Export and Settings

This page covers the final stage of the workflow: exporting finished transcripts, doing final speaker/version checks, locating the settings areas that matter most, and knowing where support surfaces such as Dashboard, Diagnostics, Backup & Restore, Automation, and notifications live.

Export a finished transcript

Before exporting, open Speaker Review from the transcript header if speaker labels matter for your delivery or review process. For saved non-draft transcripts, open Version Snapshots first if you need to recover selected rows or revert a bulk rewrite.

1. Click the Export button in the header.
2. In the Export Transcript modal, enter a Filename.
3. Choose an Export Directory.
4. Pick an output format: SubRip (.srt), WebVTT (.vtt), JSON (.json), Plain Text (.txt), or Markdown (.md).
5. Choose an export mode: Original, Translation, or Bilingual.
6. Click Export.
7. Use Copy to Clipboard when you want the same selected mode as plain text without writing a file.

What export gives you

• Sona writes the transcript to the selected path and format.
• Markdown (.md) preserves speaker labels as bold labels and keeps the transcript readable in Markdown editors.
• If translation text exists, you can export translated-only or bilingual output.
• Copy to Clipboard uses the selected export mode and copies plain text from final segments.
• Translation and Bilingual only appear when at least one segment already contains translation text.

When to go back to Workspace

• If you want to reopen, rename, move, or sort saved recordings and imports, go back to Workspace, Projects, and Inbox.
• Workspace is also where project context and Inbox organization live now.

Settings areas worth learning first

• Settings > Dashboard: global content overview, speaker coverage, and LLM usage trends
• Settings > General: theme, app language, font, tray behavior, update checks, plus Diagnostics and Backup & Restore
• Settings > Input Device: microphone selection, system audio selection, microphone boost, mute during recording
• Settings > Subtitle Settings: floating caption behavior; if you mainly came for Live Caption or Voice Typing, continue to Live Caption and Voice Typing
• Settings > Voice Typing: turn on Voice Typing, assign its global shortcut, choose Push to Talk (Hold) or Toggle (Press once), and check readiness
• Settings > Model Settings: Live Record Model, Batch Import Model, Transcription Settings, ITN, VAD Buffer Size, Max Concurrent Transcriptions, Restore Default Settings, and downloadable recognition, punctuation, speaker, and VAD models
• Settings > Vocabulary: Text Replacement, Hotwords, polish keyword sets, polish context presets, summary templates, and Speaker Profiles; the concrete tuning use cases live in Vocabulary and Advanced Settings
• Settings > Automation: watched-folder rules that can transcribe, polish, translate, and export new media while Sona is running
• Settings > API Server: local HTTP API host, port, optional API key, IP allowlist, server limits, and server-level transcription defaults
• Settings > LLM Service: feature model bindings, reasoning options, and provider credentials; use AI Polish and Translate for polish/translation and AI Summary for summaries
• Settings > Shortcuts: live recording, playback, search, workspace navigation, and editor shortcuts
• Settings > About: source code, logs, and update-related actions

Diagnostics, backup, and notifications

• In Settings > General, use Diagnostics to inspect the local transcription chain, runtime readiness, and packaging environment.
• In the same page, use Backup & Restore to export or import a light archive of config, workspace, light history transcripts and summaries, automation state, and dashboard LLM usage.
• Light backup archives restore text history and summaries, but not original audio files. Restored entries may reopen for reading and editing without playback.
• WebDAV Cloud Sync lives inside Backup & Restore. It stores credentials locally on this device and helps you upload or restore backup archives manually.
• Use the header notification center when Sona surfaces update actions, Recovery Center, or automation results.

If you mainly came for an extension capability

• Need a transcript-side recap: AI Summary
• Need floating captions or dictation in another app: Live Caption and Voice Typing
• Need watched-folder processing or export automation: start from Settings > Automation on this page
• Need Hotwords, Text Replacement, Speaker Profiles, Auto-Polish, or custom context tuning: Vocabulary and Advanced Settings

Useful notes

• This page is intentionally not a full settings manual. It is here to point you at the right next page.
• If you are troubleshooting rather than exporting, go straight to FAQ and Troubleshooting.