Download for Windows
Version 4.7.67 · Chirp-4.7.67-x64-setup.exe
Voice-to-Text for Windows
Chirp brings fast, private voice-to-text to Windows. Press Alt+M, speak, press Alt+M again, and the transcript is on your clipboard, ready to paste into any app with Ctrl+V. Speech is transcribed on your PC. No internet connection is needed to dictate, and there is no account to create.
System Requirements
- Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit (x64)
- About 33 MB download (the speech model is included)
- A working microphone (built-in or external)
Installation
Chirp for Windows is a signed .exe installer. Download it, run it, and follow the prompts; it installs for your user account only, so it does not need administrator rights. After installation Chirp sits in the system tray. Windows will ask for microphone access the first time you record if you have not already allowed it.
The Alt+M Shortcut
Press Alt+M once to start recording, speak, and press Alt+M again to stop. You can change the shortcut in Settings > Keyboard. Chirp plays a short sound when it starts and stops. A single recording can run for up to 5 minutes; Chirp counts down the last 20 seconds and then stops on its own.
Pasting the Text
On Windows, Chirp copies the transcript to your clipboard. Click where you want the text and press Ctrl+V. (On macOS, Chirp pastes automatically; automatic pasting on Windows is not available yet.)
System Tray
Chirp runs from the Windows system tray. The icon changes while you are recording, and you can also turn on a small floating record button if you prefer clicking to pressing a key.
Private by Design
Transcription happens entirely on your PC using whisper.cpp and a bundled English Whisper model. It runs on the CPU, so a short dictation takes a moment longer than on an Apple Silicon Mac. Your audio is never uploaded, and the recording is deleted as soon as it has been transcribed. The text goes into a local, searchable history that you can export to CSV or delete entry by entry. There is no account and no analytics. The only network traffic is an update check when the app launches and, once you have a paid license, a license check about once a day.
Features
- On-device transcription, no internet needed to dictate
- Global Alt+M shortcut that works in any app
- Searchable local history with CSV export and word-count stats
- Start and stop sounds
- Light, Dark, Vampire and System themes
- Automatic updates
Limitations
- English only.
- No automatic paste yet: press Ctrl+V after each dictation.
- The bundled model is small and fast. It is accurate for clear speech but makes more mistakes with heavy accents, specialist jargon and background noise than larger models do.
- Recordings are capped at 5 minutes each. No ARM64 Windows build.
For a fuller picture, including how Chirp compares with Windows voice typing and Voice Access, read our guide to private, offline dictation on Mac and Windows and the round-up of the best offline speech-to-text apps. Side-by-side comparisons: Chirp vs Dragon, Wispr Flow, Superwhisper and Otter.ai. Recent changes are in the changelog.
Pricing
Chirp comes with 28 free transcriptions — no account and no time limit. After that, a $9.99/year license unlocks unlimited transcriptions on up to 5 devices.