Skip to content

WINDOWS_TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
92 lines (64 loc) · 2.44 KB

WINDOWS_TROUBLESHOOTING.md

File metadata and controls

92 lines (64 loc) · 2.44 KB

Windows Troubleshooting

Quick Fixes

No Window Appears

Symptoms: OpenWhispr runs in Task Manager but no window shows

Solutions:

  1. Check system tray (click ^ caret) for OpenWhispr icon
  2. Run with debug: OpenWhispr.exe --log-level=debug
  3. Try disabling GPU: OpenWhispr.exe --disable-gpu

No Transcriptions

Symptoms: Recording works but no text appears

Solutions:

  1. Check microphone permissions: Settings → Privacy → Microphone
  2. Verify mic is selected: Sound settings → Input
  3. Test recording in Windows Voice Recorder first

whisper.cpp Not Working

Symptoms: Local transcription fails

Solutions:

  1. whisper.cpp is bundled with the app - try reinstalling
  2. If running from source, run npm run download:whisper-cpp and confirm resources\\bin\\whisper-cpp-win32-x64.exe exists
  3. Check antivirus isn't blocking the whisper-cpp executable
  4. Clear model cache: delete %USERPROFILE%\.cache\openwhispr\whisper-models
  5. Try cloud mode as fallback

FFmpeg Issues

Symptoms: Transcription fails silently

Solutions:

  1. Reinstall OpenWhispr (FFmpeg is bundled)
  2. Check antivirus isn't quarantining FFmpeg
  3. Install system FFmpeg and add to PATH if needed

Debug Mode

# Run with debug logging
OpenWhispr.exe --log-level=debug

# Or set in .env file at %APPDATA%\OpenWhispr\.env
OPENWHISPR_LOG_LEVEL=debug

Logs saved to: %APPDATA%\OpenWhispr\logs\

Common Errors

Error Meaning Fix
Audio buffer empty Mic not capturing Check permissions, try different mic
whisper.cpp not found Binary not accessible Reinstall app, check antivirus
FFmpeg not found Can't find FFmpeg Reinstall app, check antivirus
Model download failed Can't download GGML model Check internet; try cloud mode

Windows-Specific Tips

Windows Defender

Add OpenWhispr to exclusions if blocked: Settings → Virus & threat protection → Exclusions

Firewall (Cloud Mode)

Allow OpenWhispr through firewall for cloud transcription

Permission Errors

Right-click → Run as administrator (or set in Properties → Compatibility)

Complete Reset

# Uninstall OpenWhispr first, then:
rd /s /q "%APPDATA%\OpenWhispr"
rd /s /q "%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenWhispr"

Then reinstall.

Getting Help

Report issues at https://github.com/OpenWhispr/openwhispr/issues with:

  • Windows version (winver)
  • OpenWhispr version
  • Debug log contents
  • Steps to reproduce