> ## 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.

# System requirements

> What OpenWhispr needs on macOS, Windows and Linux — and what the on-device models need on top of that.

OpenWhispr is a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux. There's no web version
and no browser extension: it runs on your machine so it can hear your
microphone and type into whatever app you're using.

## The short answer

|                | Minimum                                                          |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **macOS**      | macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, Apple Silicon or Intel             |
| **Windows**    | Windows 10 or later, 64-bit (x64)                                |
| **Linux**      | 64-bit (x86-64), PulseAudio or PipeWire for audio                |
| **Everywhere** | A microphone, and an internet connection for cloud transcription |

Dictating with **OpenWhispr Cloud** asks very little of your computer — the
transcription happens on our servers. Running models **on your own device** is
the demanding part, and it's covered below.

## Running models on your device

Local transcription and local AI models are downloaded on first use and run
entirely on your machine. Two things matter: disk space for the model, and
enough speed to keep up with you.

* **Disk** — a small Whisper model is a few hundred megabytes; the larger ones
  run to several gigabytes. Local reasoning models are larger again. Everything
  lives under a cache folder you can clear later — see [where your files
  live](/platform/where-your-files-live).
* **Speed** — a recent Apple Silicon Mac or a machine with a discrete GPU runs
  the bigger models comfortably. On older hardware, pick a smaller model or use
  the cloud. [Local models](/guides/local-models) explains the trade-off and
  which model to start with.
* **Graphics acceleration** — Metal on Apple Silicon works with no setup. On
  Windows and Linux, NVIDIA cards use CUDA and AMD or Intel graphics use a
  Vulkan runtime you can install from Settings in one click.

<Note>
  Some on-device components need a newer operating system than the app itself
  does. If a local model downloads but won't start, tell us your exact OS
  version when you write in — that's the first thing we check.
</Note>

## What needs a newer macOS

Two capabilities are gated on the macOS version rather than on your hardware:

| Capability                                                       | Needs           |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- |
| Dictation, cloud and local transcription, notes                  | macOS 12+       |
| **System audio capture** — recording the other side of a meeting | **macOS 14.2+** |

Below macOS 14.2 the app can still record a meeting through your microphone; it
just can't capture what the other participants are saying. [Capture both sides
of a meeting](/help/meetings/capture-both-sides) covers what that means in
practice.

## Architecture and downloads

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="macOS">
    Two separate downloads — one for **Apple Silicon**, one for **Intel**. Pick
    the one that matches your Mac; if you install the Intel build on an Apple
    Silicon machine by mistake, OpenWhispr notices and moves you onto the Apple
    Silicon build at the next update.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    64-bit **x64** only. There's no separate ARM build.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Linux">
    64-bit **x86-64** only, as `.AppImage`, `.deb`, `.rpm` or `.tar.gz`. There's
    no ARM build, so Raspberry Pi and ARM laptops aren't supported today.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Network

The app talks outbound over HTTPS on port 443, and everything else it runs
binds to your own machine by design. It honours system proxies on all three
platforms. If your network filters outbound traffic, [network
allowlist](/help/it/network-allowlist) is the page to hand your firewall
administrator.

Local transcription works with no internet connection at all, once the model is
downloaded.

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

## Related

* [macOS](/platform/macos) · [Windows](/platform/windows) · [Linux](/platform/linux)
* [Local models](/guides/local-models)
* [Cloud or local processing](/guides/cloud-vs-local)