Stenograf System Requirements
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Stenograf runs on your computer, not on our servers, so what it can do depends on that computer. This page says which computers run Stenograf, which transcription each one uses, and which include Local AI. It is part of the Stenograf Terms of Use. The free trial lets you try Stenograf on your own computer before you subscribe.
What depends on your computer
- Full transcription. One model writes the words and decides who spoke, paragraph by paragraph.
- Lightweight transcription. A lighter model writes the words, and a separate pass names the speakers afterwards. Speaker names arrive later, and the transcript can be less accurate than with Full transcription.
- Local AI. Summaries, Discover, translation and Live assistance, written on your computer by the built-in language model, Gemma 4. It is included in your subscription on a computer that meets its requirements.
| Requirement | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Stenograf | A Mac with Apple silicon, on macOS 15 or later | A PC with a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor and 8 GB of memory, on Windows 11 |
| Full transcription | Every supported Mac | With an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 16 series, RTX 20 series or newer graphics card |
| Lightweight transcription | You can choose it in Settings | Used when the PC has no such graphics card |
| Local AI | 16 GB of memory or more | 16 GB of memory and an NVIDIA graphics card as above |
| Free disk space | 10 GB | 15 GB |
On a Mac
Every Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 15 or later records and uses Full transcription. Macs with an Intel processor are not supported.
Local AI needs 16 GB of memory or more. On a Mac with 8 GB, MacBook Neo among them, Stenograf records and transcribes, but Local AI is not included: the transcription model and the built-in language model do not fit in 8 GB together.
You can choose Lightweight transcription in Settings. It uses less memory; speaker names can arrive later, and the transcript can be less accurate.
On Windows
Stenograf runs on Windows 11 on a PC with a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor and at least 8 GB of memory. Windows on Arm is not supported.
Full transcription needs an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 16 series, RTX 20 series or newer graphics card with a current NVIDIA driver. The first time, Stenograf downloads the NVIDIA libraries it needs, and it checks the card each time it starts. Local AI needs the same graphics card and 16 GB of memory.
On a PC without such a card, or whose card cannot run Full transcription when Stenograf starts, Stenograf records with Lightweight transcription: speaker names arrive about half a minute after the words, and the transcript can be less accurate. Local AI is not included on that PC.
Also needed
- An internet connection to download the models once, to start a trial or subscription, and to verify your licence. Stenograf keeps working for a limited time without one.
- On a Mac, permission to use the microphone and to record system audio.
- Free disk space for the models, which download once: 10 GB on a Mac and 15 GB on Windows.
When these requirements change
When a new version of Stenograf changes what it needs, we update this page, and the date at the top is the current version.