Notes System

OpenWhispr’s Notes System lets you create organized collections of transcribed voice notes with powerful features like folder organization, audio file upload, real-time dictation, and AI-powered enhancements.

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Overview

The Notes System is a dedicated workspace for:

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Getting Started

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Accessing Notes

1. Open the Control Panel (right-click system tray icon)
2. Click the Notes tab in the sidebar
3. You’ll see the Notes interface with folders on the left and editor on the right

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First-Time Setup (Onboarding)

When you first access Notes, you may see an onboarding flow:

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Creating and Managing Notes

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Creating a New Note

Notes auto-save as you type — no need to manually save!

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Note Editor Interface

The note editor provides a dual-pane experience:

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Editing Notes

• Title: Click the title at the top to edit
• Content: Type directly in the left editor pane
• Markdown: Use Markdown syntax for formatting:
  • # Heading
  • **bold**
  • - bullet list
  • `code`
  • > blockquote

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Deleting Notes

1. Find the note in the left sidebar list
2. Click the ⋯ (more options) button
3. Select Delete
4. Confirm deletion in the dialog

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Folder Organization

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Default Folders

OpenWhispr creates two folders by default:

• Personal Notes — For general-purpose notes you create manually
• Meetings — For audio file uploads and meeting transcriptions (read-only)

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Creating Custom Folders

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Managing Folders

Right-click or click the ⋯ button next to a folder:

Rename Folder

1. Select Rename from the dropdown
2. Edit the folder name inline
3. Press Enter or click the checkmark to save

Delete Folder

1. Select Delete from the dropdown
2. Confirm deletion in the dialog
3. All notes in the folder will be deleted too

Deleting a folder permanently deletes all notes inside. This cannot be undone.

Add Existing Notes

1. Select Add Notes from the dropdown
2. Choose notes from other folders
3. Selected notes are moved to this folder

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Moving Notes Between Folders

Two methods: Method 1: Drag and Drop

1. Click and hold on a note in the list
2. Drag to the target folder
3. Drop to move the note

Method 2: Folder Menu

1. Click ⋯ next to note in list
2. Select Move to Folder
3. Choose destination folder

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Real-Time Dictation into Notes

Dictate directly into your notes with live transcription:

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Using the Dictation Widget

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Real-Time Transcription Banner

When dictating, you’ll see a banner showing:

• Partial transcript: Words as they’re being recognized (live)
• Processing status: When transcription is finalizing
• Final commit: When text is inserted into your note

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Audio File Upload & Transcription

Upload audio recordings from meetings, interviews, or lectures and automatically transcribe them.

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Uploading Audio Files

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Audio Upload Features

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AI Actions on Notes

Apply AI-powered actions to enhance, summarize, format, or transform your note content.

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What Are AI Actions?

AI Actions are pre-configured prompts that process your note content through AI:

• Summarize — Create a concise summary
• Format — Clean up formatting and structure
• Action Items — Extract tasks and to-dos
• Key Points — List main takeaways
• Q&A — Generate questions and answers
• Custom — Your own custom prompts

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Applying an AI Action

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Action Processing States

During AI processing, you’ll see:

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Managing AI Actions

Create Custom Action

1. Click AI Actions → Manage Actions
2. Click + New Action
3. Enter:
   • Name: Descriptive title (e.g., “Professional Email”)
   • Prompt: Instructions for the AI (e.g., “Rewrite as formal email”)
4. Click Save
5. Your custom action appears in the Action Picker

Edit Existing Action

1. Open AI Actions → Manage Actions
2. Find the action you want to edit
3. Click the Edit (pencil) icon
4. Modify name or prompt
5. Click Save

Delete Custom Action

1. Open AI Actions → Manage Actions
2. Find the custom action
3. Click the Delete (trash) icon
4. Confirm deletion

Built-in actions (Summarize, Format, etc.) cannot be deleted.

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Example AI Actions

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AI Action Settings

Configure which AI provider and model to use for actions:

1. Go to Settings → Intelligence
2. Select AI Provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Groq, or Local)
3. Choose AI Model from dropdown
4. Enter API key (for cloud providers)

The same AI configuration is used for both:

• Agent-addressed dictation commands (“Hey Assistant…”)
• Notes System AI actions

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Notes Features Summary

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Note Organization

• ✅ Unlimited notes (Pro users)
• ✅ Custom folders with drag-and-drop
• ✅ Automatic Meetings folder
• ✅ Move notes between folders
• ✅ Rename and delete folders

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Content Creation

• ✅ Real-time dictation widget
• ✅ Markdown editor with live preview
• ✅ Audio file upload & transcription
• ✅ Auto-save (1-second debounce)
• ✅ Title and content editing

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AI Enhancements

• ✅ Pre-built AI actions
• ✅ Custom action templates
• ✅ Side-by-side original/enhanced view
• ✅ Streaming AI responses
• ✅ Multiple AI provider support

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Data Management

• ✅ Local SQLite database storage
• ✅ Export notes to Markdown or plain text
• ✅ All data stored locally on your device

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Troubleshooting

Can't access Notes System

Cause: Notes require OpenWhispr Pro subscriptionSolution:

1. Click Start Free Trial if eligible
2. Or upgrade to Pro in Settings → Plans & Billing

Audio upload failing

Possible causes:

1. File format not supported
2. File too large for provider
3. API key issues (BYOK mode)
4. Network connection (cloud modes)

Solutions:

• Use MP3 or WAV format
• Try a smaller file or shorter clip
• Check API key validity
• Switch to Local Processing for large files

Real-time dictation not working

Cause: Microphone permissions or transcription settingsSolution:

1. Check microphone permissions in Settings
2. Verify transcription mode is configured
3. Test basic dictation first (global hotkey)
4. Check for error messages in dictation widget

AI actions failing

Possible causes:

1. No AI provider configured
2. Invalid API key
3. Content too long for model
4. Network issues (cloud models)

Solutions:

• Configure AI provider in Settings → Intelligence
• Verify API key has credits/is active
• Try with shorter content first
• Switch to local model for privacy/offline use

Notes not saving

Cause: Database write issues or disk spaceSolution:

1. Check available disk space
2. Close and reopen Control Panel
3. Restart OpenWhispr
4. Check database permissions

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Privacy & Storage

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Database Location

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/OpenWhispr/transcriptions.db
• Windows: %APPDATA%\OpenWhispr\transcriptions.db
• Linux: ~/.config/OpenWhispr/transcriptions.db

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What Gets Sent to Cloud?

Only when using cloud features:

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Tips for Effective Note-Taking

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Next Steps