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First Steps

After installing Murmure, here's how to get the most out of it.

Your First Transcription

  1. Open any text field (a browser, a text editor, a chat app)
  2. Press Ctrl+Space (default shortcut)
  3. Speak clearly into your microphone
  4. Release the shortcut (or press it again in toggle mode)
  5. Your text appears in the focused application

Tip

The first transcription after launching Murmure is slightly slower because the AI model needs to warm up. Subsequent transcriptions are faster.

Choose Your Recording Mode

System Settings

Go to Settings > System to pick a recording mode:

Mode How It Works
Push-to-talk (default) Hold the shortcut to record, release to stop
Toggle-to-talk Press once to start, press again to stop

For hands-free recording with wake words, see Voice Mode (separate feature in Extensions).

Select Your Microphone

By default, Murmure uses your system's default microphone. To choose a specific one:

  1. Go to Settings > System
  2. Under Microphone, select the device you want

Virtual microphones

If you use a virtual microphone (NVIDIA Broadcast, VB-Audio, etc.), make sure to select it explicitly. The "Automatic" option may not pick it up.

Configure the Shortcut

Shortcuts

The default shortcut Ctrl+Space may conflict with other apps. To change it:

  1. Go to Settings > Shortcuts
  2. Click the shortcut field and press your preferred key combination

Recommended shortcuts by OS:

OS Recommended Avoid
Windows Ctrl+Space, Ctrl+Alt+M, F2, side/extra mouse button AltGr combos (interpreted as Ctrl+Alt)
macOS Ctrl+Option+M, F2, F3, side/extra mouse button Anything with Space or numbers
Linux (X11) Ctrl+Space, F2, side/extra mouse button -

Text Insertion Modes

If your transcribed text doesn't appear in some applications, you may need to change the text insertion mode:

Go to Settings > System > Text Insertion Mode:

Mode How It Works Best For
Standard (Ctrl+V) Copies text to clipboard and simulates Ctrl+V Most applications
Terminal (Ctrl+Shift+V) Uses terminal-style paste Terminal emulators
Direct (type text) Simulates individual keystrokes LibreOffice, Git Bash, apps where Ctrl+V doesn't work

Tip

If text doesn't appear after transcription, try switching to Direct mode. See Text Insertion Troubleshooting for more details.

Enable Start on Boot

Go to Settings > System and enable Launch on startup. Murmure will start minimized to the system tray on boot.

What's Next?