Start with a conversation.

Will Doppel run on my Mac?

Use an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 15.0 or later. 16 GB of memory is the recommended configuration. The compact Liquid AI model is designed to stay ready on a 16 GB Mac, so you can return to a conversation without loading the assistant from scratch each time.

Memory is different from download size or free disk space. The assistant download is about 2.4 GB; search and speech files add to storage. Free disk space: 20 GB recommended during setup. Other apps, large documents, and background work also use memory; Doppel can release loaded resources when your Mac is under memory pressure.

Open Apple menu → About This Mac to check your chip, memory, and macOS version. The recommendation applies to Apple Silicon Macs; the current download is not an Intel build.

Your first conversation

1. Install and open Doppel. Move Doppel.app into Applications, then open it from there. If Doppel offers to move itself, choose Move to Applications and Relaunch. Keep one installed copy so macOS permissions apply to the copy you use.
2. Start in Chat. A new installation opens directly into the conversation window. There is no setup wizard to complete. Doppel prepares its local assistant in the background; you can write your first message while it gets ready.
3. Try a file you know. Use the plus button in the composer to attach a file, or drag one into Chat. Ask something specific, such as “What decisions are still open in this brief?” Review the answer and any cited source.
4. Choose whether to remember it. An attachment can stay Chat only. When Doppel offers to keep a supported file after the answer, choose Keep in memory to make it available as evidence in later conversations, or Add to project when working in a project.

On a new installation, automatic activity collection and broad folder indexing start off. Attaching a file does not automatically add it to your searchable memory. Existing installations keep their saved choices.

Doppel uses your macOS account name unless you set a different name in Settings → General → Your name. You do not need to enter a name to get started.

If you close the window, choose Open Doppel from Doppel’s menu bar icon to return. You can adjust Dock and menu bar visibility in General.

Remember activity when you choose

Activity memory lets Doppel remember window text and screen snapshots from your work. It is optional; you can continue using Chat with files you add yourself.

1. Choose Set up activity memory in Chat. If you chose Not now, reopen it from Settings → Privacy & sources → Capture & folders, under Activity memory → Set up….
2. Read what will be remembered, then choose Continue. Doppel walks through access for window text and screen snapshots individually.
3. Grant Accessibility for window text and Screen Recording for snapshots if you want those capabilities. Use Skip this permission to continue without that part; what Doppel can remember depends on the access you grant.
4. If Doppel shows Restart Doppel, restart it to apply Screen Recording access. Return to the activity-memory setup to finish checking access.

Use Manage access… in Capture & folders to revisit an enabled setup. Turn off Remember my activity there and choose excluded apps and websites in Privacy & sources → Excluded sources. Turning it off stops future collection; removing stored activity is a separate choice.

Ask from another app

1. Open Settings → Voice & meetings → Anywhere and turn on Enable typing shortcut. It starts off on a new installation.
2. Choose your Keyboard shortcut. Press that modifier twice quickly, on its own, to open Doppel Anywhere while using another app.
3. Type your question. Reading the frontmost window’s text requires Accessibility; a visual snapshot requires Screen Recording. Review these in Privacy & sources → App access.

For speech, open Voice & meetings → Voice. The Push to talk setting shows the keys to hold while speaking; release them to transcribe. Hands-free submit is a separate option that sends speech immediately after transcription instead of letting you review it first.

Choose your permissions

You do not need to grant all permissions to use Doppel. Enable a feature first, then grant the access it needs. Review feature status in Settings → Privacy & sources → App access. macOS permissions alone do not turn every related feature on.

The paths below are in macOS System Settings, separate from Doppel’s Settings. Labels can vary slightly with your macOS version.

For a previously denied request, use Open System Settings when offered. If access belongs to another Doppel copy, quit the extra copy, reopen the one in Applications, and follow the status shown in App access. Restart Doppel when macOS or the app asks you to.

Preparation and searchable files

While Doppel gets ready

Preparing Doppel appears in Chat while the assistant’s files download. The current assistant download is about 2.4 GB; search, speech, and other supporting files add to total disk use and may continue preparing in the background. Keep an internet connection and enough free disk space available.

Use Pause during the assistant download or Resume when it is paused. Finishing preparation and Getting ready to answer mean it is verifying or loading files. A message sent while preparation is underway waits for the assistant; it can continue when preparation succeeds.

If preparation fails, use Retry. The failure’s Details disclosure can help identify the problem. Your request is saved, but after an error you may need to send it again once preparation succeeds.

Add folders for search

1. Open Settings → Privacy & sources → Capture & folders.
2. Choose Only folders I choose for a limited scope, then use Add Folder… under Additional folders.
3. Allow time for supported files to become searchable. Use Check files again beside Searchable files to reevaluate file eligibility. A listed filename does not guarantee the file contains readable text.

Browser History Sync, photo-library indexing, Apple Mail indexing, and Contacts are separate choices in the same pane. You can also connect an account from Settings → Integrations → Add integration. Connecting a service and granting a macOS permission are different steps.

