Dictation on Mac. Start with a thought.

The current beta requires an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 26 or later. Its local speech model supports English and needs a one-time download of about 1.8 GB. Have an internet connection ready for setup. Review the model license disclosures before downloading the weights.

Murmur is free and open source under the MIT license. Local dictation needs no account, API key or subscription.

This guide covers the public beta v0.2.7. It is not yet notarized by Apple, so macOS may block the first launch. Read the release notes before installing.

Download the Mac beta, unzip it and move Murmur to Applications. Open it from there.

If macOS blocks the first launch, continue only if you trust the download: open System Settings → Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway.

Follow Murmur’s welcome guide to allow its permissions and download the English speech model. Prefer to build the app yourself? The source build instructions are on GitHub.

Microphone lets Murmur hear you while you record.

Accessibility lets Murmur paste into the field you are using and read back the inserted text to confirm the paste and learn corrections. It never presses Return or sends a message.

Input Monitoring lets the shortcut work across apps. Correction learning also uses it to follow edits in fields that hide their text, for up to a minute after insertion.

For the full explanation of what is read and retained, see Murmur’s permissions and privacy details.

Start in a scratch text field. Click where you want the words, hold the right Option key, speak, then release. Murmur inserts the result at your cursor. You can change the shortcut in Settings.

Try a short sentence first, then check the inserted text before using it. Murmur cleans up speech locally by default; you can choose a cleanup style in Settings. Add names or unusual spellings to your dictionary when you need them.

Past dictations are available in History. You can copy a result again without recording it a second time.

After the speech model download, local dictation works offline. Transcription and cleanup run on your Mac by default. Downloads and update checks still use the network when connected.

Cloud transcription and cloud cleanup are separate, optional choices using your own provider account. Settings shows the destination and data disclosure when you select one. A cloud route sends the audio or text needed for that task to the provider you choose.

Read how optional cloud routes handle your data, including screen context, before enabling them.

Does Murmur work on Intel Macs?
The current beta requires Apple silicon. Check that your Mac meets the macOS 26 or later requirement too.

Why does the shortcut not start dictation?
Check the shortcut configured in Murmur’s Settings and its Input Monitoring permission in System Settings. If recording starts but there is no audio, check Microphone permission. If text does not insert, check Accessibility permission and that a text field has focus.

Does the website listen to me?
No. The homepage sample illustrates Murmur’s local cleanup rules. It does not record audio or ask for microphone access. Download the Mac app to dictate your own words.

Where can I report a beta problem?
Check the release notes and GitHub issues. Keep private transcripts, recordings and API keys out of public reports.