Does it work on an Intel MacBook?

No. WhisprDesk needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later).

Does it work offline?

With a downloaded local model, yes: you can transcribe without an internet connection. The license check is the only periodic connection, with a 7-day offline grace period.

Where is the hotkey set?

In Settings > Hotkeys. You can use Tap or Hold mode.

Dictation on a MacBook

WhisprDesk is a Mac app for Apple Silicon (M1 or later, macOS 14 Sonoma or later), so it runs on any recent MacBook. Dictate into any text field where you can paste, and download a local model if you want to transcribe without an internet connection.

One key, any text field

Press the Globe key (the default; you can change it), speak, and press it again. The text appears at your cursor. WhisprDesk has a menu bar icon and a Dock icon, and you control dictation with a hotkey.

On the road

After you download a local model, you can transcribe without an internet connection, for example on a plane or a train. NVIDIA Parakeet is about 680 MB; Whisper models range from about 75 MB to about 3 GB, so choose with your free disk space in mind.

WhisprDesk checks your license about every 24 hours and keeps working for up to 7 days without a connection. Cloud transcription and cloud AI cleanup do need the internet.

What to expect from a laptop

Local transcription uses your Mac's own processor, so a laptop on battery works like any app that does real computation. We do not publish speed or battery figures, because they depend on your Mac, the model you pick and what else is running.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work on an Intel MacBook?: No. WhisprDesk needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later).
Does it work offline?: With a downloaded local model, yes: you can transcribe without an internet connection. The license check is the only periodic connection, with a 7-day offline grace period.
Where is the hotkey set?: In Settings > Hotkeys. You can use Tap or Hold mode.