What is AI Enhancement?
AI Enhancement is one of MacTranscribe's most important features. When enabled, it captures your entire screen using OCR (optical character recognition) and uses that context to intelligently rewrite your transcription. The result is near-perfect accuracy — names, technical terms, and custom vocabulary are all corrected because the AI can actually see what's on your screen.
We highly recommend turning this feature on. It's the difference between a rough transcription and a polished, ready-to-use one.
Why You Need Your Own API Key
MacTranscribe is a one-time purchase — no subscriptions, no recurring fees, and no cloud services. Because there's no ongoing service included, AI Enhancement connects directly to an AI provider of your choice.
To make this connection, you need an API key. Think of it as a personal password that lets MacTranscribe communicate with the AI on your behalf. Your key stays on your device and is never shared with us.
Choosing a Provider
There are several platforms where you can get an API key. Each has different strengths — pick the one that fits your needs best.
Grok — Recommended for Most Users
Grok by xAI offers fast, capable models with ultra-low latency (under 200 ms). It strikes the best balance between speed and quality, making it ideal for everyday use.
Base URL: https://api.x.ai/v1
How to get your Grok API key
- Go to grok.com and create an account
- Navigate to the API section in your dashboard
- Click Create API Key
- Copy the key and paste it into MacTranscribe's AI Enhancement settings
OpenRouter — Widest Model Selection
OpenRouter gives you access to a huge range of state-of-the-art AI models from many different providers — all through a single API key. The trade-off is that larger, more powerful models tend to have higher latency.
Base URL: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
How to get your OpenRouter API key
- Go to openrouter.ai and sign up
- Go to Keys in your account settings
- Click Create Key
- Copy the key and paste it into MacTranscribe's AI Enhancement settings
Cerebras — Ultra-Fast Inference
Cerebras specializes in blazing-fast AI inference with sub-200 ms latency. A great choice if speed is your top priority.
Base URL: https://api.cerebras.ai/v1
How to get your Cerebras API key
- Go to cerebras.ai and create an account
- Navigate to the API Keys section
- Generate a new key
- Copy the key and paste it into MacTranscribe's AI Enhancement settings
Setting It Up in MacTranscribe
- Open MacTranscribe and go to Settings → AI Enhancement
- Toggle Enable AI Enhancement on
- Select your provider — or choose Custom for OpenRouter and Cerebras
- Paste your API key
- If using a custom provider, enter the Base URL from above
- Choose a model from the dropdown
- Click Ready to Test to verify your connection
That's it — your transcriptions will now be enhanced with AI-powered accuracy.