Getting Started with Lagos

Lagos is a macOS menu bar app that converts your voice to text. Hold a keyboard shortcut, speak, release — your words appear wherever you were typing.

System Requirements

• macOS 13 Ventura or later
• Apple Silicon (M1+) or Intel Mac
• Microphone access

Installation

1. Download Lagos — free, no account required
2. Open the .dmg file and drag Lagos to your Applications folder
3. Launch Lagos from Applications or Spotlight

First Launch

When you first open Lagos, an onboarding wizard will guide you through:

1. Microphone permission — Lagos needs mic access to record your voice
2. Accessibility permission — required for Lagos to paste text into other apps
3. Test dictation — try your first recording to confirm everything works

Once permissions are granted, Lagos lives in your menu bar and is always ready.

Recording Your First Dictation

1. Click anywhere you want to type (a text field, document, terminal, etc.)
2. Hold ⌘ + Control (the default shortcut)
3. Speak naturally
4. Release the keys — Lagos transcribes and pastes your text

That’s it.

Choosing a Transcription Engine

Lagos supports four transcription levels:

Level	Engine	Accuracy	Privacy	Setup
1	Apple Speech	~8% WER	On-device	None
2	WhisperKit	~1–5% WER	On-device	Download model
3	Lagos Pro Cloud	<1% WER	Cloud	Subscription (coming soon)
4	BYOK	Varies	Depends	API key

We recommend starting with Level 1 (Apple Speech) — zero setup. When you want better accuracy, switch to Level 2 (WhisperKit) with one click.

See Transcription Engines for full details on each option.

Customizing the Shortcut

To change the shortcut modifier keys:

1. Click the Lagos menu bar icon
2. Open Settings
3. Under Shortcut, choose your preferred modifier combination

Available combinations: ⌘+⌃, ⌘+⇧, ⌘+⌥, ⌃+⌥, ⌃+⇧

Next Steps

• Explore transcription engines
• Set up keyboard shortcuts
• Browse your transcription history
• Read the FAQ