Double-tap ⌘,
then say what you’d type.

How it works

1. Put your cursor where the words should go. That could be a chat message, an email, a prompt in the terminal, a form in your browser, or a comment in your code.
2. Double-tap either ⌘ key. A small pill appears beside your text cursor with a red dot and a level meter, and the notch glows.
3. Say one phrase. The pill shows the words, faintly, as they’re recognised.
4. Stop talking. After about two seconds of quiet, the app pastes the phrase in and dictation ends. Double-tap again for the next phrase.

To stop without typing anything, press Esc or double-tap again. If it hears nothing for five seconds, the pill closes on its own.

Dictation uses the same on-device speech model as recordings: NVIDIA’s Nemotron multilingual streaming model. It works out which language you’re speaking and adds punctuation and capitals, so there’s nothing to set up first.

Where your words go

Only to the app you’re typing in. Your computer transcribes the audio and then throws it away. There’s no audio file, no entry in your library, and no upload.

To put the text in place, Memory Notch copies it to the clipboard for a moment and pastes it. Then it puts back whatever you had on the clipboard before.

Dictation needs one macOS permission, called Accessibility. Nothing else in the app asks for it, and every other feature works without it.

The permission covers three jobs: noticing the double-tap (and Esc while you dictate), pasting the words, and finding your text cursor, so the pill can sit beside it. The app never records or logs your keystrokes. The privacy policy has the full wording.

What it doesn’t do

• One phrase at a time. Each double-tap types one phrase, then stops listening.
• No voice commands. There’s no “new line” or “delete that”; edit with your keyboard as usual.
• Nothing during a recording. A recording keeps the microphone, so a double-tap only shows “Recording in progress”.
• No password fields. Dictation refuses them.
• Only on the computer. The iPhone and iPad app can’t type into other apps.

Free with the app

Dictation doesn’t need a licence. The five-minute trial limit and the one-time licence are about how long a recording can be. Dictation works the same either way.

You need an Apple Silicon computer with macOS 26 or later. Download the app, then allow dictation in the welcome tour or in Settings.

Next to other dictation

Apple’s own dictation comes with macOS. Wispr Flow is a cloud dictation service that also runs on phones and on other computers, with extras such as snippets and writing styles. This one is simpler: one shortcut, one phrase, recognised on your computer, at no extra cost. The side-by-side comparison has the details.

Questions

Does dictation work offline?

Yes. Your speech is recognised on your computer by a model that comes with the app. Dictation doesn’t need an internet connection, and nothing you say is uploaded.

Which apps can I dictate into?

Any app where you can paste text, from chat and email to the terminal and your code editor. The words go wherever your text cursor is. Dictation refuses password fields.

Does dictation cost anything?

No. Dictation is free for everyone and doesn’t need a licence. The five-minute trial limit and the licence only affect how long a recording can be.

Why does dictation need Accessibility permission?

macOS requires it before an app can notice a double-tap of ⌘ in other apps, paste into them, or find the text cursor. The app asks for it only for dictation, and it doesn’t record or log your keystrokes.

Can I dictate while Memory Notch is recording?

No. A recording keeps the microphone, so a double-tap during one shows “Recording in progress” and does nothing else.

Download for Mac · All features · Privacy policy · Memory Notch vs Wispr Flow