The onboarding wizard — what each step does
The first time you open VoicePad, a setup wizard walks you through configuration. It only runs once, but you can restart it anytime.
**Windows onboarding — 6 steps:**
1. **Welcome screen** — Enter your name. Personalizes the app header ("ALEX'S VOICEPAD AI").
2. **Choose language** — English or German. **This is the most important setting** — it tells Whisper what to expect during transcription.
3. **Choose theme** — Midnight Dark, Light, or Arctic Frost. Changeable later in Settings → Appearance.
4. **Choose model** — Tiny (fast) or Base (recommended). Both pre-installed. Small and Medium downloadable after setup.
5. **Set your hotkey** — Default `Ctrl+Space`. Click Capture and press any combination to change.
6. **Done** — VoicePad opens with both sidebars visible so you see everything at once.
**Android/iOS onboarding — 6 slides:**
1. **Welcome** — "Welcome to VoicePad AI" — tap Continue or Skip
2. **Choose language** — English or German. Sets both UI language and Whisper transcription language.
3. **Choose theme** — Midnight Dark, Light, Arctic Frost
4. **Permissions** — Microphone permission prompt (iOS) or pre-explained on Android
5. **Choose model** — Base pre-installed and recommended. Tiny for older devices.
6. **Ready** — Main screen loads, orange orb glowing, ready to record
**How to restart the wizard:**
- **Windows:** Settings → scroll to footer → **Restart Setup**
- **Mobile:** Settings → scroll to bottom → **Reset Onboarding**
The wizard runs again from the beginning. Useful if you want to change language, theme, or model selection without hunting through individual settings.
For more setup details, see [Help Center → Onboarding](https://voicepad.tech/help/#onboarding).