Choose sources from connected tools

Open Settings → Integrations → Manage sources → Add account to remember selected content. This includes Fathom recordings, Granola notes, Asana projects, Obsidian vaults, and selected sources from supported account integrations. Choose the source and its Doppel project, then check coverage and Last complete sync. These source accounts are separate from the primary connections under Add integration.

Fathom, Granola, and Asana use account keys or personal access tokens. Obsidian uses a local folder. Each integration guide explains setup, permissions, and what is imported. Selected-source imports require Pro or the trial.

Find the right setting

Open Doppel’s Settings and select the group in the sidebar, then its tab. You can also search Settings by feature name.

Disk use, retention, and removal

Open Settings → Storage & support → Storage to see total on-device storage and its breakdown. Downloaded AI files, database indexes, and automatically managed captures are counted separately; the managed capture limit is not a limit on all Doppel storage.

• Review individual items: choose Browse… beside Stored data to inspect or remove items saved by Doppel.
• Adjust retention: use Full Screenshots, Thumbnails, and Audio Recordings in Storage. Browser-history retention and source-specific removal controls live in Privacy & sources → Capture & folders.
• Remove recent activity: open Privacy & sources → Data use and choose Delete Last Hour… or Delete Last 24 Hours…. These remove observed activity for that window; your files stay indexed. Review the confirmation before deleting.
• Export your data: use Export All Data… in Storage. The archive includes your library, settings, and managed files, with a restore option. It does not include Keychain credentials or external original files.

Turning off a source stops collection but does not necessarily remove earlier copies. Use its removal control or Stored data when you want to delete saved content. Removing something from Doppel does not generally delete its original from another app or provider.

Changing plans is separate from retention. Cancellation or downgrade does not delete local memory.

What stays local and what uses the network

Doppel does not send automatic usage telemetry. Its built-in AI processes your prompts and work locally. Optional integrations, web search, weather, billing, updates, downloads, and reports you choose to share have their own network boundaries. Weather requests send a place name or coordinates to Open-Meteo; a current-location forecast requires location permission.

Read what stays local and the Privacy policy for data use, service providers, retention, and your choices. The Terms of use cover software and purchase terms.

Plans, limits, and cancellation

30-day Pro trial

No card, account, or automatic charge. When the local assistant and search models are ready. All Pro features; permissions and action approvals still apply.

Automatically continues on Free when the 30-day trial ends. New premium work pauses; admitted work can finish. Saved chats, notes, transcripts, and exports remain accessible. Trial expiry never deletes local memory.

Settings → Plan shows the exact end date. A purchase starts its paid term at checkout; unused trial time does not postpone billing. The trial is saved on this Mac and continues across restarts and reinstalls. If it cannot be checked, unlock your Mac and choose Retry trial check in Plan.

Free · $0

7-day history window and 5 meeting summaries per calendar month. Capture and raw transcripts continue; older history stays on this Mac but remains locked, and meetings beyond the allowance skip generated summaries.

Pro · $96/year or $10/month

No Doppel usage meter for local processing. Manage or cancel directly from Settings → Plan. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the paid term unless Paddle shows otherwise.

Doppel returns to Free limits when the paid term and grace period end. No local memory is deleted. Older history stays on this Mac and unlocks again after renewal.

Apple Calendar and Apple Reminders can be connected on Free. Live calendar and reminder tools in Chat, web search, other account integrations, and approved actions require Pro or an active trial. Free can still search eligible personal memory within its history window.

Doppel does not currently offer bring-your-own-key billing. See the plan comparison for details.

Troubleshooting

I expected a setup screen

Opening directly into Chat is expected on a new installation. There is no wizard to resume. Use the activity-memory setup or Settings for features you want to enable. Reinstalling the app preserves existing settings and local data.

Preparation is paused or fails

Check the status in Chat. Choose Resume if paused or Retry after a failure. Check available disk space and internet access; a managed network may need to permit the download host. Verification and loading can take time after bytes finish downloading. If an error persists, include the error text and your app version when contacting support.

The Anywhere shortcut does nothing

Check that Enable typing shortcut is on in Voice & meetings → Anywhere. Double-tap the selected modifier on its own, not a key combination. Check App access if Doppel reports missing access. The main Chat window remains available.

A file or earlier activity is missing

Check whether the file was kept in memory or its folder was added for search. For screen activity, check when activity memory was enabled, granted permissions, exclusions, and retention. Doppel cannot recover activity it never collected or that you removed.

Send diagnostics

Open Settings → Storage & support → Support and choose Report beside Report Performance Issues. It creates a diagnostic zip and reveals it in Finder. Nothing is uploaded automatically. Review the archive before attaching it to an email to support@doppelapp.ai; diagnostic files can contain technical context you may not want to share.

Before reinstalling or resetting

Replacing Doppel.app and deleting its local data are different operations. Export anything you need from Storage before intentionally removing data. Do not delete Doppel’s Application Support folder to fix setup unless you intend to erase its local memory.