No internet required. No cloud services. No uploading your voice anywhere.
Here's exactly how to set up offline voice transcription on your Mac, from choosing the right tool to your first dictation.
Why Offline Transcription?
Before the how-to, here's why offline matters:
Privacy: Your voice never leaves your computer. For sensitive content—medical notes, legal discussions, confidential business—this is essential.
Reliability: Works on airplanes, in basements, during internet outages. No dependency on external services.
Speed: No upload time. No server latency. Local processing on M-series Macs is exceptionally fast.
Cost: No per-minute fees. No surprise bills based on usage.
What You'll Need
Hardware:
- Mac with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, or newer) — recommended for fast performance
- Intel Mac works but with slower processing
- 4GB free RAM minimum
- Built-in microphone works; external USB mic improves accuracy
Software:
- macOS Monterey or later
- Private Transcriber AI (or alternative offline transcription app)
Step 1: Choose Your Offline Transcription Tool
Several options exist. Here's my recommendation:
Private Transcriber AI (Recommended)
Why: Runs two AI models locally (Whisper for transcription + Qwen for text refinement). Both fully offline. No account required. Highly optimized for M-series Macs with exceptionally fast performance.
Supports both real-time dictation and audio/video file transcription (MP3, WAV, MP4, MKV, M4A). Can also generate SRT subtitle files with timestamps. The dual-AI approach means you get transcription plus the ability to fix errors, change tone, or translate—without re-recording. Works for any audio source.
Built-in Journal organizes transcriptions with tags and search. Due tab manages tasks with deadlines—all processed locally.
Download Private Transcriber AI for Mac
Alternatives
- MacWhisper: Specializes in speaker diarization for multi-speaker files
- VoiceInk: Open-source option
- Aiko: Free, basic features
This guide uses Private Transcriber AI, but the concepts apply to other tools.
Step 2: Download and Install
- Go to transcriber.craftby.dev
- Click "Download for Mac"
- Open the downloaded .dmg file
- Drag the app to your Applications folder
- Launch from Applications
No signup required. The app works immediately.
Step 3: Grant Permissions
On first launch, macOS will ask for permissions:
Microphone Access
- System prompt: "Private Transcriber AI would like to access the microphone"
- Click "Allow"
Without this, the app can't record your voice.
Accessibility (if prompted)
Some features may request accessibility permissions for system-wide hotkeys.
- Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
- Enable the app
Step 4: Verify Offline Capability
Before trusting the app with sensitive content, verify it truly works offline:
- Turn off WiFi (click WiFi icon → Turn WiFi Off)
- Open Private Transcriber AI
- Record a short test: "Testing offline transcription"
- Confirm transcription works
If it works with no internet, it's truly local processing.
Step 5: Configure Your Hotkey
The power of dictation is instant access. Set up a keyboard shortcut:
- Open the app
- Find settings/preferences
- Set your trigger hotkey (suggestion: Cmd+Shift+Space or similar)
- Test: Press hotkey, speak, verify it works
The hotkey should work from any app—that's what makes dictation seamless.
Step 6: Your First Real Transcription
Now try it for actual work:
- Press your hotkey (or click the record button)
- Speak naturally: "This is a test of offline transcription on my Mac. I'm speaking at normal speed to see how accurately it captures my words."
- Stop recording (press hotkey again or click stop)
- Wait for processing (usually 1-3 seconds on M-series Macs)
- Review the text in the app window
The text should appear in your clipboard, ready to paste anywhere.
Step 7: Learn the Refinement Features
This is where Private Transcriber AI differs from basic transcription:
Change Tone
After transcription, you can regenerate with different styles:
- Professional (formal business language)
- Casual (friendly, relaxed)
- Concise (shorter, tighter)
Try it: Dictate casually, then regenerate with "Professional" to see the difference.
Fix Errors
If transcription made mistakes, regeneration often fixes them using context clues.
Translate
Speak in one language, output in another. Useful for multilingual communication.
These features all work offline—the second AI model runs locally.
Step 8: Integrate into Your Workflow
Dictation works best when it's habitual. Practice with:
Next email you write: dictate instead of type. Speak your response, paste, light edit, send.
Notes
Capture meeting notes or ideas by speaking. Paste into your note app.
Documents
Dictate first drafts. Refine with regeneration. Edit for polish.
Messages
Quick Slack messages, texts, any short communication—dictate and paste.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"Transcription is slow"
- Larger AI models = more accurate but slower
- Check free RAM (need 4GB+)
- Close memory-heavy apps
- Intel Macs will be slower than Apple Silicon
"Accuracy isn't great"
- Use external microphone
- Reduce background noise
- Speak clearly but naturally
- Try regeneration—the second AI often fixes errors
"Hotkey doesn't work"
- Check accessibility permissions
- Make sure the app is running
- Try a different hotkey combination (some are reserved by macOS)
"App won't open"
- macOS security: Right-click → Open (first time)
- Check compatibility with your macOS version
Privacy Verification Checklist
For users with strict privacy requirements, verify:
- App works in airplane mode
- No account/login required
- No network activity during transcription (use Activity Monitor → Network)
- AI models are stored locally (check app size—it should be large because models are included)
Tips for Best Results
Microphone quality matters: Built-in mic works but external USB microphone significantly improves accuracy.
Speak in complete thoughts: Natural sentences transcribe better than fragments.
Punctuation: Say "period," "comma," "question mark" if you want specific punctuation (some apps handle this automatically).
Review before sending: Transcription is good but not perfect. Quick review catches issues.
Use regeneration liberally: Speaking casually then regenerating for polish produces better results than trying to speak formally.
Advanced: Multiple Languages
Private Transcriber AI supports 100+ languages:
Same-Language Transcription
- Speak in Spanish → Get Spanish text
- Speak in Japanese → Get Japanese text
- Language is usually auto-detected
Cross-Language Translation
- Speak in French → Get English text
- Speak in your native language → Output in your target language
All translation runs locally. No cloud services for any language.
What's Next
Once comfortable with basic dictation:
- Increase usage: Replace more typing with speaking
- Learn keyboard shortcuts: Master the hotkey, any app-specific shortcuts
- Explore style options: Find which regeneration modes help your work
- Consider Pro upgrade: Free tier has 15-second limit; Pro removes it
Summary
Offline transcription on Mac requires:
- The right app (Private Transcriber AI recommended)
- Microphone permission
- A hotkey for quick access
- Practice integrating into daily work
Total setup time: About 5 minutes.
Time saved per day once fluent: 30-60 minutes for typical knowledge workers.
Privacy guarantee: Absolute. Your voice never leaves your Mac.