1. Install
- Check that your Mac has Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later (Apple menu › About This Mac).
- Buy Reeve. The page right after payment shows your licence key and the download link. Copy the key somewhere safe: it is not printed on the Stripe receipt.
- Move Reeve to your Applications folder and open it.
- Press “activate” on the thank-you page, or paste the key into Reeve's first screen.
A Windows version is in progress.
2. Permissions
Reeve needs two permissions. macOS asks for them the first time, and you can always change them in System Settings › Privacy & Security.
- Microphone lets Reeve hear you while you hold the key.
- Accessibility lets Reeve type the result into other apps, and read the text you mark for a rewrite.
After an update: grant Accessibility again
macOS sometimes stops trusting an app after it is updated, even though the switch in Accessibility still looks on. If Reeve hears you but types nothing after an update:
- Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility.
- Select Reeve and remove it with the minus button.
- Add it again with the plus button (or open Reeve and accept the prompt), and make sure the switch is on.
- Quit and reopen Reeve.
The fn key opens something else
If pressing fn opens the emoji picker or starts Apple's dictation, go to System Settings › Keyboard and set “Press fn key to” (or the globe key setting) to Do Nothing, and move Apple's dictation shortcut elsewhere.
3. Add your AI provider key
Reeve uses your own key from a supported AI provider to turn speech into text. OpenAI does both the transcription and the clean-up (filler words out, punctuation in, formatting per app). ElevenLabs transcribes only, and is often more accurate on Danish; if you pick it, add an OpenAI key as well in Settings to get the clean-up, or Reeve types the raw transcript. The steps are similar with each provider:
- Create an account on the provider's developer platform.
- Add a payment method under billing. We recommend setting a monthly spending limit; a few dollars covers most people.
- Find the API keys page and create a new key. Copy it right away, because some providers only show it once.
- Open Reeve's settings, choose the provider and paste the key.
Reeve stores the key in the macOS Keychain. It is only ever sent to the provider it belongs to.
What it costs: about $0.0014 for a 15-second dictation. Fifty dictations a day on working days comes to roughly $1.50 a month, billed by the provider. More on the pricing page.
4. Troubleshooting
Nothing gets typed
This is almost always Accessibility. Check that Reeve is listed and switched on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility. If it is on and still nothing happens, remove it and add it again as described above. Also check that the Microphone permission is on.
The text is only on the clipboard
Reeve types where the cursor is. If no text field had focus when you let go of the key (for example, you clicked on the desktop, or a dialog took focus), the result goes to the clipboard only. Click into the field and paste with ⌘V. Some remote desktops and custom editors also refuse typed text; paste works there too.
It is slow
The usual time from releasing the key to text is 1.5 to 2.5 seconds. If it takes much longer, check your network connection first, then the provider's status page. A provider account that has run out of credit or hit its spending limit can also fail or slow down; check billing on the provider's site.
A name keeps coming out wrong
Correct it once. Reeve remembers your corrections to names and terms and uses your version next time.
The formatting is wrong for one app
Open Reeve's settings and edit the rule for that app. Rules can match on the app and on the window title.
5. Licence and a second Mac
One purchase works on two Macs at a time. On the second Mac, open Reeve and paste the same key. To move to a third Mac, open Settings on one of the first two and press “Deactivate this Mac”, which frees the seat.
Lost your key? Reopen the thank-you page from your purchase if you still have the link. Otherwise reply to your Stripe receipt and we send the key to the email you paid with.
“This key is already in use on 2 Macs”: deactivate one of them in its Settings. If a Mac was wiped or sold before you could, reply to your receipt and we free the seat for you.
6. Contact
Email hello@reevetalk.com, or reply to your Stripe receipt so we can see your purchase straight away. Tell us your macOS version, which provider you use, and what you expected to happen.
7. Switching discount
Paying for another dictation app? After you buy Reeve, reply to your Stripe receipt with a screenshot or invoice that shows your old plan and how long you have had it. Paid 1 to 5 months: $5 back. Paid 6 months or more: $10 back. It applies to paid dictation apps only, and the refund is sent minus the card fee.
8. Refunds
Your rights as a buyer in the EU, and how they apply to a download, are explained on the refunds page. To ask for a refund, reply to your Stripe receipt.