Step 1
Check that your computer is supported.
- Mac: macOS 13 or later on Apple silicon. Apple silicon means an M1 or later Apple chip. Intel Macs are not supported yet.
- Windows: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit (x64).
- Linux: 64-bit Linux from 2022 or later (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 36 and newer), in beta.
On a Mac, open About This Mac
Choose the Apple menu , then About This Mac. The Chip should begin with “Apple M” and macOS should be 13 (Ventura) or newer.
On Windows, open System → About
Check that System type says 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor.
Step 2
Download and install IraVoice.
Get the installer for your platform from the download page. No email, card, or account is needed.
Mac
Open the DMG
Open Downloads in Finder and double-click the IraVoice disk image. It is Developer ID signed and Apple-notarized.
Move the app
Drag IraVoice into the Applications folder, then open it from Applications, not from the disk image.
Windows
Run the installer
Open the downloaded IraVoice installer and follow the steps.
If SmartScreen appears
Early releases can trigger a Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warning. Choose More info, then Run anyway.
Linux (beta)
Paste this in a terminal. It installs IraVoice as ~/.local/bin/iravoice, adds it to your applications menu, and opens it; IraVoice then updates itself. It runs as you and never asks for sudo, and you can read the script first.
curl -fsSL https://iravoice.com/install.sh | bashRun it again to reinstall; add -s -- --uninstall after bash to remove IraVoice. Rather do it by hand? Download the AppImage from the download page, then:
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
mv ~/Downloads/IraVoice-*.AppImage ~/.local/bin/iravoice
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/iravoice
~/.local/bin/iravoicePrefer your package manager? The download page also has a .deb and an .rpm. Install one from the folder that holds it, then start IraVoice from your applications menu. Packages don't update themselves: download the new one when a release comes out.
sudo apt install ./IraVoice-*.deb # Ubuntu, Debian, Mint
sudo dnf install ./IraVoice-*.rpm # FedoraOn Wayland, if Ctrl+Space doesn't reach IraVoice, bind a desktop keyboard shortcut to iravoice --toggle-transcription; if the shortcut can't find it, use the full path, such as /home/you/.local/bin/iravoice --toggle-transcription.
IraVoice for Linux needs glibc 2.35 or later and an x64 processor, so RHEL 9 and its rebuilds (Rocky, Alma) and ARM computers aren't supported. Linux support is in beta; tell us what works and what does not.
Step 3
Grant permissions and download your first model.
On a Mac, IraVoice needs two permissions. The setup screen shows when each one is granted.
Next, IraVoice asks you to choose a speech model. Pick the recommended one, Parakeet Unified EN, unless you dictate in another language. It downloads once (about 700 MB); after that, dictation works offline.
Step 4
Dictate into any app.
IraVoice types into the app you are using: email, documents, chat, browsers, terminals, and editors.
Place the cursor
Click the exact field where the words should appear.
Hold the key and speak
Hold Right Command ⌘ on a Mac or Right Ctrl on Windows (on Linux, Ctrl+Space). A sound and a small overlay show that IraVoice is listening.
Release to type
Let go of the key. IraVoice recognizes your speech on your computer and pastes the words at the cursor, then puts your clipboard back.
For longer dictation, go hands-free
Tap the key once and keep talking. Tap it again to finish. Press Esc at any time to cancel.
Review important text
Check names, numbers, commands, and anything you plan to publish or send.
You say: “Hi Alex um thanks for the update can we meet Thursday at three”
IraVoice types: “Hi Alex, thanks for the update. Can we meet Thursday at three?”
Filler words such as “um” and “uh” are removed on your computer. Always review consequential text.Step 5
Choose a model for your language.
Open IraVoice → Models. Every model runs on your computer and downloads once. The language setting under General lets a multilingual model detect the language automatically or stick to one.
| Model | Languages | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Parakeet Unified EN (default) | English | Fast, accurate live English. About 700 MB. |
| Parakeet v3 | 25 European languages | On-device, with automatic language detection. |
| Whisper large-v3-turbo | About 100 languages | Broadest language coverage; slower on older computers. |
Other offline models are listed in the app with their languages, size, and license.
