The complete desktop walkthrough

CHAPTER 01 — Welcome to AiCopal Studio

Be brilliant. Effortlessly. Welcome to AiCopal Studio on desktop: a workspace for the conversations you want to do more with. Get help when a question matters. Turn a discussion into a clear plan. Create visuals, and come back to what you learned. We'll build one small project together, starting with your very first session. You can follow along now, or return to any chapter when you need it.

CHAPTER 02 — Your Desktop Workspace

Start with a session. Think of it as the home for one conversation and the work you do with it. Here is your session list, where you return to earlier conversations. New session gives the next conversation its own space.

The transcript is the written record. Live is where you get assistance while the conversation is happening. Chat is where you ask your own questions and explore an idea further.

As your work grows, Groups bring related sessions together. Files and saved context supply useful background. Search helps you find information across conversations. Your visual collection is where you return to saved creations.

You do not need to learn every control now. Start with these three places: your session, its transcript, and the place where you ask for help. Help and Getting Started is here whenever you want a reminder.

CHAPTER 03 — Recording & Transcription

Let's create a session for the Willow Cafe launch. A clear name makes it easier to recognize later. On the desktop app, check the microphone menu before you start. The source list shows the devices available on your computer. Use the microphone you intend to capture. The desktop transcription notice also explains that the other side of a call can be captured. Make sure everyone involved is comfortable with transcription before you begin.

Start transcription, then say a short sentence. Look for words arriving here. In this fictional demonstration, we are playing a prepared example so we can watch the real transcript develop. If no words appear, check the selected source and its permission before continuing.

Our example sets an opening target, a planned budget, and the people responsible. As the words arrive, they become the material for answers and summaries. Let the sentence finish so you can distinguish an in-progress phrase from the completed transcript.

Use Pause when you need a break. The same control now offers Resume. When the conversation is finished, stop transcription. Notice the live timer disappears and the microphone returns to its ready state. Check the saved session before you leave. We now have a conversation we can work with.

CHAPTER 04 — Live Answers

In our fictional cafe conversation, someone asks, “What must be ready before we commit to opening day?” AiCopal detects the question as the transcript arrives. Open Questions to see it. Detection is the invitation. You decide whether this question needs an answer.

Choose Respond. That deliberate action starts the response and opens Live. Watch the answer arrive. The detected question stays above it, so you can see exactly what the response addresses.

Start with the direct recommendation, then read the explanation underneath. It connects our opening target to Leo's equipment responsibilities, Priya's menu and promotion work, training, and the rehearsal. It also identifies the grinder decision that is still open. Notice the distinction between the plans in our conversation and the answer's additional recommendation. An AI recommendation is something to evaluate, not a decision the team has already made.

You do not have to read the whole answer aloud. Take the part you need now, then use the detail to guide your next question. A minus and A plus adjust the reading size in Live. The history control lets you return to generated answers. If a detected question is not useful, its card offers Dismiss. While an answer is being generated, Stop lets you end that generation. You remain in control of when assistance enters the conversation.

CHAPTER 05 — Desktop Window Controls

On the desktop app, you can arrange assistance around the way you work. Open the account menu and find the Window controls. Adjust Opacity to see through the app. Here we lower it, then increase it so the answer is easier to read. Choose a balance that works with the window behind it.

Keep readability first. Too much transparency can make two sets of text compete. Return to full opacity whenever that is more comfortable. Resize and position the desktop window where a quick glance feels natural.

Always on top is the control for keeping the app above other windows. Overlay mode changes the window mode; finish an active capture and check your saved work before following a restart prompt. Set up your workspace before the conversation begins.

You will also find Hide from screen sharing here. Check its behavior with the sharing application you actually use before relying on it. This walkthrough does not demonstrate or verify concealment from another application.

In Settings, General also lists the desktop shortcuts. Read the combinations shown in your version for starting or stopping capture, pausing, showing the app, and answering the last question. Some shortcuts depend on an active capture.

The goal is useful help within reach, with text you can read comfortably and controls you already know how to use.

