Get ready to dictate

Begin voice input

1. Open Orqnote and follow Get started to allow Microphone, Input Monitoring and Accessibility.
2. Start the free trial or register your purchased licence.
3. Prepare the text model to use the default on-device AI. You can also try voice input without formatting.
4. Click a text field, press Right Option and speak. Press it again to insert your text. If you changed the activation key or recording mode, use your chosen settings.

See the steps for the macOS first-launch warning

Grant recording and input permissions

If the activation key, recording or text insertion does not work, check the permission status first.

1. Open Privacy & permissions in Orqnote and check which permissions are missing.
2. Choose the matching System Settings button and enable Orqnote. Microphone allows recording, Input Monitoring detects the activation key, and Accessibility inserts text.
3. Return to Orqnote and choose Recheck permissions. Restart the app if an enabled permission is not recognized.
4. Only if the problem remains, use Reset permissions and follow the instructions to grant them again.

Screen Recording is needed only for screen-aware formatting. If you previously denied a permission, macOS may not show its prompt again. You can still change it in System Settings.

Format text with on-device AI

Qwen: privacy and performance

• The AI: A compact Mac version of Alibaba’s Qwen3.5-9B removes fillers and tidies up self-corrections.
• Privacy: On-device mode does not send audio or text to external AI services or to the developer for training. Downloads, licence checks and update checks use the internet.
• Performance: Speed depends on your Mac and text length. Names and numbers can be changed incorrectly, so check important text before using it.

In API mode, text and images used for screen context are sent to your configured provider.

Sources: Qwen model card ／ The 4-bit Mac version used by Orqnote

The first on-device text model download is about 5.6GB. You need at least 8GB of free space and an internet connection.

1. Open AI formatting in Settings and turn it on.
2. Choose Prepare on-device model. You can see downloaded size, percentage, transfer speed and estimated time left.
3. Pausing keeps your downloaded data. Choose Resume download to continue. If the transfer stops progressing, Orqnote reconnects automatically.
4. Select on-device formatting and try dictating once the model is ready.

Keep your Mac awake during the download. You can close Settings without stopping it. If Waiting for the download server persists, check your connection. If the download fails, follow the on-screen guidance and resume.

The transcription model also needs an initial download of about 1.5GB. You can record while Qwen is preparing. Choose Insert without formatting to skip the wait. Your transcript is kept if preparation fails. It never switches to an external API automatically.

If text could not be inserted, use Copy the full text for insertion or Retry inserting the full text in the menu. The latest text that failed to insert stays available until you quit the app, even when saved history is off.

Qwen3.5 9B is recommended for text formatting. Compared with Qwen, Apple Intelligence may be less accurate for self-corrections and lists.

Receive improvements automatically

In Settings → Updates, choose “Receive updates automatically” to enable automatic checks and installation. Both are on for new users. Previously saved preferences are kept.

If automatic checks are off in an older version, check manually once with “Check for updates” or download the latest version from the official site. Updating and restarting wait until recording, transcription and formatting finish.

If input stops working after an update

After an update, macOS may require you to grant permissions again. Check Privacy & permissions first.

Go to the permission instructions

If the app will not open, download the latest version from the official site. Reinstalling does not extend the free trial.

Find the latest version on the official site

Contact us if you still need help

Send bugs and suggestions through the app’s simple form with just a message. If you need a reply, use the contact form and enter your reply email address.

Open the contact form ／ Read frequently asked questions

Do not include personal information, API keys, licence keys or passwords in the message.