Getting Started

System Requirements

• macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
• Microphone (built-in or external)

Installation

1. Download Tota from the official website.
2. Move Tota.app to your Applications folder.
3. Double-click to launch.

Granting Permissions

Tota needs a few macOS permissions to function. The welcome tour on first launch walks you through granting them, and you can check their status any time in Settings > Dictation > Permissions. You can also grant them manually:

Microphone Permission

1. Open System Settings.
2. Navigate to Privacy & Security > Microphone.
3. Find Tota in the list and toggle it on.

Without microphone access, Tota cannot record audio.

Accessibility Permission

1. Open System Settings.
2. Navigate to Privacy & Security > Accessibility.
3. Click the + button (or toggle the lock to make changes).
4. Find and add Tota, then toggle it on.

Accessibility access is required for:

• Reading the cursor position to determine capitalization and spacing
• Inserting transcribed text into the active app
• Detecting edits for dictionary learning

If you skip this permission, transcription still works but auto-paste and dictionary learning will be disabled.

Speech Recognition Permission (optional)

Only needed for the optional "Hey Tota" wake word, which lets you start transcribing by saying a phrase instead of pressing a shortcut. Tota asks for it when you turn the wake word on in Settings > Dictation > Behavior. To grant it manually:

1. Open System Settings.
2. Navigate to Privacy & Security > Speech Recognition.
3. Find Tota in the list and toggle it on.

Folder Access

When you choose a custom folder for transcription archives, macOS may ask for permission to access that location. Click Allow when prompted.

First Launch

On first launch Tota will:

1. Start a 14-day free trial with full functionality.
2. Show a welcome tour that walks you through permissions, previews the correction card and transcription models, and optionally enables Smart Formatting. You can replay it any time from Settings > General > Onboarding.
3. Load the built-in Base (English) Whisper model (ships with the app — no download needed).
4. Show a menu bar icon (turns red while recording).

You can start transcribing immediately with the default shortcut Cmd+Shift+R, by holding the Option key, or hands-free with the "Hey Tota" wake word once enabled.