Before you begin
- macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later.
- Apple Silicon, M1 or newer. Intel Macs are not supported by the current speech engine.
- Roughly 2 GB of free disk space for first-run model setup. The model download itself is described in the app as about 1 GB.
- A microphone for system-wide dictation, and an internet connection for the initial model setup.
1. Install the app
Open the signed and Apple-notarized AFK disk image supplied with your purchase, then move AFK to Applications. Launch it from there. A signed and notarized release should open through the normal macOS installation flow.
AFK is a menu-bar capable app. Depending on the Dock setting, it can also show a normal Dock icon and its main window.
2. Activate the license
If your purchase includes a license key, it arrives in the purchase email. Paste the key into AFK's activation step. The app sends the key and device label to Polar's customer-portal activation endpoint and stores the returned activation identifier on that Mac.
The product is configured for a license key with up to three activations. Activation is a network operation; it is not part of local audio processing. If activation cannot reach the service, you can continue the onboarding flow and retry the activation.
3. Prepare the speech model
AFK downloads the selected Parakeet model, then optimizes it for the Mac. This happens once for a usable local setup and can take a few minutes. Keep the app open while it works if possible.
Offline boundary: model setup needs the internet. Once the model is ready, dictation and supported audio transcription run locally. Sparkle update checks and license activation are separate network actions.
4. Grant the two permissions
| Permission | Why AFK needs it |
|---|---|
| Microphone | Captures your voice for system-wide dictation. macOS may ask the first time AFK tries to record. |
| Accessibility | Lets AFK install the global keyboard listener and paste a transcript into the app you are using. |
If you dismissed a prompt or changed a decision, open System Settings and find AFK under Privacy & Security. Accessibility is the permission that makes the global shortcut and cross-app insertion possible.
5. Make a first dictation
- Open a text field in Notes, Mail, a browser, an editor, or another app.
- Hold the default Right Option (⌥) key.
- Speak a sentence, then release the key.
- AFK transcribes the recording and pastes into an editable target. If it cannot identify an editable target, the text is left on the clipboard for manual paste.
For hands-free behavior, hold the dictation key and press the configured start sequence. The default is A + F + K. Read the dictation guide for the full behavior.