CHAPTER 06 — Chat & Follow-up Questions

Live helps with a moment in the conversation. Chat lets you choose what to explore next. In our Willow Cafe follow-up, ask for a launch-readiness checklist with owners, dates, dependencies, and open decisions. Make clear which information should come from the session and which suggestions should be labelled as recommendations. Send the question and let the answer develop.

Then continue naturally: “Which three issues should Maya resolve first, and why?” You do not need to restate the whole conversation. Make the follow-up specific about the result you want. On this desktop app, Control and Enter sends the question; Shift and Enter makes a new line.

Open the model and style control below the input. Chat Settings offers Concise, Detailed, Technical, and Actionable response styles. We have kept Detailed for this example. For a decision, ask for trade-offs and a recommendation. For execution, ask for steps, owners, and dependencies. Choose a model available to your account when you need a different approach.

Quick prompts help with requests you repeat. Open the prompt menu to see the available requests and their shortcuts. Check what a prompt asks before using it with your session. While generation is running, the send area changes to a stop control. Review the completed answer against the conversation before relying on it.

CHAPTER 07 — Files & Context

Sometimes a conversation assumes background that has never been spoken aloud. Context is that supporting information. On the desktop app, open Files to inspect the documents attached to this session. Our fictional Willow Cafe launch brief is ready and marked In context. That indicator tells us it is included. Excluded means it remains attached but is not selected as background.

Give the next question a clear purpose. For example: compare the conversation with the launch brief, and identify decisions still needed. The brief supplies a reference; the question tells the app what to do with it. Review the answer against both sources.

For background you use repeatedly, create a reusable context. In Settings, open Contexts and choose Add New Context. Give it a recognizable name. Enter the information or use the file upload control, then save it. Our example describes the audience, project goal, owners and constraints, and separates confirmed decisions from plans and recommendations.

Now return to Chat and open the book-shaped Contexts control. Search for Willow, select the project context, then choose Done. Check the selected count before asking. The pencil opens the context for editing, so you can review and update it as the project changes.

A saved context and an active selection are different things. Keep only relevant background selected for the conversation. A useful prompt tells the app what to do. Useful context gives it the information to work with.

CHAPTER 08 — Conversation Summaries

When the conversation ends, make it easier to act on. Open the transcript menu and choose Generate Summary. This desktop app offers Default, Detailed, Brief, Action, Technical, and Custom. Brief focuses on key points. Action focuses on next steps and decisions. Detailed is useful when the reasoning matters.

Choose Action, then Generate. Read the result against the conversation. Our Willow Cafe summary includes the opening target, planned budget, owners, and open grinder decision. Check the deadlines too. A date inferred by the AI is not the same as a deadline explicitly agreed in the conversation.

For a different structure, choose New Summary, then Custom. Tell it who will read the summary and what to include. Here we ask for a plain-language team handover: confirmed plans, owners, stated deadlines, and open questions. We also ask it to mark missing information as not specified and keep recommendations separate.

Generate the new version and inspect its sections. Compare the information with the earlier summary and the transcript. Clear instructions help shape the result; reviewing it is still part of the workflow. Use Download when you want a document to inspect and share.

This is how a conversation becomes a practical handover. Next, we will give that same information a visual structure.

CHAPTER 09 — Infographic Generation & Editing

An infographic makes the relationships in a discussion easier to see. Start with the conversation's visual summary. Here, our launch plan brings the main points and actions together. First look at the whole arrangement, then open it far enough to read the details.

To change the wording, enter the supported edit view. Let's make the heading more specific, refine one action, and move the most important item earlier. Save, then check the finished view. These are direct edits to the information, so you can see exactly what you changed.

Now change the theme. Preview a different palette and choose the one that suits the audience. A theme changes the presentation; it is different from asking AI to rewrite the plan. Open the available version history to revisit earlier work. Where the summary offers a separate save or copy to Studio action, use it before expecting the item in your collection.

