System requirements

Descript is currently a desktop application that runs on Mac and Windows. Chromebooks and Linux are not supported. We are working on a web version of Descript, but that may or may not arrive in 2023. You can follow progress on that here.

MacOS System Recommendations

	Recommended specifications
Display	1920 x 1080 or greater
Network storage connection	10 Gigabit ethernet for 4K shared network workflow
Internet Speed	500 Mbps
Processor	Intel® 7thGen or newer CPU (aka Kaby Lake), or Apple silicon M1 or later - avoid fan-less configurations such as MacBook Air
Operating system	macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) or later
Memory	Apple silicon: 16 GB Unified Memory Intel: HD media — 16 GB of RAM 4K Media — 32 GB of RAM
GPU	Apple silicon: 16 GB Unified Memory Intel: 4 GB of GPU Memory for HD and some 4K workflows 6 GB or more for 4K and higher resolution workflows
Storage	Fast internal SSD for app installation and cache Additional high-speed drive(s) for media

Windows System Recommendations

	Recommended specifications for HD, 4K, or higher
Display	1920 x 1080 or greater
Network storage connection	10 Gigabit ethernet for 4K shared network workflow
Internet Speed	500 Mbps
Processor	Intel® 7th Gen (aka Kaby Lake), or newer CPU with Quick Sync – or AMD Ryzen™ 3000 Series / Threadripper 2000 series or newer CPU
Operating system	Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) version V20H2 or later
Memory	Dual-channel memory: 6 GB of RAM for HD media 32 GB or more for 4K and higher
GPU	4 GB of GPU memory for HD and some 4K media 6 GB or more for 4K and higher
Storage	Fast internal SSD for app installation and cache

Other recommendations

Make sure you have at least 20GB of free hard drive space on your computer.
If you’re using the screen recorder, we recommend:
- At least 16GB of DDR4 (or better) RAM
- The GPU driver should be updated. If the driver is pre 2021 (how to check), there’s a good chance you’ll have problems, and we strongly recommend against trying the screen recorder.
- There has to be a GPU for the recorder to operate. Currently, the recorder won’t run for systems without a GPU (i.e. servers).

Minimum system requirements

MacOS Desktop

Minimum 8GB RAM
macOS 10.13 or later
macOS 10.14 or later required for Computer Audio recording
Chrome, Firefox, or Safari browser is required for authentication

Apple Silicon

Descript now offers an application version with native support for Apple Silicon (M1).

Windows Desktop

Minimum 8GB RAM
Microsoft Windows 64-bit OS (10.0 or greater)
Windows 10 Version 1903(May 2019 Update) or later required for Screen Recorder and Computer Audio
Chrome, Edge, or Firefox browser is required for authentication

Desktop Browsers (Playback and Comments only)

Chrome
Safari
Firefox
Edge

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Descript available for use on other platforms such as Chromebooks, Linux, iOS or other mobile apps?

Descript is currently only available as a Windows or Mac desktop application, although you can access limited viewing and transcription submission features when logged in via a web browser at web.descript.com.

I'm seeing an error message that Descript runs best with 20GB of free space. What gives?

Though Descript can run with less than 20GB of storage, Descript runs best with 20GB or more free space on your hard drive. You can also change the location of offline files if you're out of space locally and don't want to delete data on your hard drive.