# DuckyHelper for Mac

Canonical: https://duckyhelper.com/for/mac/
Updated: 2026-10-01

DuckyHelper is a menu bar app for Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Press fn in any app and a small pill listens; Ducky sees your screen, answers out loud and draws on your real screen to show you. It runs tutorials inside your own apps, coaches your typing at the caret, and clicks along with you when you allow it. Get it from the download page; updates install themselves.

## Will it run on my Mac?

| Check | Needed |
| --- | --- |
| Chip | Apple silicon: M1 or later. Intel Macs are not supported. |
| macOS | macOS 14 Sonoma or later |
| Microphone | Built in or plugged in |
| Internet | Yes, Ducky's voice and thinking run online |

To check: Apple menu > About This Mac shows your chip and your macOS version.

## Setup in five minutes

1. Get the DMG from the [download page](https://duckyhelper.com/download/) (about 14 MB), open it and drag Ducky onto Applications. (Opened it from the download window? Ducky offers to move itself: click Move.)
2. Open DuckyHelper. macOS asks about an app from the internet: click Open.
3. Sign in. A welcome window walks you through four permissions, with a helper that shows where to drag Ducky in System Settings.
4. Press fn. The pill springs up at the bottom of the screen. Ask something about what's on your screen.

**The four permissions**

| Permission | Why |
| --- | --- |
| Microphone | Hear you when you talk to Ducky |
| Screen Recording | See what you are looking at |
| Accessibility | Follow your clicks and typing in tutorials, and click or type when it shows you |
| Input Monitoring | The fn key, from any app |

## What only the Mac app does

The same tutor also works in any browser at [app.duckyhelper.com](https://app.duckyhelper.com), with the same account and plan. The browser has talking, quizzes, tests, worked steps, graphs, pictures, the whiteboard, memory and the dashboard. These are the Mac app's own:

- **fn from anywhere.** Press fn in any app to talk; press it again to put Ducky away. Hold fn + cmd and move the mouse to point with a glowing trail.
- **Draws on your real screen.** Circles, arrows, boxes, highlights, labels and handwritten lines over any app, one mark at a time. The pointer lands on its target in about 1.3 to 1.8 seconds.
- **Tutorials in your own apps.** Ducky points where to click and moves on only when you really did the step.
- **Typing coach.** Ghost letters at your caret in the real text box of any app, including a code editor or Terminal.
- **Clicks along with you.** With Accessibility on, Ducky can click, type, scroll or drag to show you, saying what it's doing first. Never in a password field, never to submit, pay, send or delete.
- **Runs code on your Mac.** Your Python, JavaScript or TypeScript runs against tests in a sandbox with no internet.
- **iMessage drafts.** Ducky can draft a message in your Messages app; only you send it.
- **More study tools.** Flashcards made in a session, the pronunciation card, read-along, simulations, maps, timelines, the hint ladder, the math scratchpad and the code visualizer.

## Living in the menu bar

DuckyHelper has no Dock icon; it lives in the menu bar as a duck. From there: Talk to Ducky, Open Dashboard, Settings, Open Whiteboard, Permissions, Launch at Login, Check for Updates, Uninstall DuckyHelper and Quit. New versions download in the background and install when you quit, or right away with Restart to Update.

Uninstall from the same menu: it removes the app and its data on this Mac, gives the fn key back and asks macOS to forget its permissions. Your account stays, and uninstalling does not cancel a plan.

## What it won't do

- It doesn't run on Intel Macs or macOS 13 and earlier. On those, use the browser version at app.duckyhelper.com.
- It doesn't work offline. If the internet drops, Ducky says so in plain words and picks up where it stopped.
- It won't act in password fields or finish things for you. See [AI Use & Academic Integrity](https://duckyhelper.com/legal/ai/) and the [macOS App License](https://duckyhelper.com/legal/eula/).

## Frequently asked questions

### What are DuckyHelper's system requirements?

A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later, a microphone and an internet connection. Intel Macs are not supported. Check your chip and version in Apple menu > About This Mac.

### Why does DuckyHelper use the fn key?

The fn key works the same in every app, so you can call Ducky without switching windows. Press fn to talk and again to put it away. Input Monitoring is the permission that lets DuckyHelper catch fn from any app. Uninstalling gives the fn key back.

### Can DuckyHelper start when I log in?

Yes. Click the duck in the menu bar and turn on Launch at Login, or switch on Open at login in DuckyHelper's Settings. Then Ducky is in the menu bar whenever your Mac starts, ready when you press fn.

### How do I update DuckyHelper?

You don't have to do anything. New versions download in the background and install when you quit DuckyHelper. To update right away, choose Restart to Update from the menu bar duck, or Check for Updates to look now.

### How do I uninstall DuckyHelper?

Click the duck in the menu bar and choose Uninstall DuckyHelper. It moves the app to the Trash, removes its data on this Mac and restores the fn key. Your account stays online. Cancel any paid plan in Manage billing first.

## Related

- [DuckyHelper on a Chromebook](https://duckyhelper.com/for/chromebooks/)
- [Help and FAQ](https://duckyhelper.com/help/)
- [Changelog](https://duckyhelper.com/changelog/)
- [Plans and pricing](https://duckyhelper.com/pricing/)
- [DuckyHelper features](https://duckyhelper.com/features/)
- [Download DuckyHelper](https://duckyhelper.com/download/)

## Try asking Ducky

- "What's this error on my screen?"
- "Walk me through this app, step by step."
- "Circle the part of this page I should read first."

## Get DuckyHelper

Free to start. The web app works in any browser, Chromebooks included; the Mac app can also draw on your real screen. [Try it free in your browser](https://app.duckyhelper.com/?utm_source=duckyhelper.com&utm_medium=for) or [Get the Mac app](https://duckyhelper.com/download/)