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HyperWhisper transcribes audio from your microphone. It does not capture system audio directly. System audio is the sound that comes from your speakers, for example Zoom calls, YouTube videos, and podcasts. To transcribe audio that plays on your computer, you have two options. A virtual audio cable is a small driver. It makes a virtual microphone that captures your system audio. After you install the driver, you can select it as the input device for HyperWhisper. Then you can transcribe any audio that plays on your Mac or PC.
The most popular free option is BlackHole. BlackHole is free and open source.
1

Install BlackHole 2ch

Download BlackHole from existential.audio/blackhole. Then run the installer.
2

Create a Multi-Output Device

Open Audio MIDI Setup with Spotlight. Click +, then select Create Multi-Output Device. Select both your Built-in Output (or your speakers or headphones) and BlackHole 2ch.With this device, you hear the audio while BlackHole captures it.
3

Set the Multi-Output Device as your system output

Go to System Settings → Sound → Output. Select the new multi-output device.
4

Pick BlackHole as HyperWhisper's input

Click the HyperWhisper menu bar icon. Move the pointer over Microphone. Then select BlackHole 2ch. For more information, see Select a Microphone or Audio Input Device.
5

Record

While the audio plays, start a recording in HyperWhisper. The transcript contains the system audio.
Paid tools such as Loopback give a simpler interface and per-app routing.

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Option 2 — Transcribe a recording later

You can record the meeting or the video to a file, for example with the local recording function of Zoom, OBS, QuickTime, or a screen recorder. Then you can give the file to HyperWhisper directly:
  • macOS: Click the menu bar icon. Select Transcribe File. Then select your audio file or video file.
  • Windows: Right-click the tray icon. Select Transcribe File. Then select your .wav, .mp3, or .m4a file.
For the full procedure, the supported formats, and the file-size limits of each provider, see Transcribe a File.
Native system-audio capture without a virtual cable is on our roadmap. A message to hi@support.hyperwhisper.com tells us that this feature is important to you, and it helps us to set our priorities.