Local Mode: dictate fully on-device
Run Epilude dictation entirely on your Mac with Epilude Model 1: private, offline, and never sent to the cloud. How to set it up and when to use it.
Local Mode runs your dictation entirely on your Mac. Your audio and text never leave your device, and dictation keeps working without an internet connection.
Before you start
Local Mode needs an Apple Silicon (M-series) Mac and a one-time download of Epilude Model 1. Cloud mode, the default, works on any supported Mac and stays available whenever you want it.
What Local Mode does
Local Mode transcribes your speech and runs Cleanup on your Mac instead of in the cloud. It uses Epilude Model 1, an on-device model you download once. After that, dictation works offline, and nothing you say or type is sent to Epilude or any other service.
Epilude runs in Cloud mode by default. Cloud mode sends your audio to Epilude's cloud for fast, accurate transcription and the widest language support. Local Mode trades some of that reach for privacy: everything stays on your Mac. You can switch between the two at any time.
Requirements
Local Mode runs only on Apple Silicon (M-series) Macs. The download size depends on your Mac:
- 16GB of memory or more — about 1.5GB. You get on-device transcription and full on-device Cleanup.
- Less than 16GB — about 500MB. You get on-device transcription with basic formatting. Full Cleanup (the Light, Medium, and High levels) isn't available on-device, but nothing is ever sent to the cloud.
The model downloads once and works offline afterward.
Download Epilude Model 1
Open the dictation settings
Open Epilude → Settings → Dictation. You'll see two options: Cloud mode and Local mode (Local Mode).
Select the Local mode
Click the Local mode card. An On-device models section appears below it with Epilude Model 1.
Download the model
Click Download. Epilude shows a one-time download (1.5GB or 500MB, depending on your Mac) with a progress bar. You can keep using Cloud mode while it downloads.
Until the download finishes, dictation in Local Mode is paused, and Epilude prompts you to download the model or switch back to Cloud mode in the meantime. Once it's installed, the card shows Ready and dictation runs on-device.
To remove the model later, return to the same screen and click Delete Model. You stay in Local Mode, but dictation pauses until you download it again.
Cloud mode or Local Mode
Both modes dictate into any app. Choose based on what matters most for what you're writing.
| Cloud mode (default) | Local Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Epilude's cloud | Your Mac |
| Privacy | Audio sent for transcription, never stored | Audio and text never leave your Mac |
| Internet | Required | Works offline |
| Languages | 35+ | 25 European languages |
| Best for | Accuracy and language coverage | Privacy and working offline |
Switch any time
Your mode is a setting, not a commitment. Use Local Mode for confidential work and switch to Cloud mode when you need a language it doesn't cover.
Languages
Local Mode supports 25 European languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, and the Nordic languages. Languages outside Europe, such as Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, and Hindi, work in Cloud mode only. To dictate in one of those, switch to Cloud mode. See Languages for the full picture.
Smart Formatting voice cues work in English only, in both modes.
Use Epilude offline
Once Epilude Model 1 is installed, Local Mode dictates with no internet connection. Transcription, basic formatting, and on-device Cleanup (on a 16GB+ Mac) all run locally. You only need a connection to download the model the first time or to use Cloud mode.
Troubleshooting
- The download didn't finish. Check your internet connection and free disk space, then click Retry Download. Completed parts are kept, so it resumes where it left off.
- Cleanup isn't changing my text. On Macs with less than 16GB of memory, on-device Cleanup isn't available, so Local Mode applies basic formatting only. Switch to Cloud mode for full Cleanup.
- Dictation is paused. Epilude Model 1 hasn't finished downloading. Open Settings → Dictation and download it, or switch to Cloud mode in the meantime.
- My language isn't working on-device. Local Mode covers 25 European languages. For any other language, switch to Cloud mode.
Related
- Cleanup — How much Epilude polishes your dictation, and where it runs
- Languages — Which languages each mode supports
- How Epilude handles your data — What stays on your Mac and what doesn't