What you need
- Windows 10 or later, 64-bit (x64)
- A microphone
Installing
Download the.exe installer from the releases
page and run it. It
lets you choose the install location and creates a desktop and Start Menu
shortcut.
The app is code-signed as Gizmo Labs Inc. If Windows SmartScreen or your
antivirus flags it anyway — which happens to newly signed applications before
they build reputation — antivirus blocks
OpenWhispr explains what to check and
what to send us.
A portable build is published alongside the installer. It runs without
installing anything, which helps on a machine where you can’t run installers.
The installer is the supported path for everyone else.
127.0.0.1; the rule exists so Windows doesn’t
show you a firewall prompt for it, and it closes the port to the rest of the
network. If the installer can’t elevate, it skips the rule silently and nothing
breaks.
Permissions
There are none to grant. The app says so during onboarding: “Windows does not require special permissions for automatic pasting. You’re all set!” Microphone access is governed by Windows’ own privacy settings rather than by OpenWhispr. If no audio is being captured, check Settings → Privacy → Microphone in Windows, then the microphone isn’t working.Hotkeys and hold-to-talk
The default dictation hotkey is Ctrl+Win. Windows supports hold-to-talk — hold the key while you speak, release to stop — through a native keyboard listener that ships with the app. The same listener is what makes modifier-only hotkeys work, like Ctrl + Win with no letter, and right-side-only modifiers. Windows also reserves a long list of shortcuts for itself — anything starting Win+E, Win+L, Alt+Tab and friends. OpenWhispr refuses those with an explanation rather than binding something that will never fire. Choosing a shortcut that works has the rules.How text gets pasted
OpenWhispr copies the transcription to your clipboard and simulates the paste keystroke into whatever window has focus, then puts your previous clipboard contents back. It sends Ctrl+V to ordinary applications and Ctrl+Shift+V to terminals, which it identifies by the foreground window — Windows Terminal, the classic console host (Command Prompt and PowerShell), ConEmu, mintty (Git Bash), PuTTY, Alacritty, WezTerm, kitty, Hyper and MobaXterm by window class, plus Termius, Tabby, Wave and Rio by executable name. Editors, IDEs and terminals covers what to do when your terminal isn’t on that list.Meeting audio
Windows can capture the other side of a call with no permission prompt and no screen-share picker. OpenWhispr records everything the computer is playing except itself, so your own playback never loops back into the recording. One known exception: the new Microsoft Teams client doesn’t always expose its call audio this way. Meeting audio isn’t captured covers the symptom and the workaround.Updates
OpenWhispr checks for updates at launch and tells you when one is available; it downloads only when you agree, then installs quietly on quit. Your version is under Settings → System, under Updates, next to Current version.Uninstalling
Uninstall from Settings → Apps as normal. The uninstaller removes downloaded models from%USERPROFILE%\.cache\openwhispr\ for you.
For a clean slate, also remove the app data: