The model download stalls or fails

If NoteOwl's model download stops or fails during setup, check that your Mac is online and has around 10 GB free, then click Download now again. Parts that already finished are kept, so the download carries on with what's missing instead of starting over.

Why did the model download fail?Copy Anchor Link

The connection may have dropped, or your Mac may have run out of space. Setup shows the same message for any failure, Download failed — check your connection and try again., so check both. NoteOwl doesn't check free space before it starts.

After a failure, Download now comes back, along with Skip — download on first use.

Retry the downloadCopy Anchor Link

1. Check that your Mac is online, for example by opening a website in your browser.
2. Check your free space: choose Apple menu → System Settings, click General, then Storage. Keep around 10 GB free, since the download is about 8 GB, downloaded once after install (keep around 10 GB free).
3. On NoteOwl's Download the model. screen, click Download now. Parts that finished before are kept.
4. Leave NoteOwl open until it says Model installed — you're ready to go., then click Continue.

If it keeps failing and you'd rather finish setup now, click Skip — download on first use. NoteOwl will download what it needs later: see I skipped the download during setup.

What does NoteOwl show while it downloads?Copy Anchor Link

The Download the model. screen shows Downloading… with a percentage and a progress bar. While it's downloading, the only button is Back. Skip — download on first use comes back only if the download fails.

The download is about 8 GB, downloaded once after install (keep around 10 GB free), so how long it takes depends on your connection.

Why is the download stuck at 100%?Copy Anchor Link

It may not be stuck. The percentage follows only the on-device AI model, the largest part. After it reaches 100%, NoteOwl still downloads speech recognition for your dictation language and the part that tells speakers apart in meetings, with no percentage for either.

Leave NoteOwl open and connected until the screen says Model installed — you're ready to go.

If one of these last parts can't finish, setup doesn't show an error. To check, dictate a sentence with fn while you're still online: if your words appear, speech recognition is ready.

What if the percentage stops moving?Copy Anchor Link

Check your internet connection first. If the connection is fine and the percentage still doesn't move, quit NoteOwl and open it again, then click Download now: the parts that finished are kept.

When you reopen NoteOwl, setup starts again from its first screen, because it only counts as finished when you click Start using noteOwl. Click through to the Download the model. screen. Permissions you've already allowed still say GRANTED.

What if I quit NoteOwl during the download?Copy Anchor Link

The download stops, and setup starts again from its first screen the next time you open NoteOwl. Click through to Download the model. and click Download now. Parts that finished downloading are kept, so it carries on with what's missing.

I skipped the download during setupCopy Anchor Link

After setup there's no download button. NoteOwl downloads each part the first time a feature needs it, for example your first dictation, meeting, imported file or Chat question. That first use needs an internet connection, waits for the download, and doesn't show a percentage.

• Stay online the first time you use each feature, and give it time. If it doesn't work the first time, try again while you're connected: parts that finished downloading are kept.
• If your first dictation happens offline, the NoteOwl panel may say Microphone unavailable and Couldn't access the microphone., even though your microphone is fine. NoteOwl couldn't fetch the speech model. Connect to the internet and dictate again.

To use NoteOwl offline later, get each feature working once while you're online: see use NoteOwl offline.

Still not working?Copy Anchor Link

Email support@noteowl.ai with your macOS version, how much free space your Mac has, and what the Download the model. screen shows. The support page lists other common fixes.

Common questions

Does the NoteOwl model download start again from the beginning after a failure?

No. Parts that finished downloading stay on your Mac, so clicking Download now again fetches only what's still missing. A part that was partway through when the download stopped may download again.

Why does the NoteOwl download sit at 100%?

The percentage follows only the largest part, the on-device AI model. After it reaches 100%, NoteOwl still downloads speech recognition for your dictation language and the part that tells speakers apart in meetings. Wait until it says Model installed — you're ready to go.

How much free space does the NoteOwl model download need?

The download is about 8 GB, so keep around 10 GB free. NoteOwl doesn't check free space before it starts, so make room first.

Does deleting all my data remove the downloaded models?

No. Delete all my data in NoteOwl's Settings erases your recordings, transcripts and memory, but the installed speech and language models stay, so you don't have to download them again.