VocalinuxVocalinux

Help Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about Vocalinux. From installation to advanced features, we've got you covered.

Getting Started

How do I install Vocalinux?

Run the one-liner installer: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jatinkrmalik/vocalinux/main/install.sh | bash. The installer handles all dependencies and configuration automatically.

Which Linux distributions are supported?

Vocalinux works on Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 39+, Arch Linux, Manjaro, Debian, and most other Linux distributions. See our install guides for distro-specific instructions.

What are the system requirements?

You need Python 3.9+, a working microphone, and about 500MB of disk space. For GPU acceleration with whisper.cpp, you need Vulkan support (AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA).

Privacy & Security

Is Vocalinux really 100% offline?

Yes. All speech recognition runs locally on your Linux machine. Your voice data never leaves your computer. No internet connection is required after installation.

Does Vocalinux send any data to external servers?

No. Vocalinux does not collect, transmit, or store any voice data externally. Everything is processed locally using open-source speech recognition engines.

Is my voice data stored anywhere?

Only temporarily during transcription. Audio is processed in real-time and discarded immediately. No voice recordings are saved to disk.

Speech Recognition

Which speech recognition engines are available?

Vocalinux supports three engines: whisper.cpp (default, fastest), OpenAI Whisper (high accuracy), and VOSK (lightweight for older hardware).

How accurate is the transcription?

Accuracy depends on the engine and model size. whisper.cpp with medium or large models provides excellent accuracy for English and 99+ other languages.

Can I use Vocalinux in languages other than English?

Yes! whisper.cpp and Whisper support 99+ languages with automatic language detection. VOSK supports several languages with separate models.

Usage & Features

How do I start and stop dictation?

By default, toggle mode uses double-tap Ctrl to start/stop dictation. You can also switch to push-to-talk mode (hold key to speak, release to stop) in Settings.

Does Vocalinux work with Wayland?

Yes. Vocalinux supports both X11 and Wayland, including IBus-based flows on Wayland with improved active-method detection for more reliable text injection.

What happens when I close my laptop lid?

Vocalinux v0.10.1+ automatically recovers speech recognition after system suspend/resume. The app detects when your system wakes up and restarts the recognition engine and keyboard shortcuts. No manual restart needed - just start dictating as usual.

Does Vocalinux preserve my keyboard layout?

Yes! v0.10.1+ preserves your XKB keyboard layout when activating IBus for text injection. Unlike other tools that switch to US layout, Vocalinux keeps your configured layout so you can dictate without unexpected character changes.

Can I use voice commands?

Yes. Vocalinux supports commands like 'new line', 'delete that', 'select all', and more. Voice commands are optional and can be enabled or disabled in Settings.

Performance

How much RAM does Vocalinux need?

Minimum 4GB RAM for basic use. For larger models, 8GB+ recommended. VOSK is the most memory-efficient option for systems with limited RAM.

Can I use GPU acceleration?

Yes! whisper.cpp supports GPU acceleration via Vulkan, which works with AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA GPUs. The installer auto-detects your hardware.

What model size should I use?

Start with 'tiny' for fastest performance, 'base' or 'small' for good balance, or 'medium'/'large' for best accuracy. Larger models need more RAM.

Still have questions?