Welcome to Yapper
Your guide to getting started with voice-to-text dictation on macOS
Yapper is a voice-to-text dictation app for macOS that lets you speak naturally and have your words automatically typed into any application. Whether you’re writing emails, coding, or taking notes, Yapper helps you capture your thoughts at the speed of speech.
What Makes Yapper Different
100% Offline Transcription
Your voice never leaves your Mac. Yapper uses on-device speech recognition with two engines — NVIDIA Parakeet and OpenAI Whisper — so your audio is processed locally without any internet connection required. This means faster results and complete privacy.
Works Everywhere
Yapper types directly into any application—your email client, text editor, browser, messaging app, or any other software with a text field. No copy-pasting required.
AI-Powered Voice Modes
Yapper includes two optional AI features you can trigger by voice. AI Transform lets you select text and speak an instruction to rewrite it (e.g., “make this more formal”). AI Q&A lets you say “Hey Yapper” followed by a question to get an instant answer in a floating panel. Both require an API key from Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, or xAI.
How It Works
- Press the shortcut — Hit ⌥ Space (or your custom shortcut)
- Speak naturally — Talk as you normally would
- Stop recording — Press the shortcut again or release the keys
- Text appears — Your words are typed into the active application
That’s it. No switching apps, no manual copying, no cloud uploads for basic transcription.
Quick Start Checklist
Before you begin dictating, make sure you’ve completed these steps:
- Verified your Mac meets the system requirements
- Installed Yapper from the official website
- Granted permissions for Microphone and Accessibility
- Started your free trial or activated your license
Once set up, you’ll be ready for your first transcription.
Where Yapper Lives
Yapper runs as a menu bar app—you’ll find its icon in the menu bar at the top of your screen, not in the Dock. Click the icon to access settings, history, file transcription, and more.
Getting Help
If you run into issues, check out our Troubleshooting guides or browse the FAQ. You can also reach us at hello@yapper.to.