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The first time that you open HyperWhisper on a Mac, the app shows a setup flow in eight steps. The flow gets the permissions, selects where your speech becomes text, and makes one test recording. The flow opens on a new installation only, and one time. If you upgrade from an older build that already has modes, HyperWhisper marks the setup as complete and does not show the flow.

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The eight steps

1

Welcome

A summary of the three tasks: select how transcription runs, check your microphone, and make one recording. Click Get started.
2

Two quick permissions

  • Microphone — required. You cannot continue without it. HyperWhisper captures audio only while a recording runs.
  • Accessibility — optional. With this permission, HyperWhisper puts the transcript at your cursor. Without it, the transcript goes to the clipboard.
If you refused a permission before, macOS does not ask again. The step gives an Open Settings button instead. HyperWhisper examines both permissions again when you come back to the app.
3

How do you want to transcribe?

Select one of three sources:To change the source later, you use the mode editor. You do not do this setup again.
4

Configure the source

The step changes with the source that you selected:
  • HyperWhisper Cloud — paste your access key. Click Test access key. The card then shows the credits of that key.
  • On this Mac — select one of four models: Parakeet V2 (English only, fastest), Parakeet V3 (multilingual), Whisper Base (smallest download), or Whisper Large v3 Turbo (most accurate).
  • Your API Key — select a provider and paste your API key. Click Test API key. macOS holds the key in your login keychain.
For Your API Key, you must click Test API key, even when the key is already in your keychain. HyperWhisper does not accept a key that it did not verify in this session.
5

Set up the source

The step completes the work: it activates the Cloud key, downloads the local model, or writes the API key. It shows the result as a list of checks. A download failure or an activation failure appears here as a message.
6

Say something. Watch the bars.

Select your input device and speak. The level bars move when HyperWhisper hears you. System Default is the first row, and it follows macOS, including a headset that you connect later. The Sound Settings button opens the macOS sound settings.
7

Make one recording.

Press your recording shortcut one time to start and one time to stop. As an alternative, click the Record button. The step gives a sample line to say. The transcript appears below it.
HyperWhisper does not paste this test transcript into other applications. The text stays in the setup window.
8

You are ready to dictate.

A summary of your transcription source, your microphone, your text delivery (cursor or clipboard), and your shortcut. Click Done Onboarding.

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Set Up Later

Each step, except the last one, has a Set Up Later button. The button closes the setup flow and puts back the state that the flow changed:
  • the default mode and the mode selection
  • any provider API key that a test in this flow replaced
  • your microphone selection
Two things stay:
  • Models that you downloaded. The files stay on disk. Use the Model Library to remove them.
  • A HyperWhisper Cloud key that you activated. Activation is an action on your account, not a local setting.
Set Up Later also marks the setup as complete. The flow does not open again. To configure HyperWhisper after this, use Settings and the mode editor.

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Next steps

Permissions

Grant Accessibility later, and read what each permission does.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Change the shortcut that starts and stops a recording.

Transcription Modes

Change your provider, your model, and your post-processing.

Models

Compare the local models and the cloud models.