> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vowen.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Permissions

> What each system permission is for, how to grant it, and what breaks without it.

<div style={{ marginTop: "-1rem" }}>
  See how permissions are handled on [macOS](#macos-permissions) or [Windows](#windows-permissions).
</div>

## macOS Permissions

Vowen uses four macOS permissions. Two are required, two are optional.

### Microphone (required)

**Why:** to record your voice for transcription.

**How to grant:**

1. When prompted during setup, click "Allow"
2. Or go to **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone** and enable Vowen

Without it, nothing records. The setup flow will not let you past the permissions step until this is granted.

### Accessibility (required)

**Why:** Vowen uses Accessibility to:

* Detect global keyboard shortcuts, so they work in any app
* Paste transcribed text into the focused input field
* Read selected text for Command Mode context
* Read the focused window's text for "Pass screen as context", if you turn that on

**How to grant:**

1. When prompted, click "Open System Settings"
2. In **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility**, toggle Vowen on
3. You may need to unlock the settings with your password

<Warning>
  If you grant Accessibility but shortcuts still don't work, try removing Vowen from the list, then re-adding it. Restart the app after granting this permission.
</Warning>

### Screen Recording (optional)

**Why:** this one covers more than meetings. Vowen uses Screen Recording for four things.

* **Meeting Notes**: capturing system audio from Zoom, Teams, Meet, and anything else producing sound
* **Command Mode screenshots**: attaching an image of your display to an AI request
* **Region capture**: the drag-to-select overlay for Command Mode context
* **Meeting screenshots on Windows**: periodic captures saved alongside a meeting note

**How to grant:**

1. Go to **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording**
2. Toggle Vowen on

<Tip>You can skip this permission entirely if you use none of those features. Vowen never captures your screen without an explicit action from you: starting a meeting note, running Command Mode with screenshots enabled, or dragging a capture region.</Tip>

See [Privacy and data](/get-started/privacy) for exactly what each of those sends and where.

### Automation / Apple Events (optional)

**Why:** Vowen asks System Events which app is in front, and what its window is called. That is how [Tones](/ai-features/tones) apply a different writing style per app, and how voice shortcuts and app-specific behavior know where you are.

**How to grant:**

1. macOS prompts the first time Vowen needs it, usually the first time a per-app feature runs. Click "OK"
2. Or go to **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation**, find Vowen, and enable **System Events**

<Warning>
  Denying this one fails quietly. Nothing shows an error. Per-app tones stop matching and app-aware behavior falls back to defaults, because Vowen can no longer tell which app you are typing into. If per-app tones stopped working for no visible reason, check this list first.
</Warning>

### What Vowen does not ask for

**Input Monitoring is not requested.** Vowen's keyboard hook works through Accessibility. It never calls the Input Monitoring APIs, so Vowen will not appear in that list and you do not need to add it there.

## Windows Permissions

Windows handles Vowen's permissions itself. There are no manual steps for:

* **Microphone access**: granted on first use through the standard Windows prompt. If you previously denied it, re-enable Vowen under **Windows Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone**
* **Keyboard input monitoring**: no special permission required
* **System audio capture**: handled by the OS

The setup flow still has a permissions step on Windows, but it only gates on the microphone.

## Checking permission status

**Settings > Permissions** shows a live status for each permission, with a button beside each one that opens the right pane of System Settings. Vowen re-checks every 30 seconds, so you can leave the section open while you flip a toggle and watch it turn green.

<Frame caption="Each permission shows its live state. Anything not yet granted swaps the green Granted badge for a button that opens the matching pane of System Settings.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/vowen/ITmCJz6YkE9-_Kui/images/app/settings-permissions.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ITmCJz6YkE9-_Kui&q=85&s=c72700d534380dd31f9bc641998deeba" alt="The Permissions section of Vowen Settings, listing Microphone Access, Accessibility and Screen Recording, each with a green Granted badge on the right" width="2016" height="1280" data-path="images/app/settings-permissions.png" />
</Frame>

<Note>The Permissions section is deliberately left out of the settings search. These are system grants rather than settings, so they never turn up in results. Click **Permissions** in the settings sidebar to get to them.</Note>

## The permissions banner

If a required permission goes missing after setup, a floating banner appears with a **Configure** button that takes you straight to the Permissions section.

Dismissing the banner hides it **for 24 hours**. It comes back after that if the permission is still missing. Granting the permission removes it for good.

***

Have a permissions question that isn't answered here? See the [Permissions troubleshooting](/troubleshooting/permissions) page or the [FAQ](/faq#permissions).


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