Getting started

On first launch, an 8-step wizard guides you through: language selection, shortcut setup, microphone test and interactive demo.

1. 1Choose your interface language (15 languages available)
2. 2Set up your keyboard shortcut (F8 by default)
3. 3Test your microphone with the volume indicator
4. 4Try live dictation with the interactive demo
5. 5Select your preferred writing tone

By default, press F8 to start dictation, and release to stop. The shortcut is fully customizable.

• Supported combos: Ctrl+Shift+V, Alt+R, F1-F12, etc.
• Configurable in Settings > General
• Hot-reload: the new shortcut takes effect immediately

3 options in settings: keyboard shortcut only, VoxWave icon only (click the widget or the tray), or both combined.

The orb widget appears during dictation with an animation that reacts to your voice. It displays 4 distinct visual states:

• Idle: subtle breathing animation (white glow)
• Recording: reactive ring matching amplitude + timer
• Processing: animated dots during processing
• Error: red glow with error message

When enabled, VoxWave automatically stops recording after a period of silence — no need to press the shortcut again. Powered by Silero VAD, a neural network that accurately distinguishes speech from background noise.

1. 1Open Settings (tray click or hover widget > gear icon)
2. 2Go to the Audio tab
3. 3Enable 'Auto-stop after silence'
4. 4Choose the silence duration (2s, 3s or 5s — default is 2s)

Short beeps confirm the start, end, success or error of a dictation. Volume is configurable and can be disabled in audio settings.

VoxWave runs in the background — closing a settings window or dialog does not quit the application. Here are the three ways to fully exit:

• Right-click the tray icon and select 'Quit'
• Open Settings > Help and click the 'Quit' button at the bottom