Reference
Privacy & offline
Understand what stays local, what uses a network, and how to work offline.
On this page
OpenWhisper supports local transcription, cloud transcription, and a paired remote engine. Network behavior depends on the speech engine and any optional text provider you choose.
Understand each connection#
| Feature | What uses a network |
|---|---|
| Local speech model | Initial model and runtime downloads. Installed models load from the local cache without network metadata checks. |
| Cloud transcription | Audio is sent to the selected cloud provider. An API key and internet connection are required. |
| Remote engine | Audio is sent to your authorized host computer for transcription. |
| AI cleanup | Transcript text goes to the selected text endpoint. A local endpoint can keep this processing on your computer. |
| Meeting intelligence | The configured endpoint or agent processes meeting content and may use its provider's network services. |
| Host record storage | Records transfer to the paired host when host storage or Both is enabled. |
Selecting a local speech engine does not make cloud AI cleanup local. Check both the speech engine and text provider for a fully local workflow.
Prepare for offline use#
- Choose a local speech engine.
- Download its model and every required runtime in Settings → Downloads while online.
- Turn off cloud cleanup and cloud meeting intelligence, or use a locally available text endpoint.
- Make a short test recording after disconnecting from the internet.
Installed models load from the local cache without checking online metadata. A remote engine still needs a reachable host even when the internet is unavailable.
Control missing-model downloads#
In Settings → Downloads → When a model is missing from this computer, choose whether to ask, allow, or block downloads.
For source launches, setting HF_HUB_OFFLINE=1 before launch blocks Hugging Face model downloads. It does not disable cloud transcription or network text providers.
Know where credentials and records live#
API keys added in Settings use your operating system's credential store. History, transcripts, and recordings are kept by the app; remote-engine storage can additionally keep records on the host.
Review Where records are kept when configuring a remote engine. See Remote engines for the choices.
Exports may contain transcript content and recording references. Share them according to the content they contain; a JSON export does not include the referenced audio files.
Review downloaded components#
Downloads shows component publishers, source hosts, versions, licenses, and integrity checks. Integrity checks confirm that a download matches the expected artifact; they do not guarantee model or runtime security.
Keep the app and its runtimes updated and review important transcripts for errors. Use Choosing a model to understand platform support and experimental options.
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