The short version: VoxScribe is a free app without a paid code-signing certificate, so Windows has never seen the file before and asks you to confirm. Here is what to click, how to skip the warning completely, how to check the file yourself first, and exactly what the installer changes on your PC.
When you open VoxScribe-Setup.exe, a blue box may say "Windows protected your PC" with only a "Don't run" button.
VoxScribe-Setup.exe and the publisher says Unknown publisher.You only see this once. Updates you install later may show it again, because each new version is a new file to Windows.
Windows SmartScreen trusts a program in one of two ways: it is signed with a certificate that costs hundreds of dollars a year, or enough people have already downloaded that exact file. VoxScribe is free, open source and made by one person, so it has neither yet. The warning says "we don't know this file", not "this file is harmful".
Some antivirus tools are also wary of apps that listen to the keyboard. VoxScribe has to: it watches for your hotkey (F9 by default) and types your words into the window you are using. It does not record what you type, and the code that does this is public.
The warning is attached to files downloaded through a web browser, so installing from a package manager usually avoids it. Open PowerShell or Terminal and run one of these.
winget (built into Windows 10 and 11):
winget install ahmedhmam1994.VoxScribeScoop:
scoop bucket add voxscribe https://github.com/ahmedhmam1994/scoop-voxscribe
scoop install voxscribeBoth check the installer's fingerprint (its SHA-256 hash) before running it, so you get the same file as from the website.
Get-FileHash .\VoxScribe-Setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256| What | Where |
|---|---|
| The app | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\VoxScribe, for your user only |
| Shortcuts | Start menu, plus a desktop shortcut only if you tick the box |
| Your settings and word lists | Your user registry key, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VoxScribe |
| The speech model | Downloaded on first launch to %USERPROFILE%\.cache\huggingface\hub |
| Admin rights | Not needed |
| Services, drivers, startup entries | None |
To remove it: Windows Settings, Apps, VoxScribe, Uninstall. That removes the app and its shortcuts. Your settings and the speech model stay, in case you reinstall; delete the registry key and the model folder above to remove those too.
Yes, when it can be paid for. Signing certificates are a yearly cost, and a free app has to earn that first. Until then this page, the published hashes and the open source code are the way to check it.
Check the hash and the VirusTotal result first. If both look right, restore the file from your antivirus quarantine, or install with winget instead. Please also open a GitHub issue with the antivirus name, so the false alarm can be reported to them.
A little. Android asks you to allow installs from your browser or file manager the first time you open the APK, because it is not from the Play Store. See the Android guide for the steps.
Related guides: Free Voice Dictation Guide, Dictating into any app, Android Voice Typing.
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