audio file** | Builds the session from an existing recording instead. See [Importing recordings](/sessions/importing-recordings). |
| **Speakers** | How many people you expect: **Just you**, **You + 1**, **Small (2–4)** or **Large (5–8)**. This helps TalkBar tell voices apart. |
| **Speakers at start** | The expected voices as slots, starting with **You**. Use the buttons next to it to add or remove slots. Click a slot to type a name, or type `@` to pick a saved person. New voices fill free slots in order; you can rename or combine speakers later. |
| **Intelligence** | Which AI writes the timeline and summary. **Default** uses your configured model; open its menu to pick another model for this session. **Private AI** runs the session on built-in local models only (see below). |
| **Topics** and **Source** | Tag the session with [topics](/knowledge/topics-and-keywords), and note where it comes from, such as a video or meeting link. |

If you change **Audio** or **Speakers** away from what the template suggests, **Reset to template default** puts them back.


For **Large (5–8)**, TalkBar needs a larger speaker model. If it isn't downloaded, the window says so and offers **Download**. Without it, TalkBar separates up to 4 speakers. See [Speakers](/voice/speakers).


#### Private AI for one session

Choose **Private AI** in **Intelligence** to keep this session's AI on your computer. The window title then reads **This session will run on Private AI**, and the recording screen shows a shield icon. The setting is permanent for that session: its summaries are always written by built-in local models.

**Private AI** needs a downloaded built-in local model. If you don't have one, add it in **Settings → Private Local AI**. See [Private AI Mode](/ai/private-ai-mode) and [Local models](/ai/local-models).

### Project and Series

| Option | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Project** | Files the session under a [project](/knowledge/projects). Choose **New project…** to create one. |
| **Series** | Adds the session to a [session series](/sessions/series). Choose **New series…** to create one. |
| **Defaults** | Appears once you pick a series. **Save current setup as defaults** makes this window's choices the starting point for the series' next sessions. **Copy latest** and **Copy from a past session…** copy the setup of a session already in the series. |

### Prep & context

Attach what the AI should know about during the session. You can read these items while you record, and they help with recall and summaries.

| Option | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **People** | **Add people** from your contacts. They are attached to the session for context. |
| **Knowledge deck** | **Add cards** from your [knowledge cards](/knowledge/knowledge-cards). They light up when they come up in conversation. |
| **Documents** | **Add documents** from your [document library](/knowledge/documents). |
| **Prepare** / **Open meeting prep** | Opens the full preparation page for notes, document scans and drafts to review. For a session that isn't scheduled yet, **Prepare** saves it as a prep first. See [Preparing for a session](/sessions/scheduling-and-preparing#preparing-for-a-session). |

### AI & privacy

| Option | What it does | Default |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Summary language** | The language of the summary, the timeline and the AI title. **Auto** follows the language spoken. Click **More…** to pick from 16 languages. | Auto |
| **Summary length** | **Short**, **Standard** or **Detailed**. Affects the summary only, not the timeline. | Standard |
| **Privacy** | What TalkBar may do with this session's knowledge. See the table below. | Normal |

The **Privacy** modes:

| Mode | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| **Normal** | Live recall, knowledge suggestions and search all work. |
| **Session only** | Live recall works, but this session won't feed search or suggestions later. Cards you add stay with this session. |
| **No auto cards** | No cards pop up during the session. Ask AI and search still work; knowledge suggestions are off. |
| **Sensitive** | Recall, Ask AI, suggestions and search are off for this session. Cards you add stay with this session. |

Privacy modes never stop the recording, transcript or summary from being saved.

## Defaults

At the bottom of the window:

- **Save as my defaults** remembers the current choices. They pre-fill the window next time, when nothing more specific applies (such as a series' own defaults or a prepared session).
- **Reset to defaults** puts the window back to your saved defaults.

You can also choose a default template in **Settings → General → Session defaults**. See [General settings](/settings/general).

## Start, prepare or schedule

| Button | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Start session** | Starts recording now and opens the [recording screen](/sessions/recording). |
| **Prepare** | Saves the setup as a session to prepare for and opens its prep page. |
| **Schedule for later** | Turns the setup into a scheduled session. See [Scheduling and preparing](/sessions/scheduling-and-preparing). |
| **Cancel** | Closes the window without starting. |

If **Start session** is unavailable, look for one of these notices:

- **The speech recognition model is not ready.** Download the speech model, or click **Open voice settings**. See [Voice settings](/settings/voice).
- **An audio import is running** — wait for it to finish, or schedule the session for later.
- **Recording in progress** — another session is recording.
- On the Free plan, the workspace has reached its session limit. Move an old session to Trash to free a slot. See [Plan limits](/sessions/overview#plan-limits).

## The session bar

The session bar is a small window that stays on top of your other apps, in the top-right corner by default. Press `Ctrl+Alt+B` to show or hide it.

- When nothing is recording, it asks **Start a session?** Pick a **Template:** and an **Input:** (**Mic**, **System** or **Mic + System**), then click **Start session**.
- While a session records, it becomes a compact live view. See [The session bar while recording](/sessions/recording#the-session-bar).




### Session detection

TalkBar can notice when a conversation starts near your microphone and offer to record it. The session bar then shows **Sounds like a conversation — start a session?** with a short snippet of what it heard. Click **Start session**, **Skip** detection for a while, or turn detection off from the bar.

Detection is on by default. Change it, the skip duration, and the bar's shortcut, position and number of transcript lines in **Settings → General → Session detection**. Detection never starts recording by itself, and nothing it hears is saved.

## Related

- [Recording a session](/sessions/recording)
- [Templates and skills](/sessions/templates-and-skills)
- [Scheduling and preparing](/sessions/scheduling-and-preparing)
- [Speakers](/voice/speakers)