You can also start with a particular answer. Return to our detailed launch-readiness response and choose Visualize. Add direction: “Create a launch roadmap with milestones, named owners, a budget breakdown, and three readiness priorities.” This instruction tells the visual what to emphasize.

Generate it, then inspect the result. Read the dates and labels. Compare them with the answer. We have kept the detailed source and created a visual way to explain it.

To change the emphasis, use the revision controls. Ask for supplier readiness, staff confidence, and customer experience to stand out. Generate the revision, then compare the new result. This is an AI revision, so check the whole output rather than assuming only one detail changed.

You do not have to start from an answer or a conversation. In the dedicated creation space, describe a new infographic directly. Let's request a cafe-opening checklist with Preparation, Launch Day, and Follow-up sections. Give it the audience, structure, and facts you want included.

Your collection is the place to return to saved creations. Open the checklist we just made, then reopen the launch roadmap. Check the available details and versions, make a supported revision, and export the result. Open the downloaded file so you know what someone else will receive.

Remember the three starting points: a conversation summary, a response with additional direction, or an independent idea. Direct editing, theme selection, and AI revision are different tools. Choose the one that matches the change you actually want.

CHAPTER 11 — Importing Audio & Notes

You can start with material you already have. On the desktop app, create a new session. The transcript area offers Upload Audio, Type Notes, and Paste Text. Choose the starting point that matches your material.

For audio, select Upload Audio and choose a supported file. Here we use our existing fictional Willow Cafe recording. Follow the processing message until the transcript is ready. Completion time depends on the file and service; this is one example.

Read the imported transcript before building on it. Double-click a line to enter the editor. Check names, dates, and numbers against your original material. Click outside the editor to return to the formatted view.

Open Speakers to inspect the labels. In this single-voice example, we replace Guest One with Demo narrator and confirm the change. Give real speakers names only when you know who they are. A system status line is not another person speaking.

If your material is already written, Type Notes lets you enter it directly. Paste Text is another starting option. Our earlier follow-up used written notes about the opening target, owners, and unresolved decisions. A small, accurate set of notes is enough to begin asking useful questions.

Once the source is ready, the same tools are available for the next step. Review the briefing, ask a follow-up, generate a summary, or create a visual. Check the output against the source before you use it. You can turn existing material into useful work without repeating a live recording.

CHAPTER 12 — Saved Sessions

Give each conversation a name you will recognize a week from now. Our launch planning session and follow-up are separate, so we can return to either one without mixing their records.

Use the session list to browse, or narrow it by a name you remember. Open the launch session and check its transcript and saved work. A title search helps you find a known conversation. In the next chapter, we will search for information even when we do not remember the title.

Pay attention to the save and sync indicators, especially before switching devices or closing after a problem. If the app reports an issue, follow its recovery options and confirm the state rather than assuming it has finished. Keep demo cleanup separate from learning: deletion is not a step you need to practice on valuable work.

CHAPTER 13 — Cross-session Search

What if you remember a decision, but not where it was discussed? Open Search across sessions and ask in your own words. In our example, we ask what changed between Willow Cafe planning and the follow-up, what was decided about weekend hours and promotion, and what remains unresolved. This is a question about the content, not an exact session title.

Choose a time range that includes the conversations you need, then press Ask. Here we chose seven days. Read the answer: the follow-up confirms eight o'clock weekend opening and a neighbourhood tasting, while the grinder decision remains open.

Now open Sources. This answer cites two fictional sessions. Check their titles and excerpts, and use the source entry when you need to inspect the original conversation. Timeline places the matching sessions in sequence so you can follow how the discussion developed.

Coverage provides more information about which material was available and examined. A search may not examine every piece of your history, so do not assume a missing item was never discussed. If the result is incomplete, widen the time range, include the project name, or ask a more focused question.

Search helps you recover what was said. The sources help you judge whether the answer is supported. Use both, particularly when you are about to share a decision with someone else.

