Install · about two minutes

Getting Yena onto your Mac.

macOS will ask you once to confirm you meant to open Yena. Here is the whole sequence, including that part.

  1. / 01

    Download

    Click Download for macOS on the homepage. The file is Yena.dmg, about 5 MB. Safari drops it in Downloads quietly; Chrome shows it in the downloads bubble at the top right.

    Chrome sometimes adds "Yena.dmg is not commonly downloaded" for new apps. Click the three dots on that line, then Keep.

  2. / 02

    Open the disk image

    Double-click Yena.dmg. A small window opens with Yena and an Applications folder. Drag Yena onto Applications, then eject the disk image.

  3. / 03

    Open it once, and let macOS object

    Open Yena from Applications. On the first launch you will see something like:

    "Yena" Not Opened Apple could not verify "Yena" is free of malware that may harm your Mac or compromise your privacy. done · move to trash

    Click Done. Not Move to Trash. This is Apple's standard message for an app that hasn't been through its notarization service yet. The source code is on GitHub if you would like to read it first.

  4. / 04

    Open Anyway

    Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the Security section. You will see a line saying Yena was blocked, with an Open Anyway button. Click it, confirm with your password or Touch ID, then click Open in the dialog that follows.

    macOS remembers this. You will not be asked again for this version.

    On macOS 14 Sonoma there is a shortcut: right-click Yena in Applications, choose Open, then click Open in the dialog. macOS 15 and later removed that shortcut, so use the Settings route above.

  5. / 05

    Two permissions

    Microphone: macOS asks the first time you hold fn. Click Allow.

    Accessibility: this is how Yena types into other apps. macOS sends you to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Turn on the switch next to Yena. If Yena is not in the list, click + and pick it from Applications.

  6. / 06

    Hold fn. Say the thing. Release.

    Yena lives in the menu bar. Click into any text field, hold fn, talk, let go. The first time, it downloads the speech model (about 600 MB, once). After that it works offline.

    Changed your mind mid-sentence? Press esc while still holding fn and nothing is typed.

If something is off

Nothing happens when I hold fn. Check Accessibility is on for Yena (step 05), then quit and reopen Yena from the menu bar.

fn keeps opening the emoji picker. System Settings → Keyboard → "Press fn key to" → set to Do Nothing.

The download opened a web page instead of a file. Your browser cached an old response. Open the homepage in a private window and click Download again.

Anything else: hello@openyena.com.