Why are my clinical notes blank or empty?
If your session recorded successfully but your clinical notes are blank or missing, it's usually caused by one of the following:
Interrupted internet connection during the session
The browser tab or app was closed before the recording finished uploading
Microphone permissions were blocked or not enabled
The session was ended too quickly before audio was processed- Short audio recordings (e.g., only 20–30 seconds captured) may not provide enough transcript to generate a complete note
Browser limitations, such as Safari on macOS pausing background tabs or stopping microphone access when the system sleeps or the tab is not in focus
The good news is that in most cases your recording is still there and notes can be recovered.
Step 1: Try the Fix Session button
The quickest first step is to use the Fix Session button on the affected session. This will attempt to repair the transcript and regenerate your clinical note automatically.
Open the session with the blank or missing note
Click Fix Session
Wait for the process to fully complete — do not press it again while it's running
Check whether your note has appeared
If the note still doesn't appear after Fix Session completes, move to Step 2.
For more detail on how Fix Session works, see: Fix Session: How It Works & What To Do If It's Not Working
Step 2: Check and generate the transcript manually
Open the session where the note is missing
Go to Consent
Under Recording, click View recording details
If a transcript hasn't been generated, click Generate transcript and wait for it to complete
Go back to the session Notes tab, refresh the page, and check whether the note has now appeared
If the note still doesn't appear, try switching the template to a different one and then back to the original — this can sometimes refresh the note display.
How to prevent blank notes in future
Don't navigate away from the PatientNotes recording tab during a session
Wait for the Processing message to appear before closing the browser or app
Don't shut down your computer before notes have finished generating
Keep the app in the foreground while recording on mobile
Use the pause and resume function carefully — resume when clinically relevant information is being discussed
Make sure your microphone permissions are enabled in your browser settings- Switch to Google Chrome for more reliable microphone access, especially on macOS
Prevent system sleep on macOS during sessions to avoid interruptions
Use the PatientNotes macOS app for reliable background audio capture
Testing and Verifying Audio Capture
After implementing the above steps, run a quick test:
Record a session lasting 1–2 minutes.
Confirm that the full duration of the recording is transcribed.
If the transcript is complete, your notes should generate correctly within the template structure.
When to contact support
Please reach out via the help widget if:
Fix Session hasn't resolved the issue after two attempts
No recording is visible under Consent → Recording
Generate transcript shows an error message
You believe audio may not have been captured at all
When contacting support, please include:
The session name or patient name
Whether the recording is visible under Consent → Recording
Any error message you've seen
Still have questions?
Chat with us via the help widget inside PatientNotes or email [email protected].