Offline dictation on Mac with Stirae
Stirae can turn speech into text without an internet connection after setup, while your Mac has valid, verified trial or subscription access. Transcription runs on your Mac; cloud rewriting and translation need internet.
How do I dictate without internet?
Complete setup and permissions online, including the required model downloads and account verification. In the Profile you use, choose Refinement Off and Output Language: Same as Spoken. These settings use local transcription without requesting cloud rewriting or translation. Follow the settings steps below.
Use a destination app that also works offline. Stirae does not make an online app available without internet, and offline dictation stops being available when your verified access is no longer valid. Check Settings > Account before relying on offline use.
What happens during a dictation
- Record: Stirae captures the microphone you selected.
- Transcribe locally: speech becomes text on your Mac. The standard dictation flow does not upload raw microphone audio or save recordings as audio files.
- Apply your choices: Stirae handles Vocabulary and Voice Shortcuts, then uses the applicable refinement or translation path when needed and available.
- Deliver text: Stirae sends a paste command to the app you started from and keeps the result on the clipboard for recovery.
When cloud refinement or translation runs, Stirae sends text and request instructions to Amazon Bedrock. Depending on the feature, that includes transcribed text, Writing Style instructions, vocabulary, and language settings. See the Privacy Policy for the processing details.
Choose the processing you want
| Settings | Requested behavior |
|---|---|
| Refinement Off + Same as Spoken | Local transcription without cloud rewriting or translation. Vocabulary and Voice Shortcuts still apply. |
| Light Cleanup + Same as Spoken | Small edits to spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and obvious fillers. Cloud cleanup may be used. |
| Full Rewrite + Same as Spoken | Cloud rewriting guided by the selected Writing Style, with sentence-level restructuring allowed. |
| Refinement Off + a different Output Language | Cloud translation can still run. Writing Style shaping is skipped. |
| Refinement on + a different Output Language | Refinement and translation can run together through the available cloud path. |
Explicit same-language pairs do not need translation. Auto Detect with a fixed output language keeps translation eligible because the spoken language is not known before transcription. Choosing a cloud feature does not guarantee it can run: account access, cloud readiness, and allowance also apply.
Avoid cloud rewriting and translation
- Open Settings > Profiles and edit the Profile that applies where you dictate.
- Set Refinement to Off.
- Set Output Language to Same as Spoken and save.
- Check any enabled app or website Profiles as well as Default Profile. A matching Profile can use different settings from your default.
Turning Refinement Off by itself does not disable translation. A saved Writing Style stays inactive when Refinement is Off.
Productive dictation still requires an account and a valid trial or paid entitlement. Offline use requires a valid verified entitlement on your Mac. These settings avoid cloud rewriting and translation; they do not turn account services, model downloads, website access, or your destination app into offline services.
When cloud processing is unavailable
For a run that is allowed to start, an unavailable cloud feature can leave you with local text. Light Cleanup can use local cleanup in some cases; Full Rewrite can leave the raw transcript. If translation cannot run, the result can remain in the original language. Check the result and the HUD before relying on polished or translated output.
Cloud fallback does not override account access requirements. A signed-out account or an entitlement that does not include productive dictation can block recording from starting. Check Settings > Account for access and cloud availability; Settings > Cloud Usage shows your cloud allowance.
A matched Voice Shortcut takes a separate path: Stirae replaces the matched phrase and skips refinement, translation, and cloud-usage accounting for that dictation.
What the cloud location setting controls
The cloud processing location applies to routing for cloud refinement and translation. It does not determine the location of every account, payment, support, or website operation. Read the routing explanation in the Privacy Policy rather than treating a location choice as a promise about all service data.
What happens after insertion
The result goes to the destination app and remains on the clipboard until replaced. That app, clipboard tools, backups, and other software may process it independently of Stirae. If insertion fails, paste the latest clipboard copy into the intended field before copying anything else. If text already appeared, do not paste a second copy.
For the full product settings, continue with Refinement, Languages & Translation, and Plans & Billing.