Steno
Download

02 · Get Started

Installation

Install Steno 1.0, grant permissions, and keep the app up to date.

Requirements

Steno targets Apple silicon and macOS 13 or later. Intel Macs are not supported by the bundled arm64 runtime. Media pausing requires macOS 15 or later. Building from source requires the newer host macOS supported by your Xcode version; the app and its build tools have different macOS requirements.

Install From the DMG

Download Steno 1.0.1 from the release page. The app includes the speech engine, Small English model, and Silero voice detection model.

  1. Open the latest stable release, read its notes, and download its DMG asset.
  2. Open the DMG and drag Steno.app to Applications.
  3. Launch the copy in Applications. Follow the release's installation guidance and macOS security prompts. Do not bypass an unexpected security warning.
  4. Grant Microphone for recording, Accessibility for text insertion, and Input Monitoring for global shortcuts in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
  5. Click into a text field, hold Option, say a sentence, and release. Check the inserted result; use Cmd+V if Steno reports that it copied the text.

You do not need Xcode, an account, or a separate transcription service to use the app.

The release includes a SHA256SUMS file. Run shasum -a 256 followed by the downloaded file's path and compare the result with the checksum for that exact asset. This checks the file's integrity; it does not verify signing or notarization. To check where the installer was built, see verifying an installer.

Updates and First Launch

To update, download the latest stable DMG, quit your running copy when you are ready, and replace Steno in Applications. There is no in-app automatic updater. The stable-release link follows GitHub's latest published release; it does not update an installed app. History, settings, and Insights data written by 1.0.1 remain readable by Steno 1.0.0; there, a hands-free key saved as Disabled reads as F18.

Model options are under Settings → Speech model. Start with Small, then try an optional model if needed. The first dictation loads the selected model; later recordings reuse it when possible.

Build From Source

Use Development Setup to build the pinned runtime, download models, and run Steno from Xcode. Select the tag or branch you want to build and follow its setup guide.