Using Dictato
Dictation
Push-to-talk, hands-free lock, and stopping a recording
Dictato has two recording modes: a quick push-to-talk for short notes, and a locked hands-free mode for longer sessions.
Push-to-talk
Hold Fn and speak. Release to transcribe and paste wherever your cursor is.
Tip
Use push-to-talk for quick one-liners like search queries, chat replies, or short notes. The overlay shows your audio level so you know it's listening.
Hands-free lock
For longer dictations, press Fn + Space while holding Fn. The recording locks and you can let go of the keyboard.
While locked, you can use your hands for anything: open another app, grab a screenshot, draw on screen with tools. The recording keeps going.
Stopping a locked recording
Any of these will stop and paste:
- ⌘ Escape
- Middle-click (if middle-click recording is enabled)
- Click the stop button in the overlay
Middle-click toggle
Enable Settings → Shortcuts → Middle mouse button to record to start and stop hands-free recording with a middle-click. Useful if you have a three-button mouse and don't love reaching for Fn.
Pause media while recording
By default, Dictato pauses whatever's playing (music, video) while you dictate and resumes after. Toggle this in Settings → Audio.
Shortcuts reference
These are the factory defaults. Every one is remappable, and each action can have multiple bindings — see Shortcuts to customize.
| Action | Default |
|---|---|
| Push-to-talk | Hold Fn |
| Lock recording (hands-free) | Fn + Space |
| Stop hands-free recording and paste | ⌘ Escape |
| Toggle hands-free (optional) | Middle-click |
| Region screenshot | ⇧⌘4 |
| Draw on screen | Hold ⌥⌘ |
| Add text quote | ⌥T |
| Exit active tool | Escape |