How Dictation Works
Understand push-to-talk dictation, hold and toggle modes, and the dictation overlay.
Vorn Voice uses push-to-talk dictation. You press a keyboard shortcut to start recording, speak, and the app transcribes your speech when you stop.
Hold mode (default)
Hold your shortcut key down while you speak. When you release the key, Vorn Voice transcribes the recording and outputs the text.
This is the fastest mode for short dictations like messages, notes, and quick replies.
Toggle mode
Press your shortcut once to start recording. Press it again to stop and transcribe.
Toggle mode is useful if your operating system cannot reliably detect when a key is released, which can happen on some Linux configurations. You can switch to toggle mode in settings under hotkey behavior.
The dictation overlay
A small overlay appears on screen during dictation to show the current state:
- Listening — Vorn Voice is recording. An audio level visualization shows that it is picking up sound.
- Transcribing — The recording is being processed by the transcription model.
- Done — A brief confirmation shows the result (e.g., "Inserted text" or "Copied to clipboard").
The overlay disappears automatically after each dictation.