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Install Ukti

Never added anything to Chrome before? That is fine. It takes five minutes, and every step is below.

What you need

  • A computer or laptop (Windows, Mac or Linux). Ukti does not work on phones.
  • Google Chrome, version 138 or newer. To check, type chrome://settings/help into Chrome’s address bar and press Enter. If it is older, Chrome updates itself; press Relaunch at the end.
  • A microphone. Laptops usually have one built in.
  • The internet.

One thing before you install

When Ukti is on the Chrome Web Store, Chrome’s install dialog will say: “Read and change all your data on all websites”.

That is true, and there is a reason. To bring the microphone to any box on any site, a small part of Ukti has to be present on every page, and that is how Chrome describes it. It is the cost of working everywhere. What Ukti actually reads is only the text of the box you are speaking into or pressing one of its buttons in, and nothing it reads is sent anywhere. The full account is in the privacy policy.

From the Chrome Web Store

Ukti is not on the Chrome Web Store yet. When it is, there will be a one-press install button here. Until then, install it the way below. A few more steps, but the same Ukti.

Installing from the file, step by step

1. Download the file

Go to Ukti’s download page. Under Assets, press the file whose name starts with ukti- and ends in .zip. It goes to your Downloads folder.

2. Unzip it, and put the folder somewhere permanent

  • Windows: right-click the file, choose Extract All, then Extract.
  • Mac: double-click the file.

You get a folder. Move it somewhere you will not delete it from, such as Documents.

Do not delete or move the folder. Chrome runs Ukti from this folder. Delete it and Ukti stops working. Move it and Chrome treats it as a new extension, and your settings and word list are lost.

3. Open Chrome’s extensions page

Type chrome://extensions into Chrome’s address bar and press Enter.

4. Turn on Developer mode

Top right of the page there is a switch called Developer mode. Turn it on. A few new buttons appear. The name sounds alarming but it only means you are allowed to load an extension from a folder.

5. Load unpacked

Top left, press Load unpacked. Choose the folder you kept. It must contain a file called manifest.json; if it does not, choose the folder one level inside. Then Select Folder.

Ukti appears in the list, and Ukti’s setup page opens straight away.

6. Finish setup

On the setup page, allow the microphone and download the two language packs. It takes two or three minutes. Details on the first-run setup page.

7. Pin Ukti’s icon to the toolbar

In Chrome’s toolbar, press the puzzle-piece icon (Extensions), then the pin beside Ukti. Every setting is behind this icon.

8. Refresh open tabs

Press F5 on tabs that were already open. Then click into any text box, press the mic, and speak Bangla.

If Chrome warns you now and then

With Developer mode on, Chrome on Windows sometimes asks at startup whether to turn off developer-mode extensions. To keep Ukti, do not turn it off; just close the message. This goes away once Ukti is installed from the Web Store.

When a new version comes out

  1. Download the new zip from the download page and unzip it.
  2. Replace everything inside your old folder with the contents of the new one. Keep the folder in the same place.
  3. On chrome://extensions, press the round-arrow Reload button under Ukti.

As long as the folder stays in the same place, your settings and word list are kept.

Removing Ukti

On chrome://extensions, press Remove under Ukti. Then you can delete the folder. If you want to keep your word list, save it to a file first.

Stuck?

See Troubleshooting, or write on GitHub.