Install on macOS

Requirements

• macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon or Intel. The Local MLX engine needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later) and about 5 GB of disk space.
• At least one working engine. The most common is Soniox (needs an API key, ~$0.12/hour). Prefer not to use a key? Choose Local MLX (Apple Silicon) or SenseVoice (any Mac, one-time model download of ~163 MB). See Choose an engine.

Installation steps

1. Download the .dmg file From the release page, choose MiuWave_<ver>_aarch64.dmg for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) or MiuWave_<ver>_x64.dmg for Intel Macs.
2. Drag it to Applications Open the .dmg file, drag MiuWave into the Applications folder, then eject the DMG.
3. Open the app for the first time Open MiuWave from Applications. On first launch the app asks you to choose a translation mode, then a short in-app tour walks you through the main buttons.
4. Grant macOS permissions Turn on the permissions in Required permissions below. Screen recording permission is required to hear system audio.
5. Enter an API key and start Open Cài đặt (Settings, ⌘ ,) → Engine dịch (Translation engine), paste your key and click Test. See Get an API key, then follow Quick start.

Required permissions

Screen & System Audio Recording

1. When macOS asks, click Open System Settings.
2. Find MiuWave in the list and turn the switch on.
3. macOS asks you to Quit & Reopen — click it to reopen the app.

If you use F3 before granting the permission, macOS asks the first time and the app shows the message “Cần quyền Ghi màn hình…” (Screen Recording permission needed) with an Mở cài đặt (Open settings) button. Turn MiuWave on, then reopen the app.

Microphone

macOS asks for microphone access when you start listening from the Mic or Cả hai (Both) source. Choose allow. A Mac mini has no built-in microphone, so plug in an external one (USB, headset, AirPods).

Accessibility for Quick Translate

Quick Translate copies the selected text by sending the copy shortcut to the app in front, so it needs the Accessibility permission. Without it, the Quick Translate window shows “Cho phép MiuWave sao chép chữ đang bôi đen: bật MiuWave trong Trợ năng (Accessibility)” (allow MiuWave to copy selected text: turn MiuWave on in Accessibility) and translates the clipboard contents instead.

Click Mở cài đặt (Open settings) — or go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility — and turn MiuWave on. Your clipboard is restored after each copy.

Get an API key

You only need a key for the engine you plan to use. Keys are stored in the macOS Keychain.

Soniox (recommended)

1. Go to console.soniox.com and create an account.
2. Choose Billing, add a payment method and top up (minimum $10 — about 80 hours at ~$0.12/hour).
3. Choose API Keys → Create API Key and copy the key.
4. In MiuWave: Cài đặt (Settings) → Engine dịch (Translation engine) → the Soniox API Key field; paste the key and click Test.

OpenAI (optional)

1. Go to platform.openai.com and create an account.
2. Settings → Billing: add a payment method and buy credit ($10 ≈ 2.5 hours of OpenAI Realtime).
3. API keys → Create new secret key, and copy the key (it starts with sk-).

Qwen LiveTranslate Flash (optional, free preview)

1. Open bailian.console.alibabacloud.com (Alibaba Cloud Model Studio).
2. Before signing in, choose the Singapore region in the top-right corner. Keys created in another region are rejected and the app reports WebSocket error.
3. Activate Model Studio (DashScope) if prompted, then go to API Keys → Create API Key.
4. Copy the key right away (it is shown in full only once) and paste it into the Qwen (DashScope) API Key field.

Without a key

Local MLX (Apple Silicon) installs its environment and models (~5 GB) the first time you choose it. SenseVoice downloads a ~163 MB model once. See Choose an engine.

Keyboard shortcuts on macOS

Updates

MiuWave checks for new versions on its own. When one is available, a dot appears on the Cài đặt (Settings) button; open Cài đặt → Giới thiệu (About) and click Download & Install. The app restarts with the new version; you don't need to download the DMG again.