Settings
Folders
Where Dictato stores your transcriptions and config
Dictato writes everything to regular folders on your Mac — nothing is locked in a proprietary database. Settings are in Settings → Folders.
Markdown folder
Each finished dictation is saved as a Markdown file here. Attachments (screenshots, drawings, audio) live in a attachments/ sibling folder. Change the location with Choose… or click Reveal to open it in Finder.
What a dictation file looks like
A single dictation with a screenshot and saved audio ends up as something like this:
---
date: 2026-04-11T14:26:10Z
source_app: Superset
duration: 18.3
language: en
title: Core product framing for investor deck
audio: attachments/2026-04-11-14-26-10-a1b2c3.m4a
---
# Core product framing for investor deck
Let's try and think about this. So our core product is converting
models, right? You put a model in, you're gonna model out. We transfer
between formats, that's the engine. Everything else — the web tools,
the plugins, the API — is just a shell around that engine.
So for the deck, lead with "universal 3D format conversion", then
show the engine diagram on slide two.
[^A]: The filename follows YYYY-MM-DD HH-MM-SS <SourceApp>.md, so dictations sort chronologically in Finder. Point Obsidian or Bear at this folder and your dictations become first-class notes.
Save audio recordings
When on, Dictato keeps the raw audio file (.wav) next to the Markdown transcript. Turn it off if you only want text.
Config folder
Home of preferences.json, history.json, and your hooks. Relocate it if you want to sync your Dictato setup via iCloud, Dropbox, or a dotfiles repo.
Tip
Point Markdown folder at an existing notes vault (Obsidian, Bear, a synced iCloud folder) and every dictation shows up as a regular note — no import needed.