Menu Bar Guide

A complete reference to every option and control in the VoxInk menu bar.

Overview

VoxInk lives entirely in your macOS menu bar — the strip of icons in the top-right corner of your screen, near the clock and Wi-Fi symbol. Click the VoxInk pen icon to open the menu and access all settings. There are no floating windows or dock icons to manage; everything you need is one click away.

Icon States

The menu bar icon changes to reflect what VoxInk is currently doing, so you always know its state at a glance.

Icon State Meaning
Outlined pen Idle VoxInk is running and ready for dictation. Press your hotkey to start recording.
Filled pen Recording Your hotkey is held down and audio is being captured from your microphone.
Pen nib with sound wave Transcribing Audio is being processed by the transcription engine. Text will appear momentarily.

Status Line

At the top of the menu, a status line shows the current state in text form with additional details:

  • Idle — VoxInk is ready and waiting for your hotkey.
  • Recording... 2.3s — Actively recording, with a running timer showing elapsed seconds.
  • Recording (locked)... 5.1s — Lock Mode is active. You double-tapped the hotkey and can dictate hands-free. Tap again to stop.
  • Transcribing... — Audio has been sent to the transcription engine and is being processed.

The VoxInk menu is organized into logical sections. Here's a complete walkthrough of every item, from top to bottom.

Header Section

The top of the menu shows essential status information:

  • Version number — Displays the current version, e.g., "Vox Ink v1.2.0". Useful when reporting bugs or checking for updates.
  • License status — Shows your current plan and usage. Examples:
    • "Trial: 12 days remaining" — You're in the free trial period.
    • "Free: 1,234 / 2,000 words" — Free tier with word count usage.
    • "Pro Monthly" — Active Pro subscription.
    • "Premium Annual" — Active Premium subscription.
  • Education / Student link — Quick access to student discount information.
  • Current status — The same status line described above (Idle, Recording, Transcribing).

Transcription

This submenu controls which speech-to-text engine VoxInk uses to convert your audio into text. A checkmark indicates the currently selected provider.

  • On This Mac — Uses Whisper AI running locally on your Apple Silicon chip. No internet connection required. Your audio never leaves your device. This is the default and recommended option for most users.
  • Deepgram — Cloud-based transcription by Deepgram. Fast and accurate, with a generous free tier ($200 credit). Requires an API key.
  • OpenAI Whisper — Cloud-based transcription using OpenAI's Whisper API. Requires an OpenAI API key and an active billing account.
  • Other Server — Connect to any OpenAI-compatible speech-to-text endpoint. Useful for self-hosted Whisper instances, corporate AI infrastructure, or third-party providers.

When you select a cloud provider for the first time, VoxInk will prompt you for the required API key. The submenu also includes direct links to the Deepgram and OpenAI dashboards where you can generate keys.

Note
For a detailed comparison of all transcription options — including model sizes, accuracy benchmarks, and setup instructions — see the Transcription Setup page.

Share on Network

Turn your Mac into a speech-to-text server that other devices on your network can use. This is especially useful if you want to use VoxInk's transcription engine from a Windows PC, an iPad, or any other device.

  • Enable toggle — Turns the network server on or off.
  • Server URL — Displays the URL other devices should connect to (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:7890).
  • Copy URL — Copies the server URL to your clipboard for easy sharing.
  • Port — Configure which network port the server listens on. Default is 7890.
  • API Key — Set an optional API key that clients must provide to use your server. Recommended if your network has other users.
Tip
For a full guide on sharing transcription across devices, including setting up the Windows receiver companion app, see the Network Sharing page.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary settings help the transcription engine recognise specialised terms that it might otherwise mishear or miss entirely.

  • Dental Terminology — A toggle that biases the transcription toward dental and medical terms. When enabled, VoxInk will more accurately transcribe words like "periodontitis", "mesial", "MOD composite", and other clinical vocabulary.
  • Custom Words — Add your own specialised terms, brand names, product names, colleague names, or any words the transcriber should recognise. These are added as hints to the transcription engine.
Note
For detailed instructions on configuring vocabulary, see the Vocabulary page.

