System-wide, privacy-first dictation
Keep Viska in the background while you write in email, chat, documents or code. Press a global hotkey, speak naturally, and Viska transcribes locally and inserts the finished text at your cursor.
Viska 0.5.67 adds clean-tested Debian 12 support and a native Arch package for Arch and Omarchy/Hyprland.
Viska app download
Viska remains designed and tested first for Kubuntu/KDE Plasma. Version 0.5.67 adds a Debian 12 path and a separate native Arch package for Arch Linux and Omarchy/Hyprland. Both packages passed clean installation and real Whisper runtime checks; desktop-specific field testing continues.
Linux · Debian / Ubuntu · Primary
For x86_64 Debian 12+, Kubuntu and Ubuntu 24.04+. Includes KDE clipboard synchronization, model preloading, a bundled experimental Vulkan whisper.cpp runtime for compatible AMD Radeon/Ryzen graphics and optional NVIDIA CUDA/CT2 acceleration—without replacing your GPU driver.
Download .deb Permanent link: viska-latest.deb
b8207cf054f00d6100d2e6aff90178c0b8118cb5d45c516e346f2fb0bc223302Linux · Arch / Omarchy · New
For x86_64 Arch Linux and Arch-based Omarchy/Hyprland. The package carries Viska, Qt/Python and a CPU whisper.cpp runtime. pacman does not run pip, compile native code or fetch Viska dependencies during installation.
e8487023caf6a4bd311d3de4a1fb39022697f99b51efbc5d6f98d452d0faa74amacOS · Apple Silicon preview
For Apple Silicon Macs. Double-press left Command to dictate from any app, then let Viska insert the finished text at the cursor. Input Monitoring enables the hotkey and Accessibility enables automatic insertion. This preview is not notarized.
Start here: macOS hotkey & automatic paste setup →
Install FFmpeg with brew install ffmpeg to import audio files and export OGG.
Open the DMG, drag Viska to Applications, then eject the disk image.
Download for macOS Permanent link: viska-latest-macos-arm64.dmga75eb8ff34ad913d577d2f28df2cc09df8a4782cc581842b6b497cfea40d5c1bWindows · Experimental x64 preview
This unsigned preview was produced by the native Windows CI build and packaged for early testing, but has not yet had hands-on Windows validation. Windows SmartScreen may warn before first launch.
Download and extract the complete zip, then start Viska/Viska.exe. Keep the _internal folder beside the executable; the EXE does not work alone.
Windows setup and troubleshooting guide →
Send Windows feedback60c3027399f295ac41310d1433457274791e5204f78d56f55f1971f7166ea15cViska family
Dictate with local Whisper models, hotkeys and optional cloud engines. Linux/KDE Plasma stays the primary experience.
Open downloads
Proofread Thunderbird drafts before you send them, locally through Ollama or through OpenRouter with your own key.
Open Viska Brev pageHow it works
Stay in the email, chat, document or prompt where you want the words to appear.
Start and stop dictation without opening or switching to the Viska window.
Viska transcribes, optionally proofreads, and inserts the finished text at your cursor. If insertion is unavailable, paste the verified clipboard text manually. Any clipboard failure is clearly reported; enabled Recent segments keeps a session copy.
A compact app, with room when you need it
In Viska 0.5.69, Models and Settings open in their own resizable windows. Viska remembers their sizes, while the small dictation window stays available. The macOS download is available now; the Linux download remains at 0.5.67 until the new packages are transferred to this site.
The model list gets more space, with compact acceleration status and details you can expand. Longer proofreading prompts scroll naturally inside Settings. Open either window from Viska's menu.
Viska Brev
Viska Brev is a Thunderbird 128+ extension for Swedish and English email drafts. Choose Ollama Server, Ollama Cloud, OpenRouter, or an OpenAI-compatible SGLang server; no telemetry or remote logging is included.
Thunderbird extension
Thunderbird allows installing unsigned extensions from a local file. Download the XPI, verify it against SHA256SUMS if needed, and install it from Thunderbird's Add-ons and Themes screen. Version 0.4.3 and later enable secure in-place updates without clearing your settings.
cad5d7b02b5ec1736047e39cbb865e53c67b918e7a1097cd9c1321347a94d176Viska Brev setup
Install the XPI from Thunderbird, then choose whether proofreading runs through Ollama Server, Ollama Cloud, OpenRouter, or SGLang.
1. Download viska-brev-latest.xpi
2. Thunderbird -> Tools -> Add-ons and Themes
3. Gear menu -> Install Add-on From File
4. For local Ollama, allow OLLAMA_ORIGINS=moz-extension://*
5. Open Viska Brev Settings -> Connections
6. Test Ollama Server, Ollama Cloud, OpenRouter, or SGLang
Future updates:
Add-ons and Themes -> Gear menu -> Check for Updates
Install over the existing add-on; do not uninstall it first.Linux installation
Debian and Ubuntu use the .deb. Arch and Omarchy use the separate .pkg.tar.zst package built against current Arch Python. Verify the SHA256 checksum before installation.
Open the complete Linux guide# Debian 12, Ubuntu 24.04, Kubuntu
wget https://getviska.app/downloads/viska_0.5.67_amd64.deb
sha256sum viska_0.5.67_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./viska_0.5.67_amd64.deb
# Arch / Omarchy after downloading from this page
sha256sum viska-0.5.67-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
sudo pacman -U ./viska-0.5.67-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zstNew to Viska on macOS?
