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You can't install MacWhisper on Windows — Apple's macOS-only. But you don't have to switch operating systems to get the same Whisper AI dictation flow. Whisper Dictator brings the exact same OpenAI models to Windows 10/11, with a setup guide written for people who already know MacWhisper.
Windows 10/11 (64-bit) · Free tier: 7 transcriptions/day · No Mac required
The .dmg installer Apple users download won't run on a Windows machine. There's no .exe, no .msi, and the developer has not announced Windows support. Wine and CrossOver don't work either — the app uses Mac-specific frameworks.
Some Windows users dual-boot macOS via Hackintosh or buy a Mac mini just to run MacWhisper. Both are expensive and risk losing your Windows workflow. There's a simpler path: a Windows app that does the same job.
Basic open-source Whisper interfaces require manual file management — record audio, save WAV, run script, copy text. They lack the global hotkey, system-wide typing, and tray integration that make MacWhisper feel effortless.
Same OpenAI Whisper AI models. Same press-to-talk hotkey. Same instant typing into any app. Built from day one for Windows, so there's no emulator, no dual-boot, no compromise.
If you came here because you wished MacWhisper had a Windows version, here's the side-by-side of what Whisper Dictator delivers.
Whisper Dictator loads the same ggml Whisper models MacWhisper uses (Base, Small, Medium, Large-v3, Large-v3 Turbo). Audio never leaves your machine.
Hold AltGr (or your chosen key) in Outlook, VS Code, Slack, Word, Chrome, anywhere. Text appears at the cursor when you release. That's the MacWhisper paste-anywhere flow on Windows.
Same multilingual coverage. Change source language from the system tray, not from menus deep in settings.
If your Windows PC has an NVIDIA card, CUDA cuts transcription time dramatically. This is the one capability that's genuinely better than running MacWhisper on Apple Silicon.
Pick Base for speed on older laptops, Large-v3 for maximum accuracy on a workstation. Same trade-off MacWhisper offers.
A small floating indicator shows recording status. No big window taking up space. Designed to be invisible until you press the key.
Grab the Windows .exe installer. Run it — SmartScreen will warn the first time (we're not yet code-signed); click "More info → Run anyway". The setup wizard then offers to download a Whisper model (Large-v3 Turbo recommended for most users).
Default hotkey is right-Alt (AltGr). Open any Windows app — Notepad, Word, your email client. Hold the key. The tray indicator goes green. Speak naturally.
Let go of the key. Whisper Dictator transcribes locally and types into the active text field via SendInput. No paste, no clipboard, no app focus issues.
If you already use MacWhisper on a Mac at home and need the equivalent on your Windows work PC — here's exactly how the two map.
| Capability | Whisper Dictator (Windows) | MacWhisper (Mac) | Wispr Flow | Open-source GUIs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% Offline | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Audio Stays Local | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Works in Any App | ✓ | ✕ | ~ | ✓ |
| Has Free Tier | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✕ $300+ |
| Native Windows Support | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| GPU Acceleration | ✓ | N/A (Cloud) | N/A (Cloud) | ✓ |
| 99 Languages | ✓ | ~ 50+ | ~ 10+ | ~ 20+ |
Free tier covers casual use. Paid tier is one purchase — no subscription games.
Enough to find out if voice dictation fits your workflow
~$3.33/month, billed annually
Pay once, own forever. No renewals.
Not in any reliable way. MacWhisper uses Apple-specific frameworks (Core ML, SwiftUI) that don't exist on Windows. Wine, CrossOver, and Hackintosh attempts will either fail outright or run unstably. Whisper Dictator is the realistic equivalent: same Whisper AI, but written natively for Windows.
Yes — both apps load the same OpenAI Whisper models (Base, Small, Medium, Large-v3, Large-v3 Turbo). The output is identical because the model is identical. The only difference is the OS integration layer around it.
MacWhisper has a free tier with a 30-minute audio limit per file. Whisper Dictator's free tier is 7 transcriptions per day with no per-transcription length limit (typical dictation runs 5-60 seconds, so 7 covers a lot). Both apps offer paid upgrades; Whisper Dictator's $99 lifetime is cheaper than MacWhisper Pro's recurring subscription if you plan to use it for more than ~2 years.
Honestly: MacWhisper's batch audio file transcription UI is more polished — Whisper Dictator focuses on live voice-to-cursor dictation, not bulk file processing. If your main use case is transcribing podcast or interview recordings from .mp3 files, you'll want to add a different tool. If your use case is writing emails, code, documents, and notes by voice, the Windows app has full feature parity (and the GPU speed advantage).
Only during initial setup (to download the model file, 142 MB to 3.1 GB depending on which you pick). After that, the app runs fully offline. You can install on an air-gapped Windows machine if you copy the model file separately.
The default hotkey on Windows is AltGr (right-Alt), but you can rebind to any key combination. The flow is identical: hold to record, release to transcribe. Muscle memory from MacWhisper transfers in about 5 minutes.
You don't need to buy a Mac, dual-boot macOS, or wait for MacWhisper to release a Windows version (they haven't, and there's no roadmap). Install Whisper Dictator and you'll be dictating into Outlook, Word, or VS Code in five minutes.
Install on WindowsWindows 10/11 · Free tier · No account needed