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Local Mode is Mumble running entirely on your Mac. No audio is sent anywhere. No transcripts are sent anywhere. The model that turns your voice into notes runs on your device. This page covers what Local Mode does, how to set it up, and what to expect.

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What Local Mode covers

Local Mode is a complete offline pipeline for Mumble’s core features:
  • Meetings. Record any conversation on your Mac with no bot joining the call. Transcription, speaker separation, and AI Notes all run on-device.
  • Voice Notes. Capture a thought, get a clean transcript and structured note without an internet connection.
  • Dictation. Speak anywhere on your Mac. Text appears in the active app, processed locally end to end.
  • AI Notes and Quick Format templates. Apply Quick Format templates and generate AI Notes from any local recording, fully on-device.
Customized templates, Voice Skills, and AI Chat are not available in Local Mode today.

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What “only you can read it” means

In Local Mode:
  • Audio is captured and processed on your Mac.
  • Transcripts stay on your Mac.
  • AI Notes and Quick Format output are generated on your Mac.
  • Nothing is sent to Mumble servers or any third party for processing.
No bot, no cloud upload, no transcript leaving your device. Your recordings are readable only by you, on your machine.

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Requirements

Local Mode needs enough on-device compute to run the models well. Current requirements:
  • Apple Silicon Mac (M-series). Intel Macs are not supported.
  • macOS 15 or later.
  • 24GB unified memory or more recommended for the best experience. Lower configurations may work but can be slower on long recordings.
  • Storage for the local models. The download happens once.

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Setting it up

  1. Open Settings > Processing Mode.
  2. For each feature you want to run locally (Meetings, Voice Notes, Dictation), switch the toggle to Local.
  3. If this is your first time, Mumble will prompt you to download the local models. Keep the app open until the download finishes.
  4. Once installed, Local Mode works without internet.
You can also choose Local Mode during onboarding when Mumble first sets up. Prefer the fastest results and broadest language coverage? See Cloud Mode vs Local Mode to compare.

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When to use Local Mode

Local Mode is the right choice when:
  • The conversation is confidential and you want a clear privacy boundary.
  • You work in a regulated environment (legal, medical, finance, internal corporate matters).
  • You’re on a flight, in a secure facility, or anywhere without reliable internet.
  • You simply prefer your voice data to stay on your machine.
For most everyday meetings and notes, Cloud Mode is faster and supports 40+ languages out of the box. Many users run Cloud for general work and Local for sensitive sessions. You can switch per feature anytime in Settings > Processing Mode.

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Language support

Cloud Mode supports 40+ languages with automatic detection. Local Mode supports multiple languages, but the local dictation model works best when you select a single language at a time. If you regularly switch between languages during dictation, Cloud Mode will give you better results.

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Free forever

Local Mode is a core part of what Mumble is. It will always be free.