Handy

# Handy

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**A free, open source, and extensible speech-to-text application that works completely offline.**

Handy is a cross-platform desktop application that provides simple, privacy-focused speech transcription. Press a shortcut, speak, and have your words appear in any text field. This happens on your own computer without sending any information to the cloud.

## Why Handy?

Handy was created to fill the gap for a truly open source, extensible speech-to-text tool. As stated on [handy.computer](https://handy.computer):

- **Free**: Accessibility tooling belongs in everyone's hands, not behind a paywall
- **Open Source**: Together we can build further. Extend Handy for yourself and contribute to something bigger
- **Private**: Your voice stays on your computer. Get transcriptions without sending audio to the cloud
- **Simple**: One tool, one job. Transcribe what you say and put it into a text box

## How It Works

1. **Press** a configurable keyboard shortcut: hold it to record and release to stop, or tap it to toggle recording on and off (Hold-only and Toggle-only modes are also available)
2. **Speak** your words while the shortcut is active
3. **Release** and Handy processes your speech using Whisper
4. **Get** your transcribed text pasted directly into whatever app you're using

The process is entirely local:

- Silence is filtered using VAD (Voice Activity Detection) with Silero
- Transcription uses your choice of models:
  - **Whisper models** (Small/Medium/Turbo/Large) with GPU acceleration when available
  - **Parakeet V3** - CPU-optimized model with excellent performance and automatic language detection
- Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

## Quick Start

### Installation

1. Download the latest release from the [releases page](https://github.com/cjpais/Handy/releases) or the [website](https://handy.computer)
   - **macOS**: Also available via [Homebrew cask](https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/handy): `brew install --cask handy`
   - **Windows**: Also available via [winget](https://github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs): `winget install cjpais.Handy` \
     **Note:** The Homebrew cask and winget package are not maintained by the Handy developers.
   - **Debian/Ubuntu**: Install the downloaded `.deb` with APT so required dependencies are installed automatically:
     ```bash
     sudo apt install ./Handy_*.deb
     ```
     Do not use `dpkg -i` unless the dependencies are already installed. If you already used it, run `sudo apt --fix-broken install`.
2. Install the application
3. Launch Handy and grant necessary system permissions (microphone, accessibility)
4. Configure your preferred keyboard shortcuts in Settings
5. Start transcribing!

### Development Setup

For detailed build instructions including platform-specific requirements, see [BUILD.md](BUILD.md).

## Sponsors

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