System Requirements and Installation

memozero computes the full transcription on your own device. Your recordings never leave the device. In return, the speed depends on your hardware, and the requirements are higher than they are for a cloud service. This article names the supported operating systems, the memory you need, and the way from the installer file to the first start.

Supported operating systems

memozero is available for two systems. There is no version for Linux.

Operating system	Requirement
Windows	Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64 bit
macOS	macOS 15 or newer, Apple Silicon (M1 or newer)

Caution: memozero does not support older Macs with an Intel processor. Before you buy, check at the top left of the menu bar, after a click on the Apple logo, under About This Mac, which chip your Mac uses.

What your device should bring along

Item	Minimum	Recommendation
Memory	8 GB	16 GB or more
Graphics	no dedicated graphics card needed	Windows: NVIDIA graphics card, macOS: Apple Silicon
Internet	for the download, the setup, and the license check (see below)	no permanent connection needed

Memory

The memory decides which models you can select. At the start, memozero detects your hardware and hides models that do not run safely on your device.

• Below 8 GB, only the small, economical models remain.
• From 8 GB, the usual selection is available.
• From 12 GB, the models in full accuracy come along.
• From 16 GB, memozero also releases the models with the highest quality.

This check applies to devices that share graphics memory and main memory. An NVIDIA graphics card brings its own memory. There the check does not apply.

Graphics acceleration

Graphics acceleration is not a condition, but it shortens the computing time a lot. memozero selects the way itself, to match the detected hardware.

• Windows with an NVIDIA graphics card: memozero computes with CUDA.
• Windows with graphics from AMD or Intel: memozero computes with Vulkan. Graphics built into the processor also count here.
• macOS with Apple Silicon: memozero computes with Metal.
• Without usable graphics: memozero computes with the processor, but needs more time for this.

Which model fits which hardware, and how strongly this affects this duration, is written in Models and computing power.

Disk space

The space you need has two parts.

1. The program. The installer file stays small. memozero downloads the transcription service only after the installation.
2. The models. They make up the larger part. Which models you need depends on the detected hardware.

The files are on a server, and their size changes. But memozero shows you the number before the download: if a model for a transcription is missing, the notice Download Required appears with the line “Download size”. The download starts only when you click Download & Start.

Keep enough disk space free on the system disk. Models, audio files, and transcripts are all stored locally on your device.

Installation

Windows

1. Download the installer file for Windows from the download page.
2. Start the file with a double click.
3. Confirm the suggested folder, or select a different one.
4. Click Install. memozero installs for your user account. You do not need administrator rights for this.
5. After the installation, memozero starts. Shortcuts are on the desktop and in the start menu.

macOS

1. Download the .dmg file for macOS from the download page.
2. Open the file with a double click.
3. Drag the memozero icon into the Applications folder.
4. Eject the open disk image again.
5. Start memozero from the Applications folder.

The first start

At the first start, memozero shows you a start screen with the logo, the version number, and a status line that changes. Then the greeting “Welcome to memozero” comes with the button Start Setup.

The setup runs in six steps: license, confirmation, a question about how you heard of memozero, the privacy setting, a short wait, and the end. At the top you can switch between German and English. The download already runs in the background during this time.

How the setup runs in detail is written in Welcome to memozero.

Trial and license

For the first start you need an activation code. You find it in the customer portal after you subscribe. Every order starts with a 14 day trial. During this time you use memozero without a limit and free of charge.

Caution: When you subscribe, you give a payment method. After the 14 days, the subscription changes automatically into the paid period; the trial does not end by itself. If you do not want to continue using the app afterwards and do not want to pay, cancel in the customer portal before the 14 days are over.

Some points about this, so that there is no surprise:

• There is one product with two billing periods, monthly or yearly.
• One license applies to exactly one device at a time.
• After the activation, your files, the editor, and the export remain available without internet. Only transcribing requires a valid license, which memozero confirms online from time to time.

How you subscribe, where the invoices are, and how you cancel is written in Subscribe and manage your plan. How you enter the code and move to a different device is written in Activate your license and change device.

Where to go next

• Welcome to memozero takes you through the setup and through the window of the app.
• Models and computing power explains which model works best on your hardware.
• How memozero works shows the way from the audio file to the finished transcript.