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Requirements

  • macOS 12 (Monterey) or later
  • 8GB RAM minimum (16GB recommended for larger models)
  • ~5GB free disk space for the default models

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Install Steno

1

Download the DMG

Go to stenoai.co and click Download. Choose the right build for your Mac:
  • Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) — use the arm64 build
  • Intel — use the x64 build
If you are unsure, go to Apple menu → About This Mac and look for “Apple M” in the chip name.
2

Open the DMG and drag to Applications

Open the downloaded .dmg file. Drag the Steno icon into your Applications folder.
3

Launch Steno

Open Steno from Applications. macOS may show a security prompt on first launch — click Open to proceed. This prompt appears because Steno is distributed outside the Mac App Store.If macOS blocks the app entirely, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to the Steno entry.
4

Download models

On first launch, Steno will prompt you to download the default models:
  • Transcription: whisper-small (~480MB)
  • Summarization: llama3.2:3b (~2GB)
Both downloads happen inside the app. This requires an internet connection and takes a few minutes depending on your connection. After this, Steno runs entirely offline.
5

Grant microphone access

When you start your first recording, macOS will prompt for microphone permission. Click Allow. To record system audio (both sides of a call), follow the system audio setup guide.

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Verify the installation

Once setup is complete, go to Settings → Setup Check inside the app. This runs a diagnostic that confirms:
  • Whisper model is installed and functional
  • Ollama is running and the summarization model is loaded
  • Storage paths are writable
If any check fails, the setup screen will show the specific error and how to resolve it.

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Updates

Steno updates automatically in the background. When an update is ready, you will see an Update available notice in the app. Updates install on the next quit — you do not need to re-download a DMG manually.
You need an internet connection to download the initial model files. After that, Steno runs fully offline.
macOS Gatekeeper may block apps distributed outside the App Store. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to Steno. This is a one-time step.
Delete Steno from your Applications folder. To also remove all data (recordings, transcripts, summaries, models), delete ~/Library/Application Support/stenoai/.