Permissions

Echo needs macOS permissions to record your voice and deliver transcriptions. During first launch, the Quick Setup guide walks you through granting permissions and configuring initial settings together.

macOS Permissions

These are system-level permissions managed in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

Microphone (Required)

Echo needs access to your microphone to record your voice for transcription.

When Echo asks for microphone permission, click Enable
In the macOS dialog that appears, click OK to grant access

If you previously denied microphone access:

Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone
Find Echo in the list and toggle it on

Accessibility (Recommended)

Accessibility access allows Echo to paste transcribed text directly at your cursor position in any app. Without it, Echo copies text to your clipboard instead, and you'll need to paste manually with Command + V.

In Echo's setup, click Enable next to Accessibility Access
macOS will open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility
Find Echo in the list and toggle it on
Switch back to Echo -- it will detect the change automatically

Tip: If Echo doesn't appear in the Accessibility list, try dragging the Echo app from your Applications folder into the list.

Screen Recording (Recommended)

Screen Recording access lets Echo read what's on your screen to provide context-aware transcription. This improves AI Enhancement by letting it understand what you're working on. Your screen content is processed locally and is not stored.

In Echo's setup, click Enable next to Screen Recording
macOS will open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
Find Echo in the list and toggle it on
Switch back to Echo -- it will detect the change automatically

Initial Setup

These are configuration steps completed during onboarding, not macOS permissions. You can change them later in Settings > Recording.

Microphone Selection

During setup, choose which microphone Echo should use. You can select System Default to use whatever microphone macOS is currently using, or pick a specific device from the dropdown. You can change this at any time in Settings > Recording under Audio Input.

Keyboard Shortcut

Echo needs a keyboard shortcut so you can start and stop recording from anywhere on your Mac. During setup, click the shortcut recorder field and press your preferred key combination.

Popular choices include a function key (like F5) or a modifier combination (like Control + Shift + Space). You can change this at any time in Settings > Recording under Echo Shortcuts.

Checking Permission Status

You can check and manage all permissions at any time:

Open Echo and go to Settings > General tab
Scroll to the Permissions section

Each permission shows a green checkmark when granted or an orange indicator when it still needs attention. You'll also see your keyboard shortcut status here. For macOS permissions, click the button on each card to request access or open the relevant System Settings pane.

Tips

If a permission toggle doesn't seem to take effect, try quitting Echo completely (right-click the Dock icon > Quit) and reopening it. Some macOS permissions require a restart of the app.
You can always re-check permission status in Settings > General > Permissions.
On macOS, you may be prompted to authenticate (password or Touch ID) when toggling permissions in System Settings.

Quick start -- Make your first transcription after setting up permissions
Installation -- Download and install Echo