# Getting started

Setting up BlinkWrite takes about a minute. After you install and launch the
app, a setup guide walks you through everything: granting two permissions,
finishing setup, and signing in.

## 1. Check the requirements

- **macOS 26 or later**
- A **Mac with Apple silicon**

## 2. Download and install

1. Download BlinkWrite from the website.
2. Open the downloaded file and drag BlinkWrite into your **Applications** folder.
3. Launch BlinkWrite. A **setup window opens automatically**. Just follow it to
   finish getting set up.

## 3. Follow the setup guide

When you first launch BlinkWrite, a **welcome window** appears and guides you
through the remaining steps. Click **Get started** and complete each one:

### Grant Accessibility

BlinkWrite reads your active chat to give accurate suggestions. It never types
or sends anything on its own. Click **Open System Settings** and turn BlinkWrite
on under **Privacy & Security → Accessibility**.

### Grant Screen Recording

Some apps don't share their text with BlinkWrite directly; screen access lets it
read those threads. Click **Open System Settings** and turn BlinkWrite on under
**Privacy & Security → Screen Recording**. After you grant this, **BlinkWrite
restarts** to apply it.

> BlinkWrite uses these permissions only to read the text you're working with,
> not to monitor your screen or track your activity. See
> [Privacy & security](/docs/privacy-and-security).

### Setting up

BlinkWrite finishes setting itself up on your Mac. This happens automatically
and only takes a moment; when it reaches 100%, click **Continue**.

### Sign in

BlinkWrite needs an account to work. Choose **Sign up** to start your free trial
or **Log in** if you already have an account. This opens in your browser; once
you finish there, the app continues automatically.

Everyone can start on **Free**, with no payment card required. A Pro trial is a separate choice. See
[Billing & plans](/docs/billing-and-plans).

### You're all set

BlinkWrite confirms setup is complete and starts running. Click **Finish** to
close the guide.

From now on, BlinkWrite lives in the **menu bar**, not in the Dock. Here's
where to look:

![Where to find BlinkWrite on macOS: the menu bar runs along the top of the screen. BlinkWrite's eye icon is highlighted on the right, among the status icons.](/docs/images/menu-bar-guide.svg)

The menu bar is the strip at the **very top of your screen**. On the **left**:
the Apple menu and app menus. On the **right**: status icons (Wi-Fi, battery,
the clock, and others). **BlinkWrite** is the small eye icon
![BlinkWrite eye icon](/docs/images/blinkwrite-icon.svg) on the right (highlighted
above). Click it to open the menu.

From that menu you can:

- Open **Settings**
- **Pause** or resume BlinkWrite for the current app, or across your whole system
- Check your account and subscription

## 5. Automatic updates

When **automatic updates** are enabled, BlinkWrite keeps itself up to date in
the background. You don't need to download new versions manually.

To turn this on or off, click **BlinkWrite's eye icon** in the menu bar (top
right of your screen), open **Settings**, and use the automatic updates toggle.

## 6. Start writing

Open any app and start typing. BlinkWrite works everywhere you write.
Suggestions appear automatically in a **floating popup** next to where you're
writing. Press **Tab** to accept, or keep typing to ignore.

If nothing appears, check [Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting).

To rewrite your current paragraph, double-tap **Tab**. Choose **Shorten**,
**Improve**, **Formal**, **Friendly**, or **Custom** below the result.
The shortcuts are **Shift + 1** through **Shift + 5**, in that order.
Custom opens an instruction field below the modes. Type your instructions in that field.
Press **Enter** to request the rewrite.
See [the rephrasing guide](/docs/suggestions#4-rephrasing) for examples.

## Next steps

- [Suggestion types](/docs/suggestions)
- [Controls & shortcuts](/docs/controls-and-shortcuts)