Deep dive migration guide from other meeting note tools to Granola.
Use when migrating from Otter.ai, Fireflies, Fathom, or other tools,
planning data migration, or executing transition strategies.
Trigger with phrases like "migrate to granola", "switch to granola",
"granola from otter", "granola from fireflies", "granola migration".
Comprehensive guide for migrating to Granola from competing meeting note tools. Covers source-specific export procedures, historical data preservation, parallel-run strategy, team transition, and cutover execution. Granola's key differentiator — no bot joins meetings — means the migration also changes the user experience fundamentally.
Prerequisites
Access to source tool with export capability
Granola workspace configured (see granola-install-auth)
Migration timeline agreed with stakeholders
Budget approved for Granola licenses
Instructions
Step 1 — Assess Migration Scope
## Migration Assessment
Source tool: [Otter.ai / Fireflies / Fathom / tl;dv / Manual / Other]
Total meetings in source: [____]
Date range: [____] to [____]
Active users to migrate: [____]
Integrations to recreate: [Slack, Notion, CRM, etc.]
Historical data priority: [Archive all / Selective / Fresh start]
Target cutover date: [____]
Parallel run duration: [1 week / 2 weeks]
Step 2 — Source-Specific Export
From Otter.ai
Export format: TXT, SRT (subtitles), PDF
Bulk export: Otter Pro/Business: Settings > Export > Download All
Limitations: Free plan only exports individual notes
Key data: Transcripts with timestamps, speaker labels, action items
From Fireflies.ai
Export format: TXT, JSON, PDF, SRT
Bulk export: Admin > Data Management > Export
Limitations: Custom fields may not export
Key data: Transcripts, AI summaries, custom topics
Enterprise with compliance requirements, everything must be searchable
Export all data, archive in Notion/Drive/cloud storage
High
Recommended for most teams: Fresh Start or Selective. Granola doesn't import historical data from other tools — there's no import feature. Historical data lives in your archive (Notion, Google Drive, local files).
Step 4 — Archive Historical Data
For important historical meetings, archive before cutting over:
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Organize exported meeting notes for archival."""
import os
from pathlib import Path
EXPORT_DIR = Path("~/Downloads/otter-export").expanduser() # Adjust for your source
ARCHIVE_DIR = Path("~/Documents/meeting-archive").expanduser()
# Create organized archive structure
categories = {
"client": ["client", "customer", "deal", "sales", "demo"],
"engineering": ["sprint", "standup", "architecture", "review", "retro"],
"product": ["product", "prd", "design", "feedback", "roadmap"],
"leadership": ["all-hands", "board", "strategy", "planning"],
"general": [], # catch-all
}
ARCHIVE_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
for cat in categories:
(ARCHIVE_DIR / cat).mkdir(exist_ok=True)
for file in EXPORT_DIR.glob("*.txt"):
filename_lower = file.name.lower()
placed = False
for cat, keywords in categories.items():
if any(kw in filename_lower for kw in keywords):
dest = ARCHIVE_DIR / cat / file.name
file.rename(dest)
placed = True
break
if not placed:
(ARCHIVE_DIR / "general" / file.name).rename(file)
print(f"Archived to {ARCHIVE_DIR}")
Alternatively, upload the archive to Notion or Google Drive for team-wide searchability.
Step 5 — Parallel Run (2 Weeks)
Run both tools simultaneously to build confidence:
Week 1: Dual recording
Keep source tool active (bot still joins or captures)
Enable Granola on all meetings (system audio capture)
Compare output quality daily:
Metric
Source Tool
Granola
Winner
Transcription accuracy
___%
___%
Action item detection
___/total
___/total
Summary quality
___/5
___/5
Processing time
___ min
___ min
User experience (no bot)
N/A
Yes
Granola
Week 2: Granola primary
Keep source tool as backup only (disable auto-record if possible)
All sharing and distribution via Granola integrations
Team members report any quality issues
Step 6 — Cutover Execution
Cutover day checklist:
Final export from source tool (last day of data)
Verify archive is complete and accessible
Disable source tool recording/bot
Remove source tool bot from calendar (if applicable)
Cancel source tool subscription (save on unused billing)
Announce to team via email/Slack:
Subject: Meeting Notes Migration Complete — Granola is Now Primary
Team,
As of today, we've completed our migration to Granola for meeting notes.
What's changed:
- No more [Otter/Fireflies/etc.] bot joining meetings
- Granola captures audio directly from your device (no bot visible to participants)
- Notes are auto-enhanced with AI summaries and action items
What you need to do:
1. Ensure Granola is running on your device
2. Verify your calendar is connected (Settings > Calendar)
3. Check that microphone + Screen & System Audio permissions are granted
Historical notes: Archived at [Notion link / Drive folder]
Support: Post in #granola-support
Thank you for the smooth transition!
Monitor for 3 days:
Capture rate (% of meetings recorded)
Support ticket volume
User feedback
Integration sync health
Step 7 — Post-Migration Optimization
After 1 week on Granola exclusively:
Configure templates for each meeting type (see granola-core-workflow-a)
Set up Zapier automation for recurring workflows
Create custom recipes for team-specific post-meeting tasks
Establish folder structure matching team workflow
Delete source tool accounts and data (if no longer needed)
Key Differences from Bot-Based Tools
Feature
Bot-Based (Otter, Fireflies, tl;dv)
Granola
Meeting join
Bot joins as participant
No bot — system audio capture
Participant awareness
"Bot is recording" banner
No banner (still announce recording for consent)
Platform support
Platform-specific integrations
Any platform (captures system audio)
Typed notes
Separate app
Built-in notepad merges with transcript
Enhancement
Auto-generated
User-controlled (click Enhance)
Templates
Limited
29 built-in + custom
Chat
Limited or none
Full Granola Chat with Recipes
Built-in CRM
No
People & Companies
Output
Source data exported and archived
Parallel run completed with quality validation
Team migrated and recording in Granola
Source tool deactivated and subscription cancelled
Historical data accessible in archive
Error Handling
Error
Cause
Fix
Source export incomplete
Free plan limits bulk export
Upgrade source plan temporarily for export, then cancel
Team resistance to change
Comfort with existing tool
Share quality comparison data from parallel run
Missing historical context
No import feature in Granola
Point team to archived data (Notion/Drive)
Audio quality different than bot
System audio vs. platform API
Optimize audio setup (see granola-performance-tuning)
Low adoption post-migration
Setup issues
Run drop-in support sessions, share quick-start guide
