How to install Samsara

You have downloaded a ZIP file. This page takes you from that file to Samsara running on your computer. There is a picture for every step.

The pictures were taken with v0.30.0-beta.1. The steps are the same for any Samsara ZIP — only the version number in the file name changes.

  1. Find the file you downloaded

    The file is called Samsara-Windows-v0.30.0-beta.1.zip. It is about 570 MB.

    Two ways to get to it:

    • Open File Explorer and click Downloads in the list on the left.
    • Or, in the browser you downloaded with, click the download button near the top right, then Show in folder.
    A File Explorer window open at the Downloads folder. One file is listed, Samsara-Windows-v0.30.0-beta.1.zip, 574,501 KB, and it is outlined to show which file to use.
    The downloaded ZIP in File Explorer. Click it once to select it.

  2. Unpack the ZIP

    A ZIP is a box. Samsara will not run until you take it out of the box.

    Click the file once to select it, then use whichever of these suits you:

    • Click Extract all in the bar along the top of the window.
    • Or right-click the file and choose Extract All… — on Windows 11 you may need Show more options first.
    • Or, without a mouse: select the file and press Shift + F10 (or the Menu key), then choose Extract All….

    A window opens asking where to put the files. The folder it suggests is fine. Click Extract.

    The Windows dialog titled Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders. It shows the destination folder in a text box with a Browse button, a ticked checkbox reading Show extracted files when complete, and Extract and Cancel buttons at the bottom.
    Leave the folder as it is and click Extract. Unpacking takes a minute or two.

    Do not run Samsara straight from the ZIP window. If you double-click the ZIP you can see Samsara.exe inside it, and opening it from there looks like it should work. It will not. Samsara.exe needs the _internal folder next to it — 7,740 more files, 1.4 GB unpacked — and opening it from inside the ZIP copies only that one file somewhere temporary, without them. Extract first, then run it from the extracted folder.

  3. Open Samsara.exe

    When extracting finishes, a folder opens containing Samsara.exe and a folder called _internal. Leave _internal alone — Samsara needs it.

    Double-click Samsara.exe.

    A File Explorer window open at the extracted folder Samsara-Windows-v0.30.0-beta.1. Samsara.exe is listed and outlined, with the _internal folder beside it.
    The extracted folder. Double-click Samsara.exe.

  4. Get past the Windows warning

    Windows will probably show a blue box saying “Windows protected your PC”. This is expected.

    Click More info, then click Run anyway.

    Why it appears: Samsara is not code-signed. A code-signing certificate is a paid yearly subscription, and Samsara is free software funded by one person. Windows shows this box for every app that has not bought one, whatever the app does.

    A diagram of the first Windows SmartScreen panel. It is blue and reads Windows protected your PC, with a More info link and a Don't run button.
    This one is a drawing, not a screenshot. SmartScreen is switched off on the machine these pictures were taken on, so there was no real dialog to photograph, and we do not fake screenshots. The wording and the buttons are the ones you will see.
    A diagram of the expanded Windows SmartScreen panel. It lists App, Samsara.exe, and Publisher, Unknown publisher, with a Run anyway button.
    After More info, check that the app is Samsara, then click Run anyway.

  5. Work through setup

    The first time Samsara runs it asks you seven short questions. Every answer can be changed later in Settings, so do not worry about getting them right now.

    Step 1 — Welcome

    A list of what is coming. Click Next.

    Samsara Setup, step 1 of 7, Welcome to Samsara. It lists the five things setup will ask about: how you will use Samsara, your microphone, optional components, speech recognition quality, and keyboard shortcuts. A Next button sits at the bottom right.

    Step 2 — How will you use Samsara?

    Pick the description that fits you best. It sets sensible starting options; it does not lock anything.

    Samsara Setup, step 2 of 7, How Will You Use Samsara? A list of usage profiles to choose between, each with a short description, and Back and Next buttons.

    Step 3 — Select your microphone

    Choose your microphone from the list, then speak. The Input Level bar should move. If it does not, pick a different microphone and try again.

    Samsara Setup, step 3 of 7, Select Your Microphone. A dropdown showing the chosen microphone with a Refresh button, an Input Level meter beneath it, and the instruction Speak to test your microphone.

    Step 4 — Optional components

    Extras you can add now or later. Skipping them all is fine.

    Samsara Setup, step 4 of 7, Optional Components. A list of optional extras that can be installed now or added later from Settings.

    Step 5 — Recognition quality

    Bigger models are more accurate and slower. Balanced is the default and is a good starting point.

    Samsara Setup, step 5 of 7, Choose Recognition Quality. A list of speech model options trading accuracy against speed, with Balanced selected.

    Step 6 — Shortcuts and wake word

    The keys you will press to talk. The defaults are Ctrl + Shift to dictate and Ctrl + Alt + D for continuous mode. If a key combination is already used by something else on your computer, change it here.

    Samsara Setup, step 6 of 7, Shortcuts and Wake Word. Fields for the record shortcut, the continuous shortcut, the wake word key and the wake phrase, each editable.

    Step 7 — Done

    A summary of what you chose. Click Start Samsara.

    Samsara Setup, step 7 of 7, Setup Complete. A summary listing the microphone, model, record shortcut Ctrl+Shift, continuous shortcut Ctrl+Alt+D, wake word key Ctrl+Alt+W and wake phrase jarvis, with a Start Samsara button.

    The speech model downloads the first time you use it. The first sentence you dictate may take longer than the ones after it.

  6. Put it on your desktop (optional)

    Samsara runs from the folder you extracted. If you would rather not go looking for that folder every time, make a shortcut:

    • Right-click Samsara.exe.
    • On Windows 11, click Show more options.
    • Choose Send to, then Desktop (create shortcut).

    Do not move Samsara.exe itself out of the folder — it needs the _internal folder beside it. The shortcut is a pointer; the program stays where it is.

Stuck?

Nothing here is a silly question. If a step did not go the way this page says it would, the support page lists the things that most often go wrong and how to get in touch.

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