HyperWhisper stays in your menu bar (macOS) or system tray (Windows). You can start a recording, switch the mode, or open settings at any time, even when the main window is closed.
The HyperWhisper menu icon is at the top right of the macOS menu bar.
- Idle — the rocket icon shows as a monochrome template image (white on dark menu bars, black on light menu bars)
- Recording — the icon becomes red
Click the icon to open the menu.Behavior
- The menu bar icon is always available, even when the main window is closed.
- The app keeps your microphone and mode selections from the menu across sessions.
- If you set a global toggle shortcut, the menu shows a keyboard hint next to Start/Stop Recording. If you set Push-to-Talk instead, the menu shows the Push-to-Talk key hint (for example, “Hold FN” or “Hold ⌃”).
- To start the app without the main window, enable Launch Minimized in Settings → General.
System Tray Icon
The HyperWhisper icon appears in the taskbar notification area at the bottom right of the screen. If the icon is hidden, click the up-arrow (^) to show the hidden tray icons.
- Double-click the icon to open or restore the main window.
- Right-click the icon to open the context menu.
Behavior
- The app keeps your microphone and mode selections from the tray menu across sessions.
- Minimize to Tray — If you enable this setting (Settings → General), the app goes to the tray when you close the main window. The app does not exit. A balloon notification shows your recording shortcut.
- Launch Minimized — If you enable this setting (Settings → General), HyperWhisper starts hidden in the tray. A balloon notification shows your shortcut. This notification tells you that the app runs.
Linux registers a StatusNotifierItem on the session D-Bus. Your desktop must run a StatusNotifier or AppIndicator watcher to show the icon. Stock GNOME does not, so install a StatusNotifier extension if you want a tray icon on GNOME.The tray menu gives these actions:Behavior
- The tray menu has no microphone submenu with device names. It steps through the list instead, because the helper accepts a closed set of commands and never carries a device name.
- Hide minimized or closed windows in the tray — On by default (Settings → Application settings). The main window goes to the tray when you close it.
- Launch with the window hidden when the tray is available — Off by default. HyperWhisper starts hidden only when a tray watcher is present.
- An action that is unsafe during an active transcription is refused, and the status line reports That tray action is unavailable during the current transcription operation.
If your desktop has no tray watcher, HyperWhisper always keeps the main window reachable. The status line then reads Tray unavailable; window fallback active. You never lose access to the app because the tray is missing.
Common Features
All three desktop platforms give the same tray functions:
- Switch microphone without the main window. The change takes effect immediately. On Linux you step through the device list instead of picking a name.
- Switch mode without the main window. The app uses the new mode for the next recording.
- Transcribe a file — select the mode in the submenu, then select a file. See Transcribe a File for the supported formats and the size limits.
- Open History or Settings from the menu.
- Start or stop recording with one click.
Tips
To keep HyperWhisper in the background on Windows after you close the window, enable Minimize to Tray (Settings → General). If this setting is off, the app exits when you close the window.
To start HyperWhisper at login without the main window on the screen, enable Launch Minimized (Settings → General). This setting works on all three desktop platforms. You can use the menu bar icon (macOS) or the tray icon (Windows and Linux) immediately. On Linux, also enable Start HyperWhisper when this desktop session starts so the app runs at login.
You can switch the mode from the tray during a recording. The new mode applies to the next recording, not to the current recording.
