Auto Cleanup: control how much Flow edits your dictation

Last updated: September 12, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows

Auto Cleanup controls how much Flow edits your dictation after you speak — from raw transcription to light cleanup to a more polished rewrite. Your chosen level applies to every dictation, in every app.

Auto Cleanup levels

Level

Default

What it does

None

—

Pastes the raw transcript with no formatting, punctuation, or corrections.

Light

Yes

Removes filler words and fixes grammar.

Medium

—

Edits for clarity and conciseness.

What "None" means in practice

Filler words, false starts, and spoken errors are preserved exactly as you said them, with no punctuation or corrections added. Use it when you need a verbatim record or prefer to edit manually.

What "Medium" means in practice

Flow may reword phrases for clarity and concision. Meaning is preserved, but the wording can differ from what you said. Best for polished writing where brevity matters more than verbatim accuracy.

Note: A legacy "High" level exists for users who previously selected it, and now appears as "Medium" in the picker.

How to change your level

  1. Open the Flow hub and go to Style → Auto Cleanup.

  2. Click the card for None, Light, or Medium. Each card shows example output, so you can compare before choosing.

The selected card stays highlighted, and the new level applies to your next dictation.

FAQs

Which level should I use?

Start with Light. Pick Medium for rewording, or None for verbatim output with full manual control.

Can I get my original dictation back after Auto Cleanup edits it?

Yes. Standard OS undo (Cmd+Z on Mac, Ctrl+Z on Windows) reverts the pasted text immediately after dictation.

Why is my text pasting unformatted?

Text is unformatted when Auto Cleanup is set to None or your default transcription format is "No AI formatting". Check both settings.

Can I turn cleanup off entirely?

Yes. Switch the Transforms toggle off to stop all AI text transforms, cleanup, and polish.

Limitations and notes

  • Auto Cleanup is available on Mac and Windows, not on iOS or Android.

  • Accounts with no level set default to Light, so cleanup is active unless you choose None.

  • A separate default transcription format preference offers "Apply AI formatting", "No AI formatting", "Casual messaging" (capitalizes proper nouns only), and "All lowercase". There is no automatic per-app casual-messaging bypass.

  • Cleanup is skipped for very short or very long text.