> ## 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.

# Clipboard and system audio on Linux

> Wayland clipboard behaviour, paste tools, and PipeWire capture — the two Linux-specific things that need setup.

OpenWhispr ships a native helper for pasting text into other applications, but
Wayland sessions and system-audio capture still depend on components Linux
distributions don't all ship.

Both are one-time setup, and the app tells you which pieces are missing.

## Clipboard and pasting

### The symptom

Pasting appears to work, but the target application shows nothing — or reports
*"clipboard is empty"*, *"no image on clipboard"*, or *"contents not available in
the requested format"*.

### Why

Electron's clipboard uses X11 selections through XWayland. Native Wayland
applications can't read those, so the text is on a clipboard your application
isn't looking at.

### The fix

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install wl-clipboard">
    The most reliable clipboard support on Wayland.

    * Debian and Ubuntu: `sudo apt install wl-clipboard`
    * Fedora and RHEL: `sudo dnf install wl-clipboard`
    * Arch: `sudo pacman -S wl-clipboard`
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install a fallback paste tool">
    OpenWhispr's native paste helper handles this automatically in the normal
    case — nothing to install for X11. Install one of these only if the app
    tells you the helper isn't available:

    * **X11** — `xdotool`
    * **Sway and Hyprland** — `wtype`
    * **GNOME, KDE and other Wayland sessions** — `ydotool` (with the
      `ydotoold` daemon running), which falls back to `xdotool` for XWayland
      apps
    * **KDE Wayland** — also `xclip` or `xsel`
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm OpenWhispr sees it">
    It checks for these tools at runtime, so a restart usually isn't needed —
    the status view under **Preferences** → **App** shows what it found. If
    pasting still fails right after installing `ydotool` specifically, restart
    OpenWhispr once; it caches how it talks to `ydotool` for the rest of the
    session.
  </Step>
</Steps>

OpenWhispr tries clipboard methods in order — `wl-copy` first, then the
renderer's own clipboard, then X11 as a fallback.

<Note>
  On some Wayland sessions automatic pasting isn't possible at all. OpenWhispr
  says so — *"Clipboard Mode on Wayland"* — and copies your text to the
  clipboard so you can paste it with <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>V</kbd>. That's the
  designed behaviour, not a failure.
</Note>

The app reports the status of each component under **Settings** →
**Preferences** under **App**, so you can see exactly what's missing rather than
guessing.

## System audio

### The symptom

Meeting transcription records your microphone but not other participants,
browser audio, or anything else the computer is playing.

### The fix

System audio is captured through PipeWire, from the default sink monitor.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install PipeWire">
    * Debian and Ubuntu: `sudo apt install pipewire libpipewire-0.3-0`
    * Fedora and RHEL: `sudo dnf install pipewire pipewire-libs`
    * Arch: `sudo pacman -S pipewire`
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the user service is running">
    For the current session.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sign out and back in">
    After installing or updating PipeWire packages.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Restart OpenWhispr and start recording again">
    Make sure the audio you want is playing through the default sink.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **No screen-share chooser appears, and none should.** On Linux, OpenWhispr
  captures the default sink monitor directly through PipeWire — unlike macOS,
  there's no permission dialog and no picker.
</Note>

## Hold-to-speak

Holding a key to dictate needs access to keyboard input devices, which most
distributions don't grant by default. The app tells you — *"Hold to Speak needs
extra setup"* — and gives the command:

```bash theme={null}
sudo usermod -aG input $USER
```

Log out and back in afterwards.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Which Wayland compositor works best?">
    Sway and Hyprland with `wtype` are the most straightforward. GNOME and KDE
    both work, with the caveats above.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I installed ydotool and pasting still doesn't work.">
    Check the `ydotoold` daemon is actually running — the tool alone isn't
    enough. The status view under **Preferences** shows each component
    separately for this reason.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use OpenWhispr without any of these tools?">
    Yes. Dictation and transcription work regardless; you paste manually with
    <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>+<kbd>V</kbd>.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I'm on NixOS.">
    Auto-paste needs `ydotool` and `/dev/uinput` access, which NixOS grants
    declaratively. The app detects NixOS and shows the configuration you need.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

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

## Related

* [Linux](/platform/linux)
* [The text doesn't paste](/help/fix/text-not-pasting)
* [Meeting audio isn't captured](/help/fix/meeting-audio-not-captured)