Complete Setup Guide (Step by Step)¶

This guide walks you through every step of setting up Recall, with detailed explanations for each option. No technical knowledge required.

What Happens When You First Open Recall¶

When you open Recall for the first time, a Setup Wizard appears. This wizard helps you configure the app. Don't worry — you can always change these settings later.

The wizard has three parts:

Word Integration — Connecting Recall to Microsoft Word
Model Downloads — Getting AI features ready
Getting Started — A quick tour of features

Let's go through each one in detail.

Part 1: Word Integration¶

What is Word Integration?¶

Word Integration lets Recall "talk to" Microsoft Word. When this is set up, you can:

Insert research excerpts directly into your Word document
Generate a Table of Authorities from your Word document
Send text back and forth between Recall and Word

If you don't use Microsoft Word, you can skip this step. Recall still works — you just won't have the Word features.

Choosing an Integration Mode¶

You'll see two options:

Option A: Recommended (Apple Events) — Choose This One¶

This is the simpler choice that works for most people.

What it means: Recall uses a built-in Mac feature called "Apple Events" to communicate with Word. This is the same technology that allows apps to automate tasks.

Setup steps:

Click Recommended (Apple Events)
A popup may appear saying something like: "Recall wants to control Microsoft Word"
Click OK or Allow
Click Next to continue

If you don't see the popup: That's okay — it might appear later when you first try to insert something into Word.

If you accidentally clicked 'Don't Allow'

No problem! You can fix this:

Click the Apple menu (the at the top-left of your screen)
Click System Settings (or System Preferences on older Macs)
Click Privacy & Security
Click Automation (you might need to scroll down)
Find Recall in the list
Make sure Microsoft Word is checked ✓

Option B: Advanced (Word Add-in) — Only If You Need It¶

This option is more complicated and is only needed in rare cases. Most users should choose Option A instead.

What it means: Recall runs a small local server on your computer and installs an add-in into Word. This requires setting up a security certificate.

When you might need this: Some enterprise configurations or VPN setups may require this mode. If you're not sure, start with Option A.

Part 2: Model Downloads¶

What Are Models?¶

Models are the AI "brains" that power Recall's smart features:

Search models help find documents with similar meanings (not just matching words)
Generation models help write and edit text

Good news: The essential models are already included with Recall. You don't need to download anything.

The Setup Screen Explained¶

You'll see a list like this:

Model Name	Status	What It Does
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct	Bundled ✓	Powers Clerk's writing and editing
Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct	Bundled ✓	Faster alternative for writing
ModernBERT	Bundled ✓	Powers semantic search
ChatQA	Available to Download	Optional: improves question answering

"Bundled" means it's already installed. You don't need to do anything.

"Available to Download" means you can optionally download it. This is NOT required.

Should I Download Optional Models?¶

For most users: No. The bundled models work great. You can always download more later if you want.

If you want to download ChatQA:

Find it in the list
Click the Download button next to it
Wait for the download to finish (there's a progress bar)
This might take a few minutes depending on your internet speed

Click Next to Continue¶

Once you've reviewed the models (or downloaded any you want), click Next.

Part 3: Getting Started Overview¶

This final step shows you a quick summary of Recall's features. It's just information — there's nothing to configure.

Read through it to get familiar with what Recall can do, then click Finish.

After Setup: Verifying Everything Works¶

Let's make sure everything is working correctly.

Check 1: Can You See the Main Screen?¶

After setup, you should see:

A left sidebar with "Add New Matter" at the bottom
A large main area in the center
A toolbar at the top with various buttons

If you see this, the basic setup worked!

Check 2: Word Connection Status¶

Look at the bottom-left of the Recall window for a status indicator that mentions "Word."

What You See	What It Means
Word: Connected	Everything is working
Word: Disconnected	Word isn't open, or connection hasn't been made yet

To test the Word connection:

Open Microsoft Word
Create or open any Word document
In Recall, the status should change to "Connected"

If it still says "Disconnected," see the troubleshooting section below.

Check 3: Model Status¶

Look at the status bar for a "Model" indicator.

What You See	What It Means
Model: Ready	AI features are ready to use
Model: Loading	AI is starting up — wait a moment
Model: Error	Something went wrong (see troubleshooting)

Returning to Setup Later¶

You can revisit the Setup Wizard anytime:

Click the gear icon (⚙) in the toolbar at the top-right
Click Setup from the dropdown menu
Walk through the setup steps again

Troubleshooting Common Setup Issues¶

"Word: Disconnected" — Word Integration Not Working¶

Try these steps in order:

Is Word running?
Open Microsoft Word if it's not already open
Click in the Word document to make sure Word is the active application
Check if Recall's status updates
Check Automation Permissions:
Click the Apple menu () → System Settings
Click Privacy & Security → Automation
Find Recall in the list
Make sure Microsoft Word is checked ✓
Try the Self-Test:
In Recall, click the gear icon → Setup
In the Word Integration section, click Self-Test
This will tell you what's wrong
Restart Both Apps:
Quit Recall completely (Recall → Quit Recall, or Cmd+Q)
Quit Word completely (Word → Quit Word, or Cmd+Q)
Open Word first
Then open Recall
Check the connection status

"Model: Error" — AI Model Won't Load¶

Try these steps:

Restart Recall:
Quit Recall (Recall → Quit Recall)
Open Recall again
Wait for the model to load (this can take 30-60 seconds on first launch)
Check Available Disk Space:
Click the Apple menu () → About This Mac
Click Storage (or More Info → Storage)
Make sure you have at least 10 GB free
Check RAM (Memory):
AI models need memory to run
Close other apps to free up memory
Restart Recall
Try a Smaller Model:
Click the gear icon → Model Settings
Under Generation, select Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct
This model uses less memory

If you never saw the "Recall wants to control Microsoft Word" popup:

Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation
If Recall isn't in the list, try using Word integration (insert something into Word)
The popup should appear when you first try to use the feature

Can't Find Recall in Privacy Settings¶

In Finder, go to Applications
Find Recall and drag it to the Dock (optional, for easy access)
Open Recall from the Applications folder (not from a download folder)
If you installed Recall from a .dmg file, make sure you dragged it to Applications first

Understanding the Settings You Just Configured¶

Where Settings Are Stored¶

Recall saves your settings on your Mac. They're in a system folder, but you'll never need to access them directly — just use the Settings menu in Recall.

Settings You Can Change Later¶

Everything from setup can be changed later:

Setting	How to Change It
Word Integration mode	Gear icon → Setup → Step 1
Download more models	Gear icon → Setup → Step 2
Which AI model to use	Gear icon → Model Settings
Default citation style	Create a Matter → Matter Settings

What's Next?¶

Now that setup is complete:

Create your first Matter — Set up a workspace for a case
Add documents — Upload PDFs to search through
Start researching — Find what you need in your documents

Or jump to the Quick Start Guide for a fast walkthrough of using Recall.