Nota documentation
How to set up Nota, choose a model, and get the most out of every dictation on your Mac.
New to Nota? Start with Install Nota, then Your first dictation. Five minutes from download to your first sentence.
Getting started
Install NotaDownload the app, move it to Applications and open it. Setup takes about two minutes.PermissionsGrant microphone and Accessibility access; screen context, call audio and calendar hints use optional permissions.Your first dictationPress your shortcut, talk, press it again. The text appears where your cursor is.The recorder pillThe small capsule on screen that shows what Nota is doing right now: listening, transcribing or processing.
Using Nota
ShortcutsChoose how your key starts and stops a dictation, and how to cancel or undo one.ModesA mode is a recipe: which model listens, which language, and what happens to the text. Modes can switch by app or website.Smart DictationOptional cleanup that fits the text to where it goes: an email, a work chat, a message to a friend.DictionaryTeach Nota names and terms, create replacements, and expand spoken phrases into snippets.Local modelsSpeech models that run on your Mac: on-device engines and cloud providers, free, private and offline-capable.Cloud models and keysUse a cloud provider with your own API key. Nota shows what each model costs per hour.AudioPick your microphone, choose the sounds, and control what happens to other audio while you talk.Transcribe a fileTurn an audio or video file into text. The result is saved to History.HistoryEvery dictation is kept on your Mac. Search it, replay it, export it, or clean it up.Notebook and callsRecord long notes and call audio, keep the transcript, tidy it into a summary, and export to Markdown.Voice EditSelect existing text and say what to change. Nota returns an edited version using your chosen AI.Code dictation and snippetsSpeak symbols and casing, or expand a phrase into a reusable multi-line snippet with variables.Hands-free and spoken sendLock a recording, stop after silence, and optionally finish with a phrase that presses Return.Delivery and undoCheck whether your words landed, recover them with Copy, and remove the last insertion when needed.API usage and budgetSee estimated model costs, set monthly budgets, and choose warnings, local fallback or pausing cloud models.AI apps and MCPLet an AI app on your Mac request dictation, files or history through MCP, with consent for each ability.SettingsAppearance, pasting, the recorder position, and backups of your setup.
Account and help
LicenseTry Nota free, then activate Nota Pro with your key. Move it between Macs any time.TroubleshootingFixes for the common problems: permissions, keychain prompts, text that does not paste, the wrong model.PrivacyWhat stays on your Mac, what leaves it only when you choose, and exactly when each of those happens.
Still stuck?
Write to support@saynota.com. Tell us what you did and what you saw. If you can, attach the log file from Settings › Diagnostics › Export logs.