Sprecho works from a small number of global shortcuts — global meaning they work in any application, not only inside the Sprecho window. This page lists all of them and shows how to change them.
The full shortcut reference
| What it does | macOS | Windows | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start / stop a dictation | fn |
Insert |
Control + Space |
| Cancel a running dictation | Esc |
Esc |
Esc |
| Paste your last transcription again | Control + Cmd + V |
Ctrl + Alt + V |
Ctrl + Alt + V |
| Dictate straight into Notes | Option + F |
Alt + F |
Alt + F |
Settings itself has no global shortcut. Open the Sprecho window and pick Settings in the sidebar. The tray icon (menu-bar icon on macOS) offers Show, Check for Updates, Quit and a quick microphone picker.
How the dictation key behaves
One key does two things depending on how long you press it:
- Hold it while you speak and release when you are done. The text is inserted on release. Best for a sentence or two.
- Tap it — under roughly a third of a second — and the recording locks on and keeps running hands-free. Press the key again to stop and insert. Best for a long paragraph or when you need your hands.
One tap is enough for the lock. A double-tap used to be required and still works, but the second tap is now absorbed rather than cutting the recording short. Full comparison in Hold-to-talk vs lock mode.
Why these defaults
fn is the macOS default because it is the one key on a Mac keyboard that no
application uses for anything else, so nothing you already do stops working.
Insert is the Windows default for the same reason: almost nothing else claims
it. If you use Insert for overtype in an editor, rebind Sprecho rather than
fighting it.
Change the dictation hotkey
- Open Settings → General.
- Under Keyboard Shortcuts, click the Dictation Hotkey field.
- Press the key or combination you want. It saves immediately.
If the app answers that the hotkey could not be registered, another program has
already claimed it — pick something else. F13, Command+Shift+R and
Control+Space are the suggestions the app offers.
Add a second shortcut
The same screen has a secondary shortcut: an optional second key that triggers the same dictation. Useful if you want a thumb key on one keyboard and a different key on your laptop.
On macOS the fn key keeps working regardless — the secondary field adds a key
rather than replacing it.
Stop with any shortcut
Also on that screen: Stop with any shortcut. With it on, any configured
shortcut stops an active recording, even one that a different key started. Handy
when you started with fn at the laptop keyboard and want to stop from an
external one.
Escape: the one to remember
Escape cancels a recording anywhere, in hold mode and in lock mode alike. The
audio is thrown away without being transcribed, nothing is inserted, and nothing
is sent for processing.
Escape only cancels while a recording is actually running. Otherwise it is passed straight through to the app you are in, so it still closes dialogs and menus as usual.
More on cancelling, including the three-second undo on the recording bar's ✕ button, in Cancel or redo a dictation.
Paste your last transcription again
Control + Cmd + V on macOS, Ctrl + Alt + V on Windows and Linux,
re-inserts the text from your most recent dictation. Useful when the target app
swallowed it, or when you want the same sentence in a second place.
You can change or clear it under Settings → General → Paste Shortcut.
On Windows: the paste keystroke
Windows has one extra setting, Settings → General → Paste keystroke, with
three options: Ctrl+V (default), Shift+Insert, and Automatic. It only
matters inside Remote Desktop, Citrix and terminal-server sessions — see
Use Sprecho over Remote Desktop and terminal server.