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Getting Started

Complete guide to setting up and using Yooz Whisper.

Installation​

From Mac App Store​

  1. Open the Mac App Store
  2. Search for "Yooz Whisper"
  3. Click Get / Install
  4. Wait for download to complete
  5. Find Yooz Whisper in Applications

Direct Download​

Alternative: Download from our website:

  1. Visit yooz.live
  2. Download the latest version
  3. Open the .dmg file
  4. Drag Yooz Whisper to Applications
  5. Eject the disk image

First Launch​

Opening the App​

  1. Open Finder → Applications
  2. Double-click Yooz Whisper
  3. If prompted, click Open (first-time macOS security)

After launching:

  • Look for the Whisper icon in your menu bar (top-right of screen)
  • The icon indicates Whisper is running
  • Click the icon to open the popover

Main Interface

Keeping in Menu Bar​

Yooz Whisper runs as a menu bar app:

  • No Dock icon (by design)
  • Always accessible from menu bar
  • Low resource usage when idle

Required Permissions​

Microphone Access​

Essential for voice input:

When prompted:

  1. Click OK to grant access
  2. Whisper can now hear you

If you missed the prompt:

  1. Open System Settings
  2. Go to Privacy & Security → Microphone
  3. Find Yooz Whisper
  4. Toggle ON
Microphone Required

Without microphone access, Yooz Whisper cannot function. Voice typing requires hearing your voice.

For direct text insertion:

To enable:

  1. Open System Settings
  2. Go to Privacy & Security → Accessibility
  3. Click the + button
  4. Select Yooz Whisper from Applications
  5. Click Open

Benefits:

  • Text inserts directly at cursor
  • No copy/paste step needed
  • Seamless workflow

Without Accessibility:

  • Text goes to clipboard only
  • Paste manually with Cmd + V
  • Still fully functional

Basic Usage​

Recording Your First Transcription​

  1. Click the Whisper menu bar icon
  2. Click the Record button (microphone)
  3. Speak clearly into your microphone
  4. Click Stop when finished
  5. Use the transcribed text

Output Modes​

Clipboard (Default):

  • Text is copied to clipboard
  • Paste anywhere with Cmd + V

Direct Insert (with Accessibility):

  • Text types at cursor position
  • No paste step needed

Workflow Example​

Writing an email:

  1. Open your email app
  2. Click in the message body
  3. Click Whisper icon → Record
  4. Dictate your message
  5. Stop recording
  6. Text appears (or paste if using clipboard)

Setting Up Preferences​

Opening Settings​

  1. Click the Whisper menu bar icon
  2. Click the gear icon (settings)
  3. Settings window opens

Essential Settings​

General Settings

Language:

  • Set your spoken language
  • Match to what you'll be dictating

Keyboard Shortcut:

  • Set a global shortcut
  • Recommended: Option + Space

Output Preferences:

  • Trailing space, capitalization
  • Customize as needed

Keyboard Shortcut Setup​

Setting a Shortcut​

  1. Open Settings → General
  2. Find Keyboard Shortcut
  3. Click the shortcut field
  4. Press your desired keys
  5. Shortcut saves automatically

Using the Shortcut​

  • First press: Starts recording
  • Second press: Stops recording
  • Works globally: From any app
ShortcutReason
Option + SpaceErgonomic, memorable
Control + Option + WUnique to Whisper
Fn + F5Traditional dictation key

AI Features Setup​

Requirements Check​

AI features need:

  • macOS 15.0 (Sequoia) or later
  • Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later)
  • Apple Intelligence enabled

Enabling Apple Intelligence​

If not already enabled:

  1. Open System Settings
  2. Go to Apple Intelligence & Siri
  3. Toggle Apple Intelligence ON
  4. Wait for models to download (may take several minutes)

Enabling AI in Whisper​

AI Settings

  1. Open Whisper Settings → AI
  2. Toggle YOOZ Preprocess for real-time enhancement
  3. Or use AI Touch-Up for post-transcription refinement

Optimizing for Your Environment​

Microphone Selection​

If you have multiple microphones:

  1. Open System Settings → Sound → Input
  2. Select your preferred microphone
  3. Whisper uses the system default

Best microphones:

  • Built-in Mac microphone (good)
  • Headset microphone (better)
  • USB condenser microphone (best)

Background Noise​

For best accuracy:

  • Use in a quiet environment
  • Close windows to reduce street noise
  • Pause fans or loud equipment
  • Consider noise-canceling headset

Speaking Tips​

  • Speak at normal pace
  • Pronounce words clearly
  • Pause briefly between sentences
  • Say punctuation when needed ("period", "comma")

Troubleshooting First Setup​

Whisper Not in Menu Bar​

Solutions:

  1. Check if app is running (Activity Monitor)
  2. Quit and relaunch the app
  3. Check menu bar overflow (click >> if visible)
  4. Restart your Mac

Microphone Not Working​

Solutions:

  1. Verify permission in System Settings
  2. Check microphone is selected in Sound settings
  3. Test microphone in another app
  4. Restart Yooz Whisper

No Text Output​

Solutions:

  1. Ensure recording started (visual indicator)
  2. Check you spoke loud enough
  3. Verify correct language selected
  4. Test with simple phrase first

AI Features Unavailable​

Solutions:

  1. Verify macOS 15.0+
  2. Confirm Apple Silicon Mac
  3. Enable Apple Intelligence in System Settings
  4. Wait for model download to complete
  5. Restart Whisper after enabling

Daily Workflow Tips​

Morning Setup​

  1. Launch Whisper (or set to auto-launch)
  2. Verify menu bar icon visible
  3. Test with quick recording
  4. Ready for the day

Auto-Launch on Login​

To start Whisper automatically:

  1. Open System Settings → General → Login Items
  2. Click + under "Open at Login"
  3. Select Yooz Whisper
  4. App will start on every login

Best Practices​

  1. Keep Whisper running - Low resource usage
  2. Use keyboard shortcut - Faster than clicking
  3. Enable AI - Better output quality
  4. Review important text - AI assists, doesn't replace proofreading

Next Steps​

Now that you're set up: