LesskeysLesskeys support
Help for Lesskeys on Mac and Windows: where the app lives, the shortcuts, permissions, your license, and how to write to us.
Write to us
Get in touch
For questions, bug reports or feature requests, email support@lesskeys.com.
It helps if you say which version you use (Mac App Store, Mac download or Windows), what you did, and what you expected to happen.
Questions
Start here
Where is the app? I don't see a window.
On a Mac, Lesskeys is a menu bar app. Look for the waveform icon at the top right of your screen and left-click it to open the main window.
On Windows, Lesskeys starts in the tray, next to the clock. Open it from there.
How do I start dictating?
Click where the text should go, hold ⌥. on a Mac or Alt+Space on Windows⌥.Alt+Space, say it, and let go. You can also tap the key once to start and again to stop. The shortcut can be changed in Settings.
Where does my dictated text go?
Mac App Store version: the text is copied to your clipboard, so you press ⌘V in any app.
Mac download from our website: it can paste for you once you allow Accessibility in System Settings, Privacy & Security.
Windows: Lesskeys pastes where your cursor is and then restores your clipboard. If a window refuses it, such as one running as Administrator, the text stays on the clipboard and you press Ctrl+V.
Which speech model should I choose?
Dictation works before you download anything, because a small starter model is built in. The setup suggests Large V3 Turbo Q5 (547 MB) in the Mac App Store version, and Large V3 Turbo Q8 (834 MB) in the downloads from our website. You can pick another Whisper model in Settings; our benchmark compares them.
Does Lesskeys send my audio to the cloud?
No. Transcription happens on your computer. The only network use is downloading speech models, and, in the direct downloads, license activation and update checks. See the privacy policy.
Keys
Shortcuts on Mac and Windows
All three can be changed in Settings.
| What | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Dictate (hold, or tap to start and stop) | ⌥. | Alt+Space |
| Cancel a dictation | ⌥Esc | Alt+Esc |
| Open the clipboard history | ⇧⌘V | Ctrl+Shift+V |
Permissions
Permissions
| What | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Needed for dictation and recording | Needed for dictation and recording |
| Recording a call (sound your computer plays) | Screen Recording permission, even for audio only | Nothing beyond the microphone |
| Pasting dictated text for you | Accessibility, only in the Mac download; the App Store version copies to the clipboard | Not needed |
License
Restore or move your license
Mac App Store
- Open Lesskeys, then Settings, then License, and choose Restore Purchase. Use the Apple Account you bought with.
- The App Store version has no license key to enter.
Mac download and Windows
- Your license key is in your receipt email. After you install Lesskeys again, open Settings, then License, and enter the key.
- One license is for one computer at a time. To move it, choose Deactivate this Mac (or Deactivate this PC)Deactivate this MacDeactivate this PC on the old computer, or activate on the new one and confirm the move. You can move it up to three times in any twelve months.
- A purchase in one version does not unlock another: the App Store, Mac download and Windows versions are sold separately.
Refunds and what a refund does to a license are in the terms.
Install
Installing from our website
Mac download
- The download is signed by us but not notarized by Apple yet, so macOS asks you to confirm once.
- Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and choose Open Anyway next to Lesskeys.
Windows
- If Windows warns you before the installer runs, the Windows install guide shows what to click.
The Mac first-run steps are on the download page.
Requirements
Which computers does it run on?
A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 13 Ventura or later, or a PC with Windows 10 or Windows 11.
Uninstall
How do I uninstall Lesskeys?
On a Mac
- Drag Lesskeys from Applications to the Trash.
- To remove your data too, delete the Lesskeys folders listed in the privacy policy.
On Windows
- Uninstall Lesskeys from the list of installed apps in Windows Settings.
- The uninstaller asks before it deletes your settings, speech models, voiceprints and history.