Text Cleanup

AI-powered post-processing that cleans up your transcription before it's pasted. This submenu offers several levels of cleanup:

  • Enable toggle — Master switch for all text cleanup. When off, raw transcription is pasted as-is.
  • Cleanup (Fix Grammar) — Light-touch processing. Fixes punctuation, removes filler words ("um", "uh", "like"), corrects obvious grammar mistakes, and formats numbers. Your original meaning and word choices are preserved.
  • Rephrase (Polish) — More aggressive processing. Polishes grammar, improves sentence flow, adjusts tone for professional communication. Ideal for emails, reports, and formal writing.
  • Custom Prompt — Write your own instructions to control exactly how the AI processes your text. Full creative control.
  • Edit Custom Prompt — Opens a text editor where you can write and refine your custom prompt.
  • LLM Backend — Choose which AI model powers text cleanup:
    • On This Mac — Uses a local LLM via LM Studio. Private, no internet needed.
    • OpenAI — Uses GPT models. Requires an OpenAI API key.
    • Anthropic — Uses Claude models. Requires an Anthropic API key.
    • Gemini — Uses Google Gemini models. Requires a Google AI API key.
  • API Key links — Direct links to each provider's dashboard for generating API keys.
Note
For a full guide on text cleanup modes, custom prompts, and LLM configuration, see the Text Cleanup & AI page.

Templates

Opens the template editor, where you can create reusable output formats for your transcriptions. Templates let you define structured layouts — such as SOAP notes, meeting minutes, referral letters, or any other format — and VoxInk will fit your dictation into that structure.

See the Templates & Lock Mode page for details on creating and using templates.

Privacy

Controls for data privacy and sensitive information handling:

  • Redact Sensitive Data — When enabled, VoxInk automatically detects and redacts personally identifiable information (PII) from your transcriptions before pasting. Names, phone numbers, addresses, and other sensitive data are replaced with redaction markers.

For more information on how VoxInk handles your data, see the Privacy & Redaction page.

Language

Select the language you'll be dictating in. VoxInk supports over 45 languages. The most commonly used languages are shown directly in the menu for quick access:

  • English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, and more.

Less common languages are available in a "More Languages..." submenu. The selected language affects both local and cloud transcription engines.

Hotkey

Configure which key triggers dictation:

  • Hotkey selection — Choose your preferred push-to-talk key. The default is Left Option (⌥). Other common choices include Right Option, Right Command, or Fn.
  • Double-Tap to Lock — When enabled, quickly double-tapping the hotkey enters Lock Mode. In Lock Mode, recording continues without holding the key — useful for longer dictation. Tap the hotkey once to stop recording and transcribe.

License

Manage your VoxInk subscription and license:

  • Go Pro / Go Premium / See All Plans — Links to upgrade your plan.
  • Enter License Key — If you purchased a license key, enter it here to activate.
  • Manage Subscription — Opens your subscription management portal (billing, plan changes, invoices).
  • Deactivate This Machine — Removes the license from this computer, freeing up a seat for another device.
  • Current key display — Shows a truncated version of your active license key for reference.

See the Licensing page for details on plans, pricing, and machine management.

Refer a Friend

VoxInk has a referral programme that rewards you for sharing with colleagues:

  • Your referral link — A unique URL you can share. When someone signs up through your link, you both benefit.
  • Referral stats — See how many people have signed up through your link and what rewards you've earned.
  • How it works — Link to the referral programme details.

Help

Quick access to support resources:

  • Documentation — Opens this documentation site in your browser.
  • Report a Bug — Opens a pre-filled bug report form. Include steps to reproduce the issue for fastest resolution.
  • Request a Feature — Submit ideas for new features or improvements.

Restart

Restarts the VoxInk process. This is useful if VoxInk becomes unresponsive, if you've just changed permissions in System Settings, or if you've updated configuration files manually. Your settings and license are preserved across restarts.

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