What you need
- A PC with Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Sopycat does not run on Mac or Linux.
- A screen at least 1080 pixels wide. That is the smallest the Sopycat window can be.
- About about 145 MB for the download, plus room for the app and your library.
- A microphone, only if you want to talk while you record.
Some extras are optional downloads you choose in Settings later. They need more space:
| Extra | What it is for | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Smarter writing, on this computer | Better-written steps without sending anything online | 2.6 to 5.5 GB, and 6 to 12 GB of memory |
| Voice transcription | Writing down what you say while recording | About 157 to 497 MB |
| Office pack | Opening and converting Excel, PowerPoint and older Word files | About 350 MB |
Install Sopycat
- Download the installer from the download page. It is called Sopycat-Setup-2.4.4.exe (the number is the version).
- Double-click the file in your Downloads folder.
- Sopycat installs and opens by itself. There are no questions to answer.
The installer puts Sopycat in your own Windows account, so you do not need an administrator password. It adds a Start menu shortcut and a desktop shortcut. If several people share one PC with their own Windows sign-ins, each of them installs Sopycat for themselves.
If Windows says "Windows protected your PC"
Windows sometimes shows this blue SmartScreen message for an app it has not seen often. If you downloaded the installer from the Sopycat website and it appears, click More info, then Run anyway.
Only do this for an installer you downloaded yourself from the Sopycat download page. If a file came from anywhere else, delete it and download a fresh copy.
Opening files with Sopycat
The installer offers Sopycat for PDF, Word, text and a few other file types, and adds it to Open with when you right-click a picture, Excel or PowerPoint file. Windows keeps your current default app. To make Sopycat the default for PDFs, for example, go to Windows Settings › Apps › Default apps, or right-click a PDF › Open with › Choose another app. Sopycat has no setting of its own for this.
How updates arrive
Settings › Updates
With Check for updates automatically ticked (the default), Sopycat checks shortly after it starts and every few hours while it is open. A new version downloads quietly in the background and installs the next time you close the app.
To check yourself, press Check now. The status line tells you what it found:
- You have the latest version, with the time it checked.
- Version X is available and downloading. A percentage shows progress.
- Version X is ready. Press Restart to update to X to install it now instead of waiting.
- Could not check, usually because you are offline. Try again later.
The version you have is shown at the top of Settings, as "Sopycat" and a number.
In regulated-office mode, automatic checks are switched off and you check by hand with Check now. See regulated-office mode.
Uninstall Sopycat
- Open Windows Settings › Apps › Installed apps.
- Find Sopycat in the list.
- Choose Uninstall and confirm.
This removes the app and its Open with entries.
What uninstalling keeps
Your library folder is not deleted. Every manual, document, record and folder stays where it is, as ordinary files. If you install Sopycat again, or on another PC, point it at the same folder and everything is back. See Where your files live.
Sopycat's own settings folder, with your preferences and any extras you downloaded, is normally left behind too. It sits in your Windows AppData folder, in a folder named Sopycat. You can delete it by hand if you want to remove every trace.
If you are giving the PC away or clearing it out, remember the library folder is still there. Make a backup first if you need it, then delete the folder yourself.
Questions about your key or plan are answered in Buying and your key.
Didn't find it? Search every page, or ask us.