CHAPTER 14 — Groups & Project Conversations

When several conversations belong to one project, create a Group. In the Groups view, choose New Group and give it a recognizable name. We are using a fictional Willow Cafe launch project. Expand its row and choose Sessions.

The membership view has two sides: sessions already in the group, and sessions available to add. Search for Willow so we can find our planning meeting and follow-up. Add each one, then check that both appear in the group. We now know which conversations this project includes.

Return to the group and open Chat. Ask what changed between the two sessions and what Maya should do next. Request confirmed decisions, open questions, owners and dependencies, with recommendations clearly separated from what was agreed.

Read the result. It compares the planning meeting with the follow-up, identifies the decisions that were resolved, and explains what still needs attention. The attached fictional brief supplies additional context in this example, so its proposed criteria should not be mistaken for completed work.

Here is the distinction: session Chat focuses on one conversation; a Group brings a chosen set together; search across sessions helps you discover information more broadly. Choose the scope before you ask. Keep membership current as the project develops, and check the group name before sending the next question.

CHAPTER 15 — Exporting Your Work

Once the work is useful, take it into the next step. On the desktop app, use the transcript menu to export a Word document. A generated summary has its own Download control. Give the file a clear name and save it where you can find it.

Open the actual document. Here is our fictional Willow Cafe team handover in Word, with confirmed plans, owners, stated deadlines and open questions. Check names and dates against the source. Check formatting too. This export has extra blank bullets and spacing that need tidying before sharing. Reviewing the file is part of finishing the work.

For a visual, download the infographic and inspect the small labels at a readable size. An image and a text document serve different purposes, so choose the output that fits the next step.

For a project, expand its group and choose Export. The Export Assets view offers transcripts, AI chat history and attachments. Select the contents you need, then use Download Selected to create a ZIP bundle. Our example includes the two fictional sessions and the launch brief. Check the package contents before sending it to someone else.

Choose the material deliberately, export it, and inspect what the recipient will see. That last check turns a generated result into work you are ready to use.

CHAPTER 16 — Settings & Help

Make the desktop workspace comfortable for you. In Settings, open General and choose a theme. Light and Dark are two of the available choices. Here we return from Light to Dark. Choose the appearance that makes your content easiest to read.

Further down, General lists the global shortcuts. Read the combinations shown in your app. Start and stop transcription, pause and resume, show the app, and answer the last question are separate actions. Answering the last question needs active transcription.

The transcription pane position is a desktop layout choice. The menu offers Bottom, Left, and Right. Right is the default in this example. Choose the arrangement that fits the way you use your screen.

Now open Quick Prompts. Session and Group have separate lists. A prompt is a task you want to repeat. The first five appear as quick buttons above the chat input. The session list also shows its keyboard shortcuts. Group prompts do not use those shortcuts.

Use the pencil to inspect a prompt. The name is its short label. The prompt text is the instruction that will be used. Save keeps an edit; Cancel leaves it unchanged. Add New Prompt gives you a place for another reusable task. You can use the drag handles to change the order.

Remember the difference between prompts and contexts. Create a team handover is an instruction. The project background supplies the facts and constraints. Keep both specific so a future question starts in the right place.

When something does not work, start with the visible state. Check the selected source and capture indicator for transcription, or the processing message for an imported file. Read an error before retrying. Use Studio Guide to revisit a feature, and return to the relevant chapter for the full sequence. You do not need to memorize the interface to make useful progress.

CHAPTER 17 — Your First Complete Workflow

Let's bring it together. Start a session and check your audio. Capture the conversation. When a useful question appears, choose to get help. Explore further in Chat, with the right background selected. Turn the discussion into a summary, an infographic, or another useful output. Then save, revisit, and connect the work across sessions when the project grows.

Your first step can be small. Record a short planning conversation. Ask one useful question. Create one clear summary. Come back to the deeper chapters when you want to do more.

On the desktop app, arrange AiCopal around your workspace so the help stays close at hand. Your next conversation can become something you can understand, use, and build on.

AiCopal Studio. Be brilliant. Effortlessly. Explore more at aicopal.com.