Preferences

The Preferences tab covers permissions, keyboard shortcuts, microphone selection, and your license. Here’s how to configure them.

Accessing Preferences

1. Click the Yapper icon in the menu bar
2. Select Settings (or press ⌘ ,)
3. Go to the Preferences tab

Permissions

The Permissions section shows the status of the permissions Yapper needs.

Permission Status

Status	Meaning
Green checkmark	Permission granted, working correctly
Orange warning	Permission needed — click Grant Access to open System Settings

Required Permissions

Permission	Used For
Microphone	Capturing your voice when you record
Accessibility	Typing transcribed text into apps, reading selected text for AI Transform

If you see an orange warning, click Grant Access next to the missing permission. System Settings opens to the relevant section where you can enable Yapper.

For detailed instructions, see Granting Permissions.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Customize the keyboard shortcuts Yapper uses.

Available Shortcuts

Action	Default	Description
Start/Stop Recording	⌥ Space	Toggle recording on and off
Cancel Recording	Escape	Discard current recording
Language Toggle	⇧ ⌥ L	Switch between primary and secondary language
Auto-Type Toggle	⇧ ⌥ T	Toggle automatic text injection on or off

Changing a Shortcut

1. Find the shortcut you want to change
2. Click on the current shortcut display
3. Press your new key combination
4. The shortcut saves automatically

Shortcut Requirements

For letter/number keys:

• Must include at least one modifier key (⌘, ⇧, ⌥, or ⌃)

For special keys:

• Function keys (F1-F12) can work without modifiers
• Escape can work without modifiers

Avoiding Conflicts

Choose shortcuts that don’t conflict with:

• System shortcuts (like ⌘ Q, ⌘ Tab)
• Shortcuts in apps you use frequently
• Accessibility shortcuts you rely on

Resetting Shortcuts

Click Reset to Defaults to restore all shortcuts to their original values.

Microphone Selection

Choose which microphone Yapper uses for recording.

Selecting a Microphone

1. Open the Microphone dropdown in Preferences
2. Select your preferred input device
3. The setting saves automatically

Yapper lists all connected audio input devices — built-in microphones, USB microphones, Bluetooth headsets, and audio interfaces.

Live Level Meter

Below the microphone picker, a live audio level meter shows real-time input from the selected device. Use this to verify:

• Your microphone is working
• Audio is being captured at a good level
• The correct device is selected

The meter shows green for normal levels, yellow for moderate, and red for clipping.

Hot-Plug Support

Yapper detects audio devices as they’re connected or disconnected:

• New device plugged in — Appears in the dropdown immediately
• Selected device unplugged — Yapper falls back to the default system input device automatically

Your microphone preference is saved by device ID, so reconnecting the same device restores your selection.

Auto-Type

Control whether Yapper automatically types transcribed text into the focused application.

What Auto-Type Does

When Auto-Type is enabled (the default), Yapper types your transcription directly into the active text field after processing. When disabled, transcriptions are still processed and saved to history, but text is not injected into any app.

When to Disable Auto-Type

• Dictate notes to history without inserting text anywhere
• Record transcriptions for later review
• Use Yapper purely as a voice-to-text recorder

Toggling Auto-Type

You can toggle auto-type in three ways:

1. Menu bar — Click the Yapper icon and toggle Auto-Type
2. Settings — Go to Preferences and toggle Auto-Type
3. Keyboard shortcut — Press ⇧ ⌥ T

Sound Feedback

Enable audio cues for audible confirmation of what Yapper is doing.

1. Go to Preferences
2. Toggle Sound Feedback on

Sound	When it plays
Purr	Recording starts
Pop	Transcription completes successfully
Funk	An error occurs

Sound Feedback is disabled by default.

Overlay Position

Control where the recording overlay appears on screen.

By default, the recording overlay follows your cursor. To use a fixed location:

1. Go to Preferences
2. Toggle Fixed Position on

When enabled, the overlay appears at the top-center of your screen instead of following the cursor.

License

The License section shows your current license status.

License Information

You’ll see:

• License status — Active, trial, or expired
• Licensed to — The email associated with the license
• Expiration — When the license expires (if applicable)

Free Trial

Yapper includes a 7-day free trial that starts automatically on first launch. During the trial, all features are fully available. A toast notification confirms when your trial begins.

After the trial expires, you’ll need to activate a license to continue using Yapper.

Activating a License

1. Click Activate License (or I Already Have a License if your trial has expired)
2. Enter your license key
3. Click Activate

You can purchase a license during or after your trial — activation is immediate.

Deactivating a License

To use your license on a different Mac:

1. Click Deactivate
2. Confirm the deactivation

Each license can only be active on one Mac at a time.

Software Updates

Yapper checks for updates automatically in the background. When an update is available, you’ll be prompted to install it.

To check manually: click the Yapper icon in the menu bar → Check for Updates.

Related Topics

• Granting Permissions — Detailed permission setup
• AI Settings — Configure AI provider and model
• Transcription Settings — Model and language settings
• Permission Issues — Troubleshoot permission problems