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HyperWhisper for Windows is a .NET 10 WPF app. The app stays in your system tray and transcribes speech on demand. It transcribes on your computer or with a cloud provider. HyperWhisper runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11. There are native installers for x64 and ARM64.

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Installation

1

Download the installer

Go to hyperwhisper.com. Download the installer for your architecture:
  • HyperWhisper-X.Y.Z-x64-Setup.exe — for Intel and AMD laptops and desktops
  • HyperWhisper-X.Y.Z-arm64-Setup.exe — for Snapdragon X and other ARM64 Windows devices
To find your architecture, open Settings → System → About. Then read the System type field.
2

Run the installer

Double-click the .exe file that you downloaded. Then follow the setup wizard.
  • The app includes the .NET 10 runtime. You do not install the runtime separately.
  • The default install location is %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\HyperWhisper. This is a per-user install and does not need administrator privileges. The app uses approximately 300 MB of disk space. Local models that you download later use more disk space.
  • The installer has an optional Create a desktop shortcut task. This task is unchecked by default.
3

Launch HyperWhisper

At the end of the wizard, tick Launch HyperWhisper to start the app immediately.

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First launch

At the first start, HyperWhisper registers itself to start with Windows. The registration is in HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. You can turn off this option later in Settings → General. The main window opens at the first start. When you close the main window, the app moves to the system tray. For more information, refer to System tray behavior. The app continues to run in the background and stays ready to transcribe.

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Your first recording

1

Open the app

If the main window is not visible, do one of these steps:
  • Double-click the HyperWhisper icon in the system tray.
  • Right-click the tray icon and select History… or Settings….
Note that Ctrl+Alt, the default shortcut, starts and stops a recording — it does not open the main window.
2

Choose a transcription mode

To switch modes, open the Modes page in the sidebar. As an alternative, use the Ctrl+Shift+. shortcut or the Select Mode submenu in the tray icon.A mode controls the provider, the model, and the post-processing settings for each recording.
3

Start recording

To start a recording, press Ctrl+Alt from any location. As an alternative, right-click the tray icon and select Start/Stop Recording. A recording overlay appears while the app captures the audio.
4

Stop and review

To stop the recording, press Ctrl+Alt again. As an alternative, select Start/Stop Recording from the tray. When the app completes the processing, the transcript appears in the History section in the sidebar.

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Default keyboard shortcuts

You can customize all shortcuts in Settings → Shortcuts. The recording shortcut can also use push-to-talk mode. In this mode you hold the keys to record and release the keys to stop. The default behavior is a toggle.

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System tray behavior

HyperWhisper runs in the background and shows an icon in the Windows system tray (notification area). When you right-click the icon, a context menu opens. This menu gives fast access to the most common actions: The menu also shows the installed version number below these items. By default, the main window hides to the tray when you close it. The app does not quit. A balloon notification shows your recording shortcut as a reminder. To quit the app, select Quit from the tray menu.
If you enable Settings → General → Launch minimized, the app also hides to the tray at startup. It shows the same balloon notification.

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Next steps

Keyboard Shortcuts

Customize the shortcuts to record, to cancel, and to switch modes.

Audio Input

Select your microphone and do a test.

Transcription Modes

Create modes and configure them for different tasks.

Choosing a Provider

Compare the local and cloud transcription providers.