Offline Transcription on Your Own Machine
Transcribe audio and video without an internet connection. The LiteScribe desktop app runs speech-to-text and AI notes on your own CPU or GPU in Local Mode, so your recordings stay on your device.
Offline transcription turns audio into text on your own computer with no internet connection. The LiteScribe desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux ships a Local Mode that runs on-device speech recognition plus an on-device AI model for summaries and notes, so your audio and transcript stay on your machine. It is part of the Pro and Business plans after a one-time model download.
What offline transcription actually means
Offline transcription is speech-to-text that runs entirely on your own hardware, with no audio sent to a server. In LiteScribe this is called Local Mode, and it lives in the desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. When Local Mode is on, the app uses an on-device speech-recognition engine to turn your recording into text and an on-device AI model to write summaries and action items, all on your CPU or GPU. The web app and the mobile app do not have this path; they use cloud transcription, so offline transcription is a desktop-only capability.
The practical difference is where the work happens. In the normal cloud path your audio is uploaded and processed by a transcription service, then an AI provider summarizes the text. In Local Mode neither step leaves your machine. That matters when you are on a plane with no Wi-Fi, on a locked-down corporate network, or simply working with a recording you would rather not upload anywhere.
Transcription and AI, both on-device
Local Mode is not just offline transcription. The same on-device path also runs the AI that turns a raw transcript into something useful. After your audio is transcribed locally, an on-device language model generates the summary, the action items, and the cleaned-up notes, again without a network call. So a meeting you record offline comes back as a transcript with speaker labels and a structured set of notes, produced start to finish on your own computer.
The app picks a model that fits your hardware. It accelerates on the GPU when you have one, using CUDA on NVIDIA cards, Vulkan on AMD and Intel, and Metal on Apple Silicon, and it falls back to the CPU when no compatible GPU is present. You choose a model size to trade speed against quality, and larger models give better results on capable machines.
What still needs the network, stated plainly
Offline transcription keeps your audio and transcript on your device, but the desktop app is not permanently disconnected, and we will not pretend it is. The on-device models are a one-time download the first time you turn Local Mode on. After that, the app reconnects to LiteScribe periodically to confirm your plan and your remaining minutes; if it has not been able to check in for a couple of days it pauses new offline work until the next reconnect. That check validates your account, not your content.
So the accurate way to think about it is by data path. Your audio and your transcript stay on your machine in Local Mode. The app itself still talks to our server on a light, periodic cadence to keep your subscription honest. If and when you want a recording in the cloud for cross-device access, you opt that recording in; otherwise it stays local. You decide per recording.
Why use LiteScribe Local Mode
No internet needed to transcribe
On-device speech recognition runs on your CPU or GPU, so you can transcribe a recording with the Wi-Fi off once Local Mode is set up.
Audio stays on your device
In Local Mode your audio is not uploaded and your transcript is not pushed to the cloud unless you opt a recording in.
On-device AI notes
A local language model writes summaries and action items on your machine, so the AI step is offline too.
GPU accelerated
CUDA, Vulkan, or Metal acceleration with an automatic CPU fallback, so it stays fast on the hardware you have.
Offline Transcription on Your Own Machine
- 1
Install the desktop app
Download LiteScribe for Windows, macOS, or Linux and sign in. Local Mode is part of the desktop app on the Pro and Business plans.
- 2
Turn on Local Mode and download a model
In settings, enable Local Mode and download an on-device transcription model and an optional AI model. This one-time download is the only step that needs the network.
- 3
Transcribe offline
Pick a file or record, and the app transcribes on your CPU or GPU with speaker labels. No audio is uploaded while Local Mode is on.
- 4
Get on-device notes
The local AI model writes a summary and action items on your machine. Keep the recording local, or opt it in to sync to the cloud for cross-device access.
What is private, and what is honest
Privacy on this page means the desktop Local Mode, where your audio is transcribed on your own CPU or GPU and an on-device AI model writes your notes, so your recording and its transcript stay on your machine. The web app, the mobile app, and the cloud path are different: they use a cloud transcription service and cloud AI, so they are not private in this sense. Local Mode is a desktop feature on the Pro and Business plans, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux after a one-time model download.
We will not call the app air-gapped, because it is not. Your content stays on your device, but the desktop app reconnects to LiteScribe periodically to validate your plan and remaining minutes, and it pauses new offline work if it cannot check in for about two days. That account check carries none of your audio or transcript. You also choose, per recording, whether to keep it local or sync it to the cloud for access on your other devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
More privacy and offline guides
Keep your recordings on your machine
Download the LiteScribe desktop app and turn on Local Mode to transcribe on-device. 300 free minutes every month, no credit card required.