Hold Right Command
Start recording from any app without opening a dictation window or changing focus.
Free · private · macOS voice dictation
Speak into any Mac app.
Hold Right Command, speak, release. LocalVoice inserts text wherever your cursor is, so everyday writing moves at voice speed. It is free, open source, and runs entirely on your Mac.
About 3x faster
Speech is commonly around 130-150 WPM; average typing is closer to 40-50 WPM.
100% on-device
Whisper transcription and optional MLX rewrite run locally on Apple Silicon.
Free forever
No account, no API key, no cloud meter, no subscription.
Public beta ZIP. Ad-hoc signed builds require a one-time quarantine command before first launch.
How it works
A push-to-talk layer for the whole Mac.
LocalVoice sits in the menu bar and works wherever text input already works. You keep your current app in focus and use your voice as a faster keyboard.
Speak naturally
WhisperKit transcribes locally. Refine mode can clean up the transcript with a local MLX model and the prompt you choose.
Release to insert
The text appears in the focused field. Use hold mode for quick bursts or latch mode for longer dictation.
Right Command
Local microphone
Whisper
Optional MLX refine
Focused app
Examples
Use it for the text you write all day.
Direct mode inserts what you said. Refine mode rewrites the transcript locally, using app context and your selected prompt when helpful.
Email
Direct
"Thanks for the update. I'll review the numbers this afternoon and send the revised plan before the end of the day."
Slack
Refine
"I found the issue. The recorder is stopping correctly, but the insert path waits for the old accessibility state. I'll patch that now."
Docs
Prompt 1-9
"Turn a loose thought into a concise paragraph, keep the language natural, and preserve technical details."
Mode 1
Direct dictation
Fast, literal voice-to-text for notes, search boxes, messages, and anywhere you just want your words inserted.
Mode 2
Local refine
Say the rough version and let a local MLX model rewrite it into cleaner email, comments, summaries, or custom prompt styles.
Product
The app is small, but the workflow is complete.
Settings, history, prompts, local models, and permissions are visible in native macOS windows instead of hidden behind a web account.
Settings
Know exactly what is running.
Choose Direct or Refine mode, manage Whisper and MLX models, check permissions, pick the language, and control browser context from one place.
- Hardware-aware MLX model recommendation
- Download progress and local model deletion
- Microphone, Accessibility, and Input Monitoring status
History and prompts
Review, reuse, and steer the rewrite.
Optional local history helps you inspect past dictations and export CSV when you need it. Custom prompts let Refine mode match your writing style, and number shortcuts make them fast during recording.
- Searchable local transcription history
- Per-prompt shortcuts from 1-9
- CSV export with local metadata
Privacy model
No cloud transcription service in the middle.
Audio, transcripts, prompts, local history, app context, and text refinement stay on your Mac. LocalVoice is open source, so the privacy model is inspectable too.
Details
Built for fast local writing workflows.
Hold or latch recording
Hold Right Command for push-to-talk, or double-tap to latch and tap again to stop.
Prompt shortcuts
Press 1-9 while recording to temporarily select a rewrite prompt for that dictation.
Language control
Choose a fixed language for short clips, or use Auto when you want local detection.
Configurable browser context
Use active browser title and sanitized URL to improve Refine, or turn it off in Settings.
No clipboard dependency
LocalVoice inserts text with Accessibility first and falls back to Unicode keyboard events when needed.
Install today
Transparent about the current distribution state.
LocalVoice is currently distributed through GitHub Releases as a public beta ZIP with an ad-hoc signed app. A Developer ID notarized DMG is coming soon; until then, the one-time quarantine command below is required.
Download and unzip
Download LocalVoice.zip, unzip it, and move LocalVoice.app into /Applications.
Clear quarantine once
Because the current build is ad-hoc signed, run this once before opening the app:
terminal
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/LocalVoice.app
Grant permissions
Enable Microphone, Accessibility, and Input Monitoring in System Settings, then hold Right Command to dictate.
Requirements
macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.
- M1 or later Mac
- macOS Sonoma or newer
- Microphone, Accessibility, and Input Monitoring permissions
- Disk space for Whisper and optional MLX models