Support

Help for Steno.

Steno is a private, offline dictation app for macOS. For support, bug reports, and general questions, email [email protected].

Common checks

Open Steno and complete the first-run setup.
Allow Microphone access when macOS asks.
Use the local Capture Model readiness checks in first-run setup.
Use the "Try Steno" field: hold Fn, speak, then release Fn.

Include this in your email

Mac model and macOS version.
Steno app version.
Which step failed or felt unclear.
Whether Microphone access is enabled.

Troubleshooting

Steno cannot record audio Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and make sure Steno is enabled.
Steno did not change the clipboard Open Settings > General and make sure "Copy transcript to clipboard after dictation" is on. If it is off, Steno keeps completed transcripts in local history without changing your clipboard.
Profile Rewrite is unavailable Keep Steno open until the first setup warmup finishes. The speech-to-text and Profile Rewrite models are included with Steno and run locally on your Mac.
Clipboard contents changed By default, Steno copies each completed transcript to the clipboard for manual paste. Turn off "Copy transcript to clipboard after dictation" in Settings if you want Steno to leave your clipboard unchanged.

Diagnostics and privacy

Open Settings > General > Diagnostics to export a privacy-safe troubleshooting bundle. Diagnostics do not include dictated text, audio, or clipboard contents.

Privacy details are available in the Steno Privacy Policy.