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App Not Starting

Symptom​

You double-click TalkWriter but nothing happens, or the app crashes immediately after opening. You may see a macOS error dialog.

Quick Fix​

Right-click TalkWriter in your Applications folder, click Open, then click Open again in the confirmation dialog.

Step-by-Step Diagnostic​

✅ Step 1: Check macOS Version​

TalkWriter requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or later.

  1. Click the Apple menu → About This Mac
  2. Check your macOS version number
  3. If you are on macOS 12 or earlier, update to macOS 13+

✅ Step 2: Clear Quarantine Flag​

macOS may block apps downloaded from the internet:

  1. Open Finder and go to your Applications folder
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) TalkWriter
  3. Click Open from the context menu
  4. In the dialog that appears, click Open again
  5. This tells macOS you trust this app

If that does not work, clear the quarantine flag via Terminal:

  1. Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal)
  2. Run: xattr -cr /Applications/TalkWriter.app
  3. Try opening TalkWriter again

✅ Step 3: Check Activity Monitor​

TalkWriter may be running but not showing a window:

  1. Open Activity Monitor (Applications → Utilities → Activity Monitor)
  2. Search for "TalkWriter" in the search bar
  3. If it appears, select it and click the X button to force quit
  4. Try opening TalkWriter again

✅ Step 4: Check for Corrupted Preferences​

Bad preferences can prevent launch:

  1. Open Finder
  2. Press Cmd+Shift+G and go to: ~/Library/Application Support/TalkWriter
  3. Move the entire TalkWriter folder to your Desktop (as a backup)
  4. Open TalkWriter — it will create fresh preferences
  5. If it works, the old preferences were corrupted. Sign in again and reconfigure your settings.

✅ Step 5: Reinstall TalkWriter​

If nothing else works:

  1. Drag TalkWriter to the Trash from your Applications folder
  2. Empty the Trash
  3. Download the latest version from talkwriter.ai/download
  4. Install and open

See the full Reinstalling guide for a complete clean install.

Still Not Working?​

FAQ​

Why does macOS say TalkWriter is "damaged"? This usually means the quarantine flag is set. Follow Step 2 above to clear it.

Does TalkWriter work on Intel Macs? Yes. TalkWriter runs natively on both Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel Macs with macOS 13+.

The app opens but the menu bar icon does not appear? Check if your menu bar is full. TalkWriter's icon may be hidden behind the notch on newer MacBooks. Try closing other menu bar apps.