When a session doesn't generate notes, it's almost always one of three things: the audio wasn't captured, the recording didn't upload, or the AI couldn't process what it received. Knowing which one applies means you can fix it yourself in most cases — or know exactly what to tell support if you can't.
Type 1 — No audio captured
The recording ran, but nothing was heard. This is the most common failure and almost always caused by a microphone or permissions issue.
Signs: The transcript is completely empty. The session shows a recording duration, but the transcript has no text at all.
Common causes:
Microphone permission wasn't granted to PatientNotes in your browser or device settings
The wrong microphone was selected (e.g. a virtual device or a disconnected headset)
Headphones were used during a telehealth call — the client's audio went into the headphones, not the recording
The browser tab was muted or audio was routed away from PatientNotes
What to do:
Check your microphone permissions — in Chrome, click the padlock icon in the address bar and confirm the microphone is set to Allow
For telehealth sessions: use device speakers instead of headphones, or install the Mac Audio Companion (Mac) or Windows Virtual Cable (Windows) to capture both sides of the call
Start a short test recording before your next session to confirm audio is being captured
If the transcript is empty and you've fixed the mic setup, the session audio cannot be recovered — you'll need to re-record or enter notes manually.
Type 2 — Recording didn't upload
The audio was captured, but the file didn't reach PatientNotes servers for processing. This is usually a network issue.
Signs: The session shows as "processing" for a long time, or the session disappears from your dashboard. The recording is visible under Consent → Recording but no transcript appears.
Common causes:
The app was closed or the browser tab was refreshed immediately after stopping the recording, before the upload completed
An unstable internet connection interrupted the upload mid-way
A long session (30+ minutes) that requires more time to upload than expected
What to do:
After stopping a recording, wait at least 2–3 minutes before closing the app or navigating away — longer for sessions over 30 minutes
Check your internet connection is stable
Open the session and go to Consent → View recording details — if the recording is visible, click Generate transcript to manually trigger processing
If you see a processing spinner that hasn't moved in over 10 minutes, use the Fix Session button to re-trigger it
Type 3 — Processing failed
The recording uploaded successfully, but the AI couldn't generate a usable transcript or note from it. This is the least common failure type.
Signs: The recording is visible under Consent → Recording, but the transcript is incomplete, garbled, or the note is blank or very short despite a full session.
Common causes:
Very low audio volume — microphone was too far away, or the room had significant background noise
Heavily accented speech or fast-paced conversation that affected transcription accuracy
Session was extremely long (60+ minutes) and exceeded processing limits
A technical processing error on PatientNotes servers (rare)
What to do:
Click Fix Session once — this re-triggers processing and resolves most cases
If the transcript is partial, you can use Add Extra Audio to supplement the recording
If Fix Session doesn't help after two attempts, contact support via the help widget — include the session date and patient name and we can investigate at the server level
Not sure which type you have?
Open the session and go to Consent → View recording details.
No recording visible → likely Type 1 (no audio captured) or Type 2 (upload failed before any data reached us)
Recording visible, transcript empty → likely Type 2 (upload issue) — try Generate transcript
Recording visible, transcript partial or garbled → Type 3 (processing issue) — try Fix Session
When to contact support
Contact us via the help widget if:
There is no recording visible and the session contained important patient content you need to recover
Fix Session has been used twice and the note still hasn't generated
You're seeing the same failure type repeatedly across multiple sessions
When contacting support, please include: the session date, patient name or session ID, and which failure type you think applies. This helps us investigate much faster.
Still have questions?
Chat with us via the help widget inside PatientNotes or email [email protected].