How to use Command Mode

Last updated: September 10, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows. On iOS, spoken Command Mode phrases can open a web search; in-place text editing is not currently working.

Command Mode lets you speak an instruction instead of typing it. Hold a shortcut, say the command, release — and Flow runs it. Requires a paid plan.

How to use Command Mode

  1. Turn on Command Mode in Settings → Experimental. If it is off, pressing the shortcut shows a "Command Mode disabled" notification.

  2. Press and hold the Command Mode shortcut for your setup:

    1. Mac: Fn + Ctrl

    2. Mac without an Apple Fn key: Cmd + Ctrl + Option

    3. Windows: Ctrl + Win + Alt

  3. Speak your command while holding the shortcut.

  4. Release the shortcut to run it. Press ESC or Backspace to cancel. Releasing almost immediately dismisses the session instead.

Tip: Double-press the shortcut quickly to lock Command Mode hands-free; triple-press quickly to dismiss.

Note: Spoken trigger phrases are English-only; hotkey activation works in any dictation language. Text-editing commands must start with a "Hey Flow" variant. Web-search commands must start with "ask," "search," or "hey" followed by Google, Perplexity, ChatGPT, or Claude (optionally followed by "about," "for," "on," or "to"), and open that site in your browser with your dictated words as the query, plus any currently selected text appended.

Assigning your own shortcuts

In Settings → Shortcuts → Command Mode you can assign a shortcut of up to 3 keys. These limits apply to every shortcut action, not just Command Mode.

  • Mouse buttons: Middle Click, Mouse 4–10, and an Aux Button on mice that send an auxiliary keycode are bindable; a single mouse button is a complete shortcut on its own, because mouse buttons satisfy the modifier requirement.

  • Keys: Function keys F1–F20 (Mac) / F1–F24 (Windows), arrows, punctuation, and numpad keys are bindable. Escape can be bound alone as an exception to the modifier rule.

Combinations that are blocked

These combinations cannot be assigned:

  • Single keys alone (letter, number, or punctuation). The Fn key works as a modifