00:00 · Download
Ready to install
Download Quickword
Free, no account, and it works with the internet off once installed. Windows PCs and Macs with an Apple chip are ready today. Older Intel Macs are not ready yet. There is an early Android test version you install by hand, and there is no iPhone app. Neither installer is certified by Microsoft or Apple, so each one warns you the first time you open it, and the exact clicks are below.
Newest release v0.2.4, published 9 September 2026. Each button points at the newest release that carries that file, which is not always the newest release: Quickword_0.2.4_x64-setup.exe (21.2 MB, from release v0.2.4), Quickword_0.2.4_x64_en-US.msi (53.4 MB, from release v0.2.4), Quickword_0.2.4_aarch64.dmg (20.5 MB, from release v0.2.4), Quickword_android_0.2.4-test.apk (25.3 MB, from release v0.2.4). Those names and sizes are read from the releases feed rather than typed into this page, so the buttons above always point at files that exist right now.
Quickword settings window on Windows with the tray icon visible
windows-settings-window · 1280x720
00:14 · What is available today
What you can install right now
| Platform | Status | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PCs | Available, version 0.2.4 | An installer. There is a second kind for work PCs that are managed by an IT department. Not certified by Microsoft, so Windows warns you once. |
| Macs with an Apple chip | Available, version 0.2.4 | A download. Not certified by Apple, so macOS warns you once on first open. |
| Older Intel Macs | Not built yet | The same code builds for them, and nobody has produced that build. Leave an email below and you get it the day it does. |
| Android | Test build | An early test version you install by hand. Not on the Play Store. |
| iPhone | Not planned | There is no iPhone app and none is being built. |
| Linux | Not published | The Handy project Quickword is built on supports Linux. Quickword's releases do not include it. |
00:29 · Windows install
Installing on Windows, including the SmartScreen warning
Windows blocks installers it has not seen before, and Quickword's installer has not been certified by Microsoft, so it will be blocked. The file is the one built by the release workflow and published on the releases page. Here is what you will see.
- 01Download the installer from the releases page. On the current release it is named
Quickword_0.2.4_x64-setup.exe. There is also a second kind, an.msi, for work PCs that are managed by an IT department. - 02Run it. A blue box appears reading "Windows protected your PC".
- 03Click More info. The box expands and shows the file name and publisher.
- 04Click Run anyway. The installer proceeds normally from there.
- 05Launch Quickword. It starts in the tray. Open it from the tray icon.
- 06Allow it to use your microphone when Windows asks.
That warning will keep appearing on new versions until a certificate is bought. If clicking past an uncertified installer is not something you are willing to do, wait for a certified build rather than working around it.
the Windows SmartScreen dialog with the More info link circled
smartscreen-dialog · 900x600
00:44 · Mac
Installing on a Mac, including the warning on first open
The Mac version is on the download list for Macs with an Apple chip. It is produced by hand on a MacBook rather than by the pipeline that builds the Windows installer, so it can land a little after the Windows files do. Apple has not certified it, which means macOS will stop you the first time you open it.
- 01Download the file from the button above.
- 02Open the
.dmgand drag Quickword into Applications. - 03Open it once by right-clicking the app and choosing Open, then Open again in the dialog. macOS says the developer cannot be verified, and that dialog has an Open button on it that a normal double-click does not give you.
- 04Allow it to use your microphone, then allow Accessibility, when macOS asks. The shortcut does not work everywhere without Accessibility.
Apple has not certified the Mac build, in the same way Microsoft has not certified the Windows one. macOS says the developer cannot be verified on first open, and the two ways past that are to right-click the app and choose Open once, or to run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Quickword.app in Terminal. Both are documented in the repository's own Mac setup notes.
the macOS cannot be opened dialog next to the Privacy and Security pane showing Open Anyway
macos-gatekeeper-dialog · 1280x600
This download is for Macs with an Apple chip (2020 and newer). The version for older Intel Macs is not published yet, and the form below is how you hear about it.
Your address is stored to send that one email. It is not sold and not added to a newsletter.
01:03 · Android
Android is in progress
There is an Android version and it is labelled a test version for a reason. It runs as a floating bubble you drag where you want it, records when you hold it, and puts the text into whatever you were typing in. You download the file on the phone and tap it. It is an early test version, not a Play Store app, published as Quickword_android_0.2.4-test.apk. It is for early testers, not for someone who needs dictation to work today.
- You install it by hand. Download the file on the phone, tap it, and allow installs from that source once.
- It needs the "Appear on top" permission, and Android will show a persistent notification while the bubble is up. That notification is required by Android, not a choice Quickword made.
- The bubble needs a Quickword Pro sign-in, because the phone cannot turn your voice into text on its own yet.
- This early version cannot update itself later. When a proper release arrives you will have to install it again by hand.
01:24 · System requirements
What it needs to run
| What | In plain words | The detail |
|---|---|---|
| Mac | A Mac with an Apple chip, which means any Mac from 2020 onwards. Older Intel Macs are not ready yet. | Apple silicon only for now. |
| Windows | Any Windows PC from roughly the last eight years. If yours is older or slower, pick the option marked Recommended on the first screen and it will run. | 64-bit Windows. A graphics card from Intel, AMD or NVIDIA speeds up the heavier voice options; the light one needs a processor from about 2015 onwards and no graphics card at all. |
| Disk | Enough disk space for the voice option you pick, which downloads on first run. | Under a gigabyte for the light option, more for the heavier ones. |
| Permissions | Permission to use your microphone on both, plus one extra permission on a Mac so the shortcut works everywhere. | Microphone on both systems, plus Accessibility on macOS. |
If your machine is on the older side, pick the light option. It needs no graphics card and works out the language for itself.
01:38 · FAQ
Why is the installer not certified?
The certificates cost money on both platforms, and Quickword is a free app from one developer who has not bought them yet. The trade is honest: you click past a warning, and you pay nothing.
How do I know the download is the real file?
Every release is published on the public releases repository at github.com/lauuming/quickword-releases, and each version is signed by the developer, so the app can tell a real update from a fake one. Download from that page rather than from a mirror.
How do updates work?
The app checks for a new version when it launches and every six hours after that, and offers it to you inside the app. You can turn update checks off in Settings.
Can I install it with winget or Homebrew?
Not yet. Those are planned once there is a stable certified build. Until then the installer from the releases page is the only route.