Voice Dictation on Linux: The Complete Setup Guide

The Linux voice dictation landscape

Voice dictation on Linux has historically been poor. The main options — Nerd Dictation, KDE Simon, and custom Whisper scripts — require significant technical setup and don't offer the seamless "hold hotkey, speak, text appears" experience that macOS and Windows users enjoy.

Commercial apps like Superwhisper and Wispr Flow don't support Linux at all.

AirTypes is built natively for Linux and ships a native macOS app as well (Windows is on the roadmap). It ships as a single binary with Whisper AI built in, no Python environment required, and supports system-wide text injection via both X11 and Wayland (clipboard + Ctrl+V mode).

System requirements for Linux

• OS: Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora 35+, Arch Linux, Debian 11+, or any distribution with glibc 2.31+
• CPU: Any x86_64 processor (Intel or AMD). ARM support coming.
• RAM: 4 GB minimum (8 GB recommended for Medium model and above)
• Microphone: Any PulseAudio or PipeWire-compatible audio device
• Display server: X11 (full support) or Wayland (clipboard injection mode)
• Audio server: PulseAudio, PipeWire, or ALSA

Installing on Ubuntu / Debian

AirTypes ships a .deb package for Ubuntu and Debian-based distributions.

1. Download the .deb file from airtypes.com
2. Install with:

   sudo dpkg -i airtypes_*.deb
   sudo apt-get install -f  # resolve any dependencies

3. Launch AirTypes from your application menu or run airtypes from terminal
4. Grant microphone permission when prompted
5. Open the AirTypes settings and download your preferred Whisper model

AirTypes will appear in your system tray. Hold Ctrl+Shift+Space in any application to start recording.

Installing on Fedora

AirTypes ships an .rpm package for Fedora and Red Hat-based distributions.

1. Download the .rpm file from airtypes.com
2. Install with:

   sudo rpm -i airtypes_*.rpm
   # or
   sudo dnf install ./airtypes_*.rpm

3. Launch AirTypes and configure your microphone and Whisper model

Note for Fedora users: If you use PipeWire (default on Fedora 34+), AirTypes will automatically detect it. No additional configuration is required.

Installing on Arch Linux

AirTypes ships an AppImage that works on Arch and other rolling-release distributions.

1. Download the .AppImage from airtypes.com
2. Make it executable:

   chmod +x AirTypes_*.AppImage

3. Run it:

   ./AirTypes_*.AppImage

4. To install system-wide, move it to /usr/local/bin/ or add a desktop entry

AUR package coming soon for streamlined Arch installation.

Wayland vs. Xorg: what to know

AirTypes supports both display servers, but with different text injection mechanisms:

Xorg (X11)

Full support. AirTypes uses keyboard-level injection via xdotool-style input, which types your transcribed text character by character at the cursor. Works in all applications including terminal emulators.

Wayland

Wayland's security model restricts direct keyboard injection from external applications. AirTypes handles this by automatically switching to clipboard mode: your transcribed text is copied to the clipboard and pasted via Ctrl+V. This works in virtually all Wayland applications (GNOME, KDE Plasma 6, Sway).

To set your injection mode, go to Settings → Behavior → Injection Mode → "Direct Paste" (Clipboard + Ctrl+V).

Tips for best results on Linux

• Use PipeWire — modern Linux distributions default to PipeWire for audio, which offers lower latency than PulseAudio. AirTypes detects and uses it automatically.
• Test your microphone first — run arecord -l to verify your mic is recognized, and use pavucontrol or the GNOME sound settings to check input levels.
• GNOME 45+ users — you may need to grant microphone permission via Settings → Privacy → Microphone if the app doesn't prompt you.
• Custom hotkey — if Ctrl+Shift+Space conflicts with an existing shortcut in your desktop environment, open AirTypes Settings → Hotkey to change it.
• Startup on login — add AirTypes to your startup applications via your desktop environment's settings, or add it to your ~/.config/autostart/ directory.