Input Monitoring enables double-Command recording. Accessibility enables automatic paste into another app. Follow the step-by-step checklist to install the right app copy, enable both permissions, and test your first background dictation.
Follow the macOS setup guideWhat it does
Leave Viska in the background and dictate directly into other applications with global hotkeys and automatic text insertion.
Run speech-to-text on your machine with curated Whisper models, including Swedish-friendly options, and save the latest recording as a WAV file when you need the audio.
Built around portal hotkeys, Linux text-insertion backends and a visible clipboard fallback, so a missing desktop capability never silently loses your words.
Choose Off, private local proofreading through Ollama, or an explicitly selected cloud provider before Viska inserts the finished text.
Apple Silicon uses whisper.cpp with Metal. Compatible AMD Radeon and integrated Ryzen graphics can use the bundled experimental Vulkan/GGML runtime on amd64 Linux, while NVIDIA uses CTranslate2/CUDA with CT2 models. Viska marks acceleration green only when the matching native backend is verified and active; CPU remains available everywhere.
Use providers like Deepgram, OpenAI, OpenRouter, xAI, Gemini and Mistral while keeping Viska's desktop hotkeys and UI.
Audio stays local unless you explicitly choose a cloud provider. No telemetry is collected.
Complementary tools
Viska turns your speech into text. Viska Brev proofreads and polishes your writing. Use the two applications together — in parallel — for a complete local-first workflow on Linux. A future bridge will connect them even tighter via Viska’s D-Bus API.
Compatibility
wl-clipboard and, where permitted, wtype. Physical Omarchy testing remains experimental.Changelog
1 September 2026: new Debian 12 and Arch/Omarchy packages plus a dedicated Linux installation guide.
The latest 20 documented updates, newest date first across Viska App, Viska Brev and the website.
Published the verified macOS 0.5.69 download. Linux 0.5.69 source and package builds are on GitLab; this site's Linux downloads remain at 0.5.67 pending transfer of the new artifacts. Windows downloads remain at 0.5.57 for now.
Windows build completed on GitLab; the new installer and portable ZIP have not yet replaced the public 0.5.57 download on this site.
Added native x8664 packages for Debian 12 and Arch Linux, including Arch-based Omarchy/Hyprland, while retaining Kubuntu/KDE Plasma as the primary Linux desktop target.
Updated the macOS Apple Silicon preview with a bundled speech detector to trim silent recording edges and reduce unwanted words around live dictation. Internal pauses and a short speech-edge margin are preserved; this does not eliminate every Whisper hallucination.
Unified Recent development into one date-sorted list of the latest 20 updates across Viska App, Viska Brev and the website, generated from this changelog.
Revalidate the website's version manifest and checksum list on every request, so cached release metadata cannot disagree with newly published downloads. Serve the checksum list through a plain-text URL with a compatibility redirect.
Made Apple Silicon's existing whisper.cpp/Metal acceleration visible and selectable, with honest detected, active and CPU-fallback states.
Published the native CI-built 0.5.57 x64 preview as a complete portable zip for early field feedback, with its unsigned status, extraction instructions, file size and SHA256 checksum shown on the download page.
Restored natural semantic Thunderbird paragraph spacing on Linux for model-created greeting, body, and closing paragraphs, without empty double rows between them.
Normalized model-returned blank-line paragraph markers into Thunderbird's ordinary paragraph blocks, so dictated emails keep consistent spacing instead of gaining an extra empty line between greeting, body, and closing.
Added a secure self-hosted Thunderbird update feed. After installing 0.4.3 once over the existing add-on, later releases can update in place while preserving provider settings, API keys, models, and prompt overrides.
Added immediate, accessible progress and provider-specific results for every Test connection and Refresh Models action, including Ollama Cloud.
Fixed the schema-v2 migration so missing Ollama Cloud and SGLang fields keep their defaults instead of crashing the settings page after a 0.3.1 upgrade.
Added provider-based connections for Ollama Server, Ollama Cloud, OpenRouter, and SGLang, with automatic v0.3.1 settings migration and permission checks.
Published the Linux Debian package and refreshed the immutable download, latest alias, size and SHA256 checksum.
Published the Linux Debian package and refreshed the immutable download, latest alias, size and SHA256 checksum.
Published the Linux Debian package and refreshed the versioned download, latest alias, size and SHA256 checksum.
Published the Linux Debian package and Apple Silicon macOS preview, including refreshed versioned downloads, latest aliases, sizes and SHA256 checksums.
Published the Linux 0.5.59 Debian package and refreshed its versioned and viska-latest.deb downloads, size and SHA256 checksum.
Published the Linux 0.5.58 Debian package and refreshed the permanent viska-latest.deb link, size and SHA256 checksum.
FAQ
Use the .deb on Debian 12, Ubuntu 24.04 or Kubuntu. Use the .pkg.tar.zst package on Arch Linux and Arch-based Omarchy. Follow the Linux setup guide for desktop portals, automatic insertion and acceleration.
They require separate Input Monitoring and Accessibility permissions for the Viska copy in Applications. Our step-by-step macOS setup guide covers first installation, testing and restoring permissions after an update.
No. Viska is still a fast-moving test build. Expect field-test fixes and frequent releases.
On modern KDE Plasma it uses the XDG GlobalShortcuts portal. Omarchy/Hyprland also exposes this portal through xdg-desktop-portal-hyprland. Other desktops may need clipboard or input-tool fallbacks.
It is the fastest path for early testing. A signed APT repository is the better long-term distribution path.
Viska Brev is not on addons.thunderbird.net yet. Thunderbird can install the self-hosted XPI from a local file.