Help

Getting Started

1. Download and install VoicePaste. Open the downloaded DMG and drag VoicePaste to your Applications folder.
2. Launch VoicePaste. On first launch, macOS may ask you to confirm since the app was downloaded from the internet. Click Open. VoicePaste is notarized by Apple, which means Apple has scanned it for malicious software before distribution.
3. Grant permissions. VoicePaste will ask for Microphone and Accessibility access. Both are required for full functionality. See Permissions below.
4. Press your hotkey and speak. The default hotkey is ⌘⇧V with auto-detect language. Press it to start recording, speak, then press it again to stop. Your text appears wherever your cursor is.

Permissions

Microphone

Required to record your voice. Without this permission, VoicePaste cannot capture audio. macOS will show a system dialog the first time you try to record.

Accessibility

Required for auto-paste: typing the transcribed text directly into your focused application. Without this permission, VoicePaste will still copy text to your clipboard, but you'll need to manually paste with ⌘V.

To grant Accessibility access: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, and enable VoicePaste.

Hotkeys

VoicePaste supports up to 10 global hotkeys. Each hotkey defines:

• Language: which language to transcribe in (or auto-detect)
• Writing style: optionally rewrite the transcription (Professional, Casual, Concise, Formal, Friendly, Natural, or None)
• Output language: optionally translate to a different language in the same step

For example, you could have:

• ⌘⇧V: Auto-detect language, no rewrite (default)
• ⌘⇧E: English, no rewrite
• ⌘⇧P: English, Professional style
• ⌘⇧S: Auto-detect to Spanish, Professional style

Configure hotkeys in Settings → Hotkeys & Writing. You can add, remove, and reorder them freely.

VoicePaste Cloud vs VoicePaste Local

VoicePaste Cloud

The default. No API keys needed, no account to create. Audio is sent to the VoicePaste server for transcription. Usage is tracked with a monthly quota based on your subscription tier. 30 minutes per month for free.

VoicePaste Local

VoicePaste Local gives you two options for transcription without our servers:

• Your own API keys: VoicePaste supports OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Deepgram, and AssemblyAI. Audio is sent directly to the provider and never touches VoicePaste servers.
• Local Whisper: On-device transcription that runs entirely on your Mac. No internet, no API keys, nothing ever leaves your computer. Choose a model size: tiny (fastest), base, small, medium, or large-v3-turbo (most accurate).

VoicePaste Local works without any purchase. A small tagline is appended to each transcription: "Transcribed by VoicePaste." The $40 one-time purchase removes the tagline. Your history always stores clean text regardless.

Configure in Settings → VoicePaste Local.

Your Data and Privacy

What stays on your Mac

All your transcription text, audio recordings, history, settings, and API keys are stored locally on your Mac. VoicePaste never uploads your transcriptions or recordings to our servers. Your words are yours.

What VoicePaste Cloud stores

When you use Cloud mode, VoicePaste stores only the minimum metadata needed to run the subscription service:

• A hashed device identifier (a one-way hash of your Apple device ID, cannot be reverse-engineered to identify your device, even if someone gained access to our database)
• Audio duration of each transcription (for quota tracking)
• Language used, whether the text was rewritten or translated
• Subscription and license status

VoicePaste Cloud does not store:

• Your transcription text (neither original nor rewritten/translated)
• Your audio recordings (audio is relayed to the AI provider in memory and discarded immediately)
• Any personal information beyond what's needed for billing (handled by Paddle)

What about syncing across Macs?

VoicePaste does not currently sync transcription history between devices. Because we don't store your transcriptions on our servers, there is nothing to sync from. Your history lives entirely on each Mac.

This is a deliberate design choice for privacy. If we introduce syncing in the future, it will be built with end-to-end encryption so that only your devices can read your data.

Troubleshooting

Nothing happens when I press the hotkey

• Make sure VoicePaste is running (look for the icon in your menu bar).
• Check that the hotkey isn't already used by another app. Try a different key combination in Settings.

Text doesn't paste automatically

• Verify Accessibility permission is granted in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
• If you just granted the permission, you may need to restart VoicePaste.
• Some apps with custom text fields may not support simulated keyboard input. In those cases, the text is still copied to your clipboard. Press ⌘V to paste.
• Nothing is ever lost. All transcriptions are saved in your history, so even if your clipboard gets overwritten, you can always find the text there.

Transcription comes back in the wrong language

• If you're using auto-detect and it consistently picks the wrong language (for example, you speak Dutch but the transcription comes back in English), create a hotkey with a specific input language instead. This forces the transcription provider to use that language.

Transcription is inaccurate

• Check your microphone input level in System Settings → Sound.
• Add frequently misheard words to your Dictionary in Settings → Transcription.
• Use Text Replacements in Settings to auto-correct recurring errors.

VoicePaste isn't hearing me

• Verify Microphone permission is granted in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
• Check that the correct input device is selected in System Settings → Sound.

Error: "No internet connection"

VoicePaste needs an internet connection to transcribe audio. If you're offline, recordings are saved locally and will be transcribed automatically when your connection returns.

Contact Support

Still need help? Email us at support@voicepaste.app and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.