Getting Started | Toro — Setup Guide for Testers

Windows SmartScreen Pop-up

Important — Please read before running Toro

When you run Toro.exe for the first time, Windows may display a blue "Windows protected your PC" pop-up. This is called Windows SmartScreen and it appears for any new application that hasn't been widely installed yet.

Toro is 100% safe. It has been built and tested by our development team and is trusted by our community of testers. No data is collected, stored, or sent anywhere beyond the AI transcription service.

1 When the blue pop-up appears, click "More info" at the bottom of the dialog.

2 A new button will appear — click "Run anyway" to launch Toro.

3 This prompt will only appear once. Future launches will start normally.

Trusted & tested · No data collection · Verified safe

Startup Behavior — What to Expect

Toro does not have a front-end window or GUI yet — it is a background utility that runs in your system tray. Because of this, Windows will not show a startup notification when you launch the app.

After double-clicking Toro.exe, the app takes approximately 2–3 seconds to initialize. Once ready, the Toro icon will quietly appear in your system tray (the small icon area near the clock on your taskbar).

If you don't see it immediately, click the ▲ (up arrow) on your taskbar to reveal hidden icons — Toro will be there.

Tip: You can pin Toro to your visible taskbar tray by dragging the icon out of the hidden icons area for quick access.

How to Use Toro

1 Place your cursor in any text field — Word, Slack, browser, VS Code, email, or any other app where you can type.

2 Press and hold Ctrl + Space. You will hear a subtle start sound confirming that recording has begun.

3 Speak naturally — say what you want to type. Don't worry about punctuation, capitalization, or filler words. Toro handles all of that.

4 Release the keys. You'll hear a stop sound, and within ~2 seconds, your formatted text is automatically pasted at your cursor.

AI Correction Modes

Toro offers three AI correction modes. You can switch between them by right-clicking the Toro icon in your system tray and selecting Modes. Each mode balances speed, accuracy, and daily usage limits differently.

⚡ Fast

Quickest response time — great for wide usecase, Recommended for most users.

50 requests / day

⚖️ Balanced

Best mix of speed and formatting quality.

20 requests / day

🎯 Accurate

Highest formatting precision — best for technical writing and documentation.

10 requests / day

Daily Usage Limits

Mode	Daily Limit
⚡ Fast	50 requests
⚖️ Balanced	20 requests
🎯 Accurate	10 requests

Limits reset every 24 hours. If you hit the cap on one tier, switch to a higher-limit mode to keep working.

Pro Tip: If you are running into errors or getting rate-limited, switch to the Fast model — it has 50 requests/day and will keep you productive while limits reset on the other tiers.

Troubleshooting

Nothing happens after I press Ctrl + Space

Make sure Toro is running — check for the icon in your system tray (click the ▲ arrow on the taskbar to reveal hidden icons). If the icon is not there, double-click Toro.exe again and wait 2–3 seconds. Also ensure no other application is using the Ctrl + Space shortcut.

I'm getting errors or the text isn't appearing

This can happen if you've hit the usage limit for your current AI model tier. Right-click the Toro tray icon, go to Models, and switch to Fast mode. The Fast tier has the highest request allowance and should resolve the issue immediately.

The text gets pasted in the wrong place

Toro pastes text at your current cursor position. Make sure your cursor is focused in the correct text field before pressing Ctrl + Space. Avoid clicking elsewhere while recording. Also note: your formatted text is always saved to your clipboard, so you can press Ctrl + V to paste it wherever you need.

The text didn't paste — where did it go?

Don't worry — your text is not lost. Toro always copies the formatted text to your clipboard. Simply press Ctrl + V in any text field to paste it. This also means you can reuse the same text multiple times by pasting again.

How do I quit or exit Toro?

Right-click the Toro icon in your system tray and select "Quit Toro". This will gracefully shut down all background processes.

Can I change the keyboard shortcut?

Currently, the keyboard shortcut is fixed to Ctrl + Space. Custom hotkey configuration will be available in a future release.

Quick Recap

SmartScreen: Click "More info" → "Run anyway". It's safe.

No window on startup: Toro runs silently in your system tray.

Shortcut: Hold Ctrl + Space, speak, release.

Model switch: Right-click tray icon → Models → choose tier.

Errors? Switch to Fast model for the highest usage limit.

Clipboard backup: Text is always saved to clipboard — press Ctrl + V to paste anytime.