Installation

Native packages include Python and the app dependencies. Speech models and optional runtimes download separately from inside the app.

Download for your platform#

Get the installer from the download section or GitHub Releases.

For Linux, replace <version> with the version in your downloaded filename and use the matching command:

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install "./OpenWhisper-<version>-linux-amd64.deb"

# Arch
sudo pacman -U "./OpenWhisper-<version>-linux-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst"

Open the app from your applications menu. Linux packages also provide the ow and openwhisper terminal commands.

Verify and open the app#

Each release includes SHA256SUMS.txt. Compare your installer's SHA-256 with the entry for that filename before opening an unsigned download. The website also shows installer checksums in Downloads.

# Windows: use the filename you downloaded
Get-FileHash ".\OpenWhisper-Setup-<version>.exe" -Algorithm SHA256

# macOS
shasum -a 256 "OpenWhisper-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg"

# Linux: put SHA256SUMS.txt beside the downloaded package
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt --ignore-missing

On Windows, an unsigned installer may trigger SmartScreen. After verifying it, choose More info → Run anyway. The 2.6.14 macOS preview is unnotarized; approve its first launch in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.

Allow macOS permissions#

In System Settings → Privacy & Security, allow:

• Microphone to record your voice.
• Screen & System Audio Recording to capture meeting audio.
• Accessibility to paste a finished transcript into another app automatically.

You can copy and paste transcripts manually without Accessibility. In OpenWhisper, Settings → General → Set up auto-paste identifies the app that needs permission. If permission stops working after an update, remove the old entry, add the app again, and restart.

Install models#

Open Settings → Voice model to choose an engine, then Settings → Downloads to download its model and required runtime. The app's installer does not include every speech model.

Continue with Your first transcript for a complete first recording.

Update OpenWhisper#

Use Help → Check for Updates. Automatic checks and notifications are configurable in Settings → General.

• Windows: apply the in-app update or follow the setup prompt.
• macOS: 2.6.14 adds verified in-place updates with startup checks and rollback. To upgrade from 2.6.13, install the 2.6.14 DMG once. If the app cannot replace itself, it opens a verified DMG for replacement in Applications.
• Linux: install the new package using the same package-manager command as before.

Run from source#

Intel Macs, Linux distributions without a package, and contributors can run from source with Git and Python 3.11 or 3.12. Follow the source setup instructions for your platform, including system libraries on Linux.

Source installations update with git pull --ff-only; reinstall requirements when dependencies change.