Shoute.
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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use Shoute?

Press your hotkey (default: Option + Space) from any app. Speak naturally, then press the hotkey again or click the floating bar to stop. Your transcribed text is automatically pasted where your cursor was.

What is the floating bar?

The floating bar is a small pill-shaped indicator that sits near the top of your screen. It shows the Shoute icon when idle, a recording timer when active, and a processing animation while transcribing.

  • Click the floating bar to start or stop recording
  • Drag the floating bar to reposition it anywhere on screen
  • Double-click to reset it to the default centered position

What's the difference between Cloud and Local mode?

Cloud mode sends your audio to our server for transcription using state-of-the-art speech AI. It's faster and more accurate, especially for longer recordings. Local mode processes everything on your Mac - completely private, works offline, but requires more CPU and may be slower on older hardware.

What does "Format with AI" do?

When enabled, your transcription is cleaned up by AI: filler words (um, uh, like) are removed, grammar and punctuation are corrected, and the text is formatted into proper sentences and paragraphs. This requires Cloud mode.

Is my audio stored anywhere?

No. In Cloud mode, audio is sent over HTTPS, transcribed, and immediately discarded. Nothing is stored on our servers. In Local mode, audio never leaves your Mac. See our Privacy Policy for details.

What languages are supported?

Shoute supports English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. You can also set it to auto-detect the language.

Can I change the hotkey?

Yes. Open Settings from the menu bar icon, find the "Hotkey" row under Input & Behavior, and click it to record a new key combination.

What if the cloud service is down?

Enable "Local fallback" in Settings. When the cloud is unavailable, Shoute will automatically use the on-device model to transcribe your audio.

How do I activate my license?

After purchasing, you'll receive a license key starting with lic_. Open Settings, paste it in the License Key field, and click Activate. Your license is tied to a device identifier, not your personal information.

Need more help?

Check the complete product guide for detailed info, or email [email protected] and we'll get back to you promptly.

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