> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openwhispr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# OpenWhispr won't open

> Installed but no window appears, the app seems to be running invisibly, or the dictation panel is off-screen.

You launch OpenWhispr and nothing appears. Sometimes it's genuinely not
starting; more often it *is* running and you can't see it.

## Check the system tray or menu bar first

OpenWhispr runs from the tray, so the main window not being on screen is normal.

* **Windows** — click the `^` caret at the right of the taskbar to show hidden
  icons, and look for the OpenWhispr icon there.
* **macOS** — look along the menu bar at the top right.

From the tray icon you can show the dictation panel and open Settings.

## If it's genuinely not starting

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Windows">
    The process appears in Task Manager but no window ever shows.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Try disabling GPU acceleration">
        Some graphics drivers stop Electron applications rendering at all. Launch
        with:

        ```batch theme={null}
        OpenWhispr.exe --disable-gpu
        ```

        If that works, the graphics driver is the cause — updating it is the
        real fix.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Launch with debug logging">
        ```batch theme={null}
        OpenWhispr.exe --log-level=debug
        ```

        Logs are written to `%APPDATA%\OpenWhispr\logs\`. Send us the newest
        one.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Check your antivirus">
        Security software can quarantine parts of the app silently. See
        [Antivirus blocks OpenWhispr](/help/fix/antivirus-blocks-openwhispr).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Reinstall cleanly">
        Uninstall, then remove the leftover data directories, then reinstall:

        ```batch theme={null}
        rd /s /q "%APPDATA%\OpenWhispr"
        rd /s /q "%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenWhispr"
        ```

        <Warning>
          This deletes local settings, history and any downloaded models. Notes
          you've backed up to the cloud are safe; anything local is not.
        </Warning>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="macOS">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Check it isn't already running">
        Look in the menu bar, and check the Applications folder for a second
        copy of OpenWhispr — running an old copy alongside a new one causes odd
        behaviour.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Open it from Applications, not the disk image">
        Running from the mounted `.dmg` rather than a proper install is a common
        cause of the app behaving strangely. Drag it to Applications first.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Launch with debug logging">
        ```bash theme={null}
        /Applications/OpenWhispr.app/Contents/MacOS/OpenWhispr --log-level=debug
        ```

        This also prints startup errors straight to the terminal, which is often
        the fastest answer.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Linux">
    Run the binary from a terminal and read what it prints — startup failures
    are almost always visible there.

    ```bash theme={null}
    openwhispr --log-level=debug
    ```

    Logs are written to `~/.config/OpenWhispr/logs/`.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## The panel is off-screen

If dictation works but you can't see the panel — usually after unplugging an
external monitor — restart the app. That resets the panel's position. You can
then drag it wherever you want it.

## If you get a startup error

OpenWhispr shows **"OpenWhispr Startup Error"** or **"OpenWhispr failed to
load"** with an error code when it can't start properly. Send us that exact
message; it names the failure directly and saves a round of questions.

<Snippet file="still-need-help.mdx" />

## Related

* [Antivirus blocks OpenWhispr](/help/fix/antivirus-blocks-openwhispr)
* [Updates and reinstalling](/help/fix/updates-and-reinstalling)
* [Windows](/platform/windows)