- Free tool
- Open source · LGPL
- Windows
- Linux
Quick Whisper
Dictate polished text straight into your work
Press a shortcut, speak, and Quick Whisper transcribes and optionally copy-edits your words before pasting them into the active app. Free, open-source software; bring your own OpenAI API key.
- Latest version
- v2.4.1Latest version
- Builds
- Windows & LinuxBuilds
- OpenAI API
- Bring your own keyOpenAI API
Speak naturally. Get text ready to use.
Version 2.4.1 adds push-to-talk, searchable history and a proper light theme, while making recording and paste more dependable.
Dictate with one shortcut
Use toggle recording or hold the shortcut for push-to-talk. Choose a raw transcript or AI-edited text.
Paste into the active app
Copy or paste the finished text into an email, document or message without switching away from your work.
Find and reuse earlier text
Search saved dictations, preview full entries and bring a past transcript or edit back into the main window.
GETTING STARTED
Get dictating in a few steps
The app is free. Your own OpenAI API account covers transcription and any AI editing calls.
Download and open Quick Whisper
Choose the appropriate build in Downloads and launch it. First run explains the API key and pauses hotkeys while you enter it.
Choose microphone and models
Select the input device and adjust the transcription model, copy-edit model and prompt in Settings.
Record and process
Press Ctrl+Alt+J for transcription with AI editing, or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+J for the raw transcript. Stop with the same shortcut in toggle mode; push-to-talk is optional in v2.4.1.
Copy, paste or revisit
Enable auto-paste to insert text into your active application, or copy it manually. Use File > Browse History to find a prior entry.
A LOOK INSIDE
Explore Quick Whisper
These images are from earlier builds; the v2.4.1 interface has updated settings, history and themes.
“I want to thank you for giving me back my voice. I have had a long road of having parts of my tongue removed for cancer over the years, with the last surgery being four and a half years ago and taking the remainder of my tongue, including my voice box. Not only have you given hope to people with laboured speech, which I have experienced in recent years, but you have also given people with no voice a voice. Kudos to you for adding text-to-speech to video conferencing tools like Microsoft Teams. I could never thank you enough for the gift you have given me.”
Niko
Text-to-Mic user · Member of the mute community
RELEASES
What is new in Quick Whisper
v2.4.1Latest
Push-to-talk and searchable history
Added hold-to-record push-to-talk, searchable dictation history, a proper light theme, clearer recording and processing status, improved clipboard and auto-paste handling, grouped settings, better first-run guidance and recoverable API errors.
v2.3.0
A more reliable dictation loop
Added a live microphone meter, elapsed timer, refreshable input list, recording limits, persistent history, retry and re-edit controls, improved hotkey feedback and safer settings storage.
v2.2.1
Updated AI models
Updated default transcription and copy-editing model choices, added alternative models, and aligned release build names with app versions. Existing users keep their saved model choices.
Full history (v2.1.3 – v2.2.0)
v2.2.0
Memory management
Robustness improvements to memory management and additional diagnostics for reported memory growth.
v2.1.5
Tray and window behaviour
Fixed tray restoration and cleanup, and added an optional close-to-tray setting.
v2.1.4
Paste settings and languages
Added paste-method choices and Japanese, Korean, Russian and Portuguese language support. This release was marked as a pre-release.
v2.1.3
Keyboard shortcut reliability
Expired stale key presses and cleared stray key state to improve shortcut recognition; included a console build for diagnostics.
Download Quick Whisper
Windows v2.4.1 is the newest linked build. Linux has an older linked release; All versions shows every available file.
Build it yourself
Source code
Review and compile the code yourself — handy if your virus scanner flags the build.
View source ↗Unsigned Windows builds may trigger a security prompt. Review the source or build it yourself if you prefer. A Mac binary is not currently linked.
24 more files: earlier versions and alternative builds.
Frequently asked questions
The app is free and open source. You supply an OpenAI API key and pay for the transcription and AI editing calls it makes on your behalf.
The release adds push-to-talk, a searchable history browser, a proper light theme, clearer recording feedback and improvements to clipboard, auto-paste, settings and error handling.
Yes. Use Ctrl+Alt+Shift+J for transcription without the extra copy-editing step. Ctrl+Alt+J transcribes and edits.
The Downloads section currently includes a Linux v2.1.2 build and Windows v2.4.1. There is no linked Mac binary; the GitHub repository has source and build instructions.
The app saves configuration locally on your computer. Treat the API key as a secret and do not share it; OpenAI charges your account for its use.
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