Help & support
We're here to help
Something not working, a question about your license, or just unsure about something? Write to us. A real person, the developer of Ghosthand, reads every message and works with you until it's fixed.
ghosthandwriter@gmail.comIt helps if you include your account (on a Mac: this Mac's ID, from ? → Copy this Mac's ID in Ghosthand; in the browser extension: the Google account you sign in with), your app or browser, what you expected and what happened. A screenshot is great.
Using the browser extension? Jump to its quick fixes.
Ghosthand for Mac
Ghosthand for Mac is a native app that types, like a person, into whatever app is in front: Microsoft Word, Pages, Notes, Discord, Google Docs in any browser… It's a separate product from the browser extension, with its own license: 500 free words on each Mac, then $10 once to unlock that Mac. No account needed.
Ghosthand.dmgAlways the latest version · macOS 13 or newer · Apple Silicon and Intel
Download for Mac1. Install it
- Open Ghosthand.dmg from your Downloads. In the window that appears, drag Ghosthand onto Applications, then eject the Ghosthand disk (⏏ in the Finder sidebar).
- Double-click Ghosthand in Applications. The first time, macOS asks whether you want to open an app downloaded from the internet: click Open. Ghosthand is signed and checked by Apple, so that's all. (Downloaded a copy before version 1.2.1 and macOS says it could not verify Ghosthand? Click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to Security and click Open Anyway, or simply download it again.)
2. Allow it to type (one time)
macOS asks before any app can press keys for you. The first time Ghosthand opens, it takes you to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility: turn Ghosthand on. Ghosthand's permission card disappears a second later. That's the only permission it needs: it never reads your keyboard or your screen.
3. Use it
Paste your text, pick a speed and press Start typing. During the 5-second countdown, click in your document where the text should go. A small panel floats in the corner of the screen with Pause, Resume and Stop, and the menu bar shows the progress. Switching to another app pauses typing on the spot, so keys never land in the wrong window; press Resume to carry on.
Quick fixes for Mac
The countdown ends but nothing is typed
Ghosthand isn't allowed in Accessibility yet (see step 2). If the switch is already on, for example after an update, select Ghosthand in the Accessibility list, click −, and turn it on again when Ghosthand asks.
"Ghosthand can't be opened" or "Ghosthand is damaged"
Download Ghosthand again (version 1.2.1 and newer are checked by Apple), or use Open Anyway in System Settings → Privacy & Security. If macOS still says it's damaged, run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Ghosthand.app in Terminal, then open it again.
It keeps pausing, or says "Click into … to continue"
Something else took the focus: a popup, a notification you clicked, another app. Click back into your document (it continues by itself) or press Resume.
I paid, but it still says "Unlock this Mac"
Click ? → Already paid? Check again. Still locked? Email us with the email address on your Stripe receipt and this Mac's ID (? → Copy this Mac's ID), and we'll unlock it by hand.
"You've used your 500 free words" on my Mac
The free trial is over for this Mac. Press Unlock this Mac · $10, pay in your browser, and Ghosthand unlocks by itself a few seconds later. A license for the browser extension doesn't unlock the Mac app, and the other way round.
"Ghosthand checks its license online at least once a week"
Ghosthand works offline for up to a week after it last reached our license server. Connect to the internet and press Start typing again: it checks in a second and carries on.
"Ghosthand couldn't verify its license server's answer"
Something between your Mac and our server changed the answer, usually a VPN, a proxy or a network filter (school and office networks often have one). Try again without it, or on another network.
How do I update it?
Ghosthand 1.2 and newer update themselves: once a day they check for a new version, download it in the background and install it when you quit Ghosthand. To turn that off, switch off Update automatically in the Updates card at the bottom of the window; to check right away, click Check for updates there (also in the Ghosthand menu). After an update, macOS asks for the Accessibility switch again: turn Ghosthand back on in the same place.
On version 1.1 or older, install the new version once by hand: download Ghosthand.dmg again and drag Ghosthand onto Applications (choose Replace).
Can I use it on my other Mac?
Yes: install it there the same way. The license belongs to each Mac, so the other Mac gets its own 500 free words and needs its own license.
Quick fixes: browser extension (Chrome, Brave, Opera)
I paid, but Ghosthand still says "Free trial"
Open the Ghosthand panel and press Check now under the Unlock button. It usually unlocks within a few seconds. Make sure the panel is signed in with the same Google account you paid from (the "?" button at the top shows which account is signed in). Still locked? Email us with the email address on your Stripe receipt and we'll unlock it by hand.
Nothing gets typed
Click inside your document (the cursor should blink where the text goes) during the countdown, then press Start again. Increase the start delay next to the Start button if you need more time.
Typing stopped by itself
The Cancel button on Chrome's yellow "started debugging this browser" bar pauses Ghosthand, because that bar is how Chrome lets it send real keystrokes. Press Resume in the panel and it carries on exactly where it stopped.
"You've used your 500 free words"
The free trial is over for this Google account. Press Unlock lifetime · $10 in the panel; after paying, press Resume and your text continues from where it paused.
Google sign-in doesn't work
School or work Google accounts sometimes block third-party apps. Try a personal Google account. If the panel says your sign-in expired, press Sign in again.
"Couldn't reach Ghosthand's server"
Check your internet connection and try again. Once you've unlocked Ghosthand, it keeps working through short outages.
The text went to the wrong place
Ghosthand types wherever the cursor is in that tab. Pause, click exactly where the text should continue, then Resume.
How do I install it on another computer?
Install Ghosthand there from the Chrome Web Store (see Get Ghosthand), open the panel and sign in with the same Google account. Your license is already there.