Step 6
Let IraVoice spell your code names.
When you dictate into a terminal, editor, or coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, iTerm2, Ghostty, Windows Terminal, and others), IraVoice finds the Git project that app is working in and learns the names in it.
You say: “check why use effect fires twice in dashboard dot tsx”
IraVoice types: “Check why useEffect fires twice in Dashboard.tsx.”
Names are matched to the project you are in, so they come out spelled the way your code spells them.- Only names are read: files, folders, and symbols. Source text is never read.
- Secrets and dependency folders are skipped.
- Nothing leaves your computer.
- Turn it on or off in Settings with Spell code names from your project; the status line shows which project the last dictation used.
Step 7
Add replacements, snippets, and custom words.
Say a phrase and IraVoice types exactly what you saved: “my email” becomes your address, or a short phrase becomes a longer snippet. Find it under Advanced.
Add names and specialist terms that are often misheard, so supported models recognize them.
On by default: “um” and “uh” are removed on your computer.
When IraVoice mishears a word, fix it once and it types it right from then on. On a Mac, just correct the word where it was typed. Anywhere, press the Fix shortcut (⌃⌥⇧F on a Mac, Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F on Windows and Linux) or choose Fix Last Dictation… in the tray menu, correct the text, and press Enter; the corrected text is copied for you to paste. Each learned word is listed under Advanced → Learn from my fixes, where you can forget it or pause learning.
IraVoice can learn the words you correct. On a Mac it reads the text box it just typed into, once, on your computer; anywhere, you can correct a dictation with the Fix shortcut instead. It keeps only the corrected word pairs and never sends them anywhere. You can pause it or forget any learned word under Advanced → Learn from my fixes.
Step 8
Make the shortcut and settings yours.
Change the dictation key under General. A mouse button or F13–F20 can also be the shortcut.
Auto (hold to record, tap for hands-free), Hold only, or Toggle only.
Choose your microphone under Sound.
When AirPods or another Bluetooth headset is your default microphone, IraVoice dictates with your Mac's own microphone so your music and calls stay in high quality.
Show or hide the listening overlay and the start and stop sounds.
Your most recent dictations stay on your computer so you can copy them again. Change how many are kept, or how long recordings are kept, under History.
Start IraVoice when you log in, and let it check for signed updates.
Step 9
Use it with Synergy, Deskflow, and Logi devices.
IraVoice works with keyboard sharing from Synergy, Deskflow, Barrier, and Logi Flow, and with Logi Options+ remaps. These tools sometimes drop the moment a key is released; IraVoice recovers a lost key release so dictation does not stick on.
- Dictate on the computer that runs IraVoice; the shared keyboard sends its keys there.
- If a remapped key does not register, record the shortcut again in IraVoice while the remap is active.
- A spare mouse button or F13–F20 makes a reliable shortcut on remapped keyboards.
Step 10
Understand the trial and activate your license.
No email, card, or account.
The three-day trial starts.
Dictation pauses; settings stay available.
Paste your key and the emailed code.
Activate a license
Buy IraVoice
On the pricing page, choose how many computers the license is for: $79 once for one computer, $109 for two, or $149 for three. Checkout is handled by Stripe. Your license key is shown after payment and emailed to you.
Open IraVoice → License
Paste the key (it starts with
IRA-) and choose Activate.Enter the emailed code
IraVoice emails a six-digit code to the purchase address. Enter it to confirm the license is yours. The code expires after 10 minutes.
Move to a new computer
A license works on as many computers as you bought it for (1, 2, or 3) at the same time: activate the same key on each one. When every computer is in use, activate the key on the new computer and choose Move to this computer, or choose Deactivate this computer on an old one first. The old computer stops dictating at its next check-in. You can move a license 3 times a year; after that, email hello@iravoice.com. Need more than 3 computers? Email us.
Step 11
IraVoice Cloud is coming soon.
IraVoice Cloud is not on sale yet (planned at $10 a month or $100 a year). When it launches it will add two features, both switchable off under License → IraVoice Cloud. Ask to hear when it launches.
Top accuracy in any language. If the network is slow or offline, your on-device model is used instead.
Tidies punctuation, numbers, and filler words in dictations of six words or more. It cannot change what you said: a polish that adds or drops words is discarded.
Step 12
Know what stays local and what connects.
- Your audio and dictated text (IraVoice Local and the trial)
- Speech recognition
- Code names read from your projects
- Replacements, custom words, learned words, and settings
- Your local History
- The one-time model download
- Trial and license check-ins, with a salted hash of a hardware ID
- Update checks
- On IraVoice Cloud only, once it launches: audio and text sent to IraVoice Cloud, which never stores them; Groq does not retain them and Anthropic deletes them within 30 days
For the complete policy, read IraVoice Privacy.
Step 13
Fix common problems.
Holding the key does nothing on a Mac
Check that IraVoice is on in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and Accessibility, then quit and reopen IraVoice. If IraVoice shows a Secure Input warning, an app such as a password field or a terminal with Secure Keyboard Entry is blocking shortcuts. Read how to fix Secure Input.
IraVoice heard me, but no text appeared
Keep the destination field focused until the text appears. Some protected fields, such as password boxes, block typed input by design. Your recent dictations are in History, where you can copy them again.
The first dictation is slow
The speech model may still be downloading or loading. Wait for the download to finish in Models, then try again.
Recognition is poor for my language or accent
Choose a model that covers your language in Models, add names under Custom Words, and use a closer microphone or headset in noisy rooms.
Windows says the app is unrecognized
Early releases may trigger SmartScreen. Choose More info, then Run anyway. Download IraVoice only from iravoice.com.
Dictation sticks on with Synergy or a Logi device
IraVoice recovers lost key releases, but if it still happens, press Esc to cancel and try a mouse button or F13–F20 as the shortcut.
The trial ended or activation failed
Open License to see the exact status. Paste the complete key from your purchase email, check that the six-digit code went to the purchase address, and make sure you are online for activation.
I still need help
Use the support form or email hello@iravoice.com with your platform and what happened.
Step 14
Keep this quick reference nearby.
Hold, speak, release. Tap for hands-free.
Hold, speak, release. Tap for hands-free.
Stops a dictation without typing.
Ready to try it?
Start with one sentence.
Install IraVoice, click a text field, and hold the key. The trial lasts three days and starts only with your first dictation.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers before you begin.
What key do I hold to dictate?
Right Command on a Mac and Right Ctrl on Windows; on Linux the default is Ctrl+Space. Hold it while you speak and release to type. Tap it once instead for hands-free dictation, and tap again to finish. Esc cancels. You can change the shortcut in Settings.
Does the three-day trial start when I install the app?
No. The trial starts with your first dictation and then gives you three days of full use. Installing the app, granting permissions, or downloading a model does not start it, and reinstalling does not restart it.
What happens after the trial ends?
Dictation pauses until you activate a license. The app still opens, so you can change settings, buy IraVoice, or paste a license key on the License screen.
Does IraVoice upload my voice or transcript?
Not on IraVoice Local or during the trial: recognition runs on your computer and no audio or text leaves it. The app contacts api.iravoice.com only for trial and license check-ins and update checks. IraVoice Cloud, coming soon, will send audio and text to IraVoice Cloud for Cloud recognition and AI polish; IraVoice’s servers never store them, Groq does not retain them, Anthropic deletes API inputs and outputs within 30 days, and neither trains on them.
Why did typing another key cancel my dictation?
So your normal shortcuts keep working. If you press another key while holding the dictation key (for example ⌘C), IraVoice treats it as a shortcut, cancels the recording, and lets the keystroke through.
Can IraVoice handle accents and background noise?
Choose the model that matches your language, speak close to the microphone, and use a headset in loud rooms. Add names and specialist terms under Custom Words. No dictation app is accurate for every speaker and every café, so review names, numbers, and important text before sending it.