privacy
Offline dictation on a Mac: what works without internet
Dictate on an Apple Silicon Mac with no connection once setup is done. What needs internet and when, what changes offline, requirements and plans.
Yes: Halopen can turn speech into text and type it at your cursor on a Mac with no internet connection. Two things have to be true. The Mac needs Apple Silicon, and you need to have done the online part of setup first: install the app, sign in and download the 626 MB on-device model. After that, the On your Mac transcription mode works on a plane, on a train, or anywhere else without Wi-Fi. This guide covers what needs a connection and when, what changes offline, what stays on your Mac, and how to test all of it during the trial before you pay.
Setup needs a connection once. Dictating in On your Mac mode does not.
Requirements
| On your Mac | Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Mac | Apple Silicon (M-series) | Apple Silicon or Intel |
| macOS | 14 Sonoma or later | 14 Sonoma or later |
| Internet while dictating | Not needed | Required |
| One-time download | About 626 MB (Whisper Large v3), with roughly twice that free while it installs | None |
| Account | Required: create one and sign in while online | Required |
| Polish and Editorial cleanup | Not available; text arrives verbatim | Available |
| Live preview while you speak | Off | Optional setting |
| Personal dictionary | Multi-word entries corrected after transcription | Sent with the audio as a hint; multi-word entries also corrected after |
Intel Macs can’t run the on-device model, so on an Intel Mac every Halopen dictation needs a connection. On Apple Silicon, the model is stored in your user Library under Application Support/Halopen/Models. Before the download starts, Halopen checks that you have about twice its size free, because the files unpack alongside the download.
What needs a connection, and when
Most people searching for offline dictation want to know more than whether speech recognition can run locally. They want to know whether the whole tool keeps working when the connection goes. This table lists the points where Halopen uses the network and what happens without one.
| When | Needs a connection? | Without one |
|---|---|---|
| Downloading and installing the app | Yes | Download it before you travel. |
| Signing in | Yes | An account is required in both modes. Sign in while online. |
| Downloading the on-device model | Yes, once | Settings → Model. About 626 MB. |
| Dictating with On your Mac selected | No | Recognition, dictionary correction and typing happen on the Mac. |
| Dictating with Cloud selected | Yes | With the model installed, Halopen can finish the take on your Mac instead. |
| Opening Halopen | It tries | It checks your account. If you are signed in and the server can’t be reached, dictation proceeds instead of being refused. Just after launch it may briefly say it is checking your account. |
| Periodic licence check | Cloud mode only | Paused while On your Mac is selected. |
| Updates, usage reporting, diagnostics | When a connection exists | Analytics and crash reporting can be turned off in Settings → Privacy. |
When the connection drops partway through a day
With On your Mac selected, nothing changes. Dictation does not depend on the connection, and the periodic licence check is already paused.
With Cloud selected, the outcome depends on one setting and one download. In Settings → Transcription, If Cloud can’t reach the server, finish on this Mac is on by default. When it is on and the on-device model is installed, a Cloud take that can’t complete is transcribed again from the same recording on your Mac. That covers no network, a server problem, or a recording too large to send. It does not cover being signed out; then Halopen asks you to sign in. The text is typed at your cursor, or held in the recovery menu if focus moved to another window before it was ready. The automatic fallback only runs from Cloud to your Mac, not the other way.
Without the model installed, a Cloud take that fails is saved as audio when Halopen can write it to disk. Once you are back online, the Retry failed audio row in the menu bar transcribes it again and puts the result on your clipboard. Saved audio is kept for up to seven days or the latest 20 takes, whichever limit comes first.
One exception to know about: if an On your Mac take fails, its audio is saved the same way, and Retry failed audio currently transcribes through Cloud. If a recording must stay on your Mac, clear it under Stored on this Mac instead of retrying it.
If you travel often, a practical setup is Cloud selected, the fallback on and the model downloaded. You keep Cloud’s cleanup options while connected and still get text when you are not.
What On your Mac mode gives up
On-device transcription is a trade. These are the terms:
- Text arrives verbatim. Polish and Editorial cleanup need a cloud round trip, so On your Mac mode uses Verbatim. Your cleanup choice is remembered and comes back when you switch to Cloud. Why dictation rewrites what you said explains the difference.
- No live preview. The running preview of words while you speak is off in this mode.
- Only multi-word dictionary entries are corrected. The on-device model does not take your dictionary as a hint. After it returns text, Halopen corrects close misspellings of multi-word entries. For example, “Harbor Lane Clinic” is restored when it comes back as “Harbour Lane Clinic”. Single-word entries are not applied on-device. Why dictation misspells names you added covers the mechanism.
- Language follows your Mac. The on-device model transcribes in your Mac’s first preferred language rather than detecting the language of each take. To dictate in another language, reorder your languages in System Settings → General → Language & Region.
- Speed and accuracy depend on the Mac. We do not publish a benchmark for either mode, and a result on one Mac does not predict another. Test with your own words during the trial.
Which mode to choose
Cloud is Halopen’s default, and for most working days it is the one to use. It runs on any supported Mac, offers the cleanup modes and needs no 626 MB download. Choose On your Mac in two situations: when you will be without a connection, and when your requirements say the recording must not leave the machine. For a connection that drops for a few minutes, Cloud with the fallback turned on covers the gap.
What stays on your Mac, and for how long
| Item | Default | Your options (Settings → Privacy) |
|---|---|---|
| Dictation history and audit log | Keep everything, up to the latest 5,000 entries | Last 7, 30 or 90 days, or Off |
| Recovered text from takes that couldn’t be typed | Last hour | Last one only, or last 24 hours |
| Saved audio from failed takes | Up to 7 days or 20 takes | Clear it under Stored on this Mac |
| On-device model | Stays installed | Stored in your user Library under Application Support / Halopen / Models |
Stored on this Mac, in Settings → Privacy, shows what Halopen is holding on disk and how much, with a Clear button next to each item. Erase all Halopen data… removes dictation history, saved audio and recovered text. It keeps you signed in and keeps your settings and personal dictionary.
The local log records transcripts and supported app events. It can show which route a take used, but it does not monitor every network request your Mac or the app makes. The audit-log guide explains its scope.
What still uses the network in On your Mac mode
Choosing On your Mac changes where the recording becomes text. It does not take the whole app, or your Mac, offline. When a connection exists, Halopen keeps your session signed in, checks your licence when it opens and checks for updates. Usage reporting and diagnostics also use the network; analytics and crash reports stay on unless you turn them off in Settings → Privacy. The app you dictate into handles the text under its own settings, whether that is a synced notes app, an email client or a chat window. The privacy page documents processing and retention for each route.
Test it before you pay
You can check everything above in one sitting during the trial:
- Download Halopen and sign in while you are online.
- Open Settings → Model and download the on-device model.
- In Settings → Transcription, choose On your Mac.
- Turn off Wi-Fi, open a blank note, and hold your dictation key while you say a fictional sentence with a name and a number in it.
- Compare the text with what you said, then turn Wi-Fi back on.
The trial needs no credit card. It runs on a fixed clock, and being offline does not pause it.
Plans, including a one-time purchase
People looking for offline dictation often want to avoid another subscription. After the trial, Halopen Pro is available monthly or annually, and Pro Lifetime is a one-time purchase. Student pricing is available on the monthly and annual plans. The pricing page lists current prices and terms.
Before using confidential information
Local recognition alone does not establish HIPAA compliance, a Business Associate Agreement, suitability for privileged material or approval under an NDA. Evaluate processing, retention, optional context, diagnostics and destination storage against the requirements that apply to your work. Use fictional information while evaluating a configuration that has not been approved.
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