How to Use Whisper

Whisper turns your speech into text wherever your cursor is — no copy-paste, no separate window.

1. 1Put your cursor where you want text (an email, a document, a chat box).
2. 2Press your shortcut — by default Option + Space on Mac, Ctrl + Space on Windows/Linux.
3. 3Speak naturally, then release/press again to stop.
4. 4Your words appear instantly, right where you were typing.

You can change the shortcut anytime in Settings → General. Whisper supports 100+ languages and you can even switch language mid-sentence.

Whisper can polish your raw dictation with an AI model that runs entirely on your device — no account, no API key, no internet. It's off by default; turn it on only if you want it.

1. 1Open Settings → Post Processing.
2. 2Turn the Post-processing toggle on.
3. 3Choose the provider Built-in (offline) and click Download model (~390 MB, one time).
4. 4Pick a tone (see below) and dictate — your text is cleaned up automatically before it's inserted.

Prefer your own AI? Whisper also supports Ollama (local) and cloud providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and OpenRouter, plus Apple Intelligence on supported Macs. All optional.

The AI cleanup uses a prompt preset you choose. Switch anytime in Settings → Post Processing:

• Improve — fixes spelling, punctuation, removes filler words. Keeps your wording.
• Polite — warmer, more courteous phrasing.
• Email — structures it as a clean email.
• Formal — professional, tightened language.
• Bullet Points — turns rambling into a tidy list.
• Code Comment / Commit — concise technical note.

Example with Polite:

If the AI changed your text and you wanted the original, just press Option + Z (Mac) / Ctrl + Shift + Z (Windows/Linux) right after. Whisper replaces the cleaned text with your exact words. You're always in control.

Whisper writes spoken times and clear quantities the way you'd type them — no AI needed, this always works:

Ordinary numbers in prose are left alone — “I have two ideas” stays as words.

Teach Whisper the words it keeps mishearing — names, brands, medical/legal/technical terms. It corrects similar-sounding words to match your list.

1. 1Open Settings → Advanced → Custom Words.
2. 2Add a word, or click Import list to paste many at once (separated by commas or new lines).

Everything happens on your computer. Transcription runs locally, and the built-in AI cleanup runs locally too — your voice and text are never sent to the cloud unless you explicitly choose a cloud AI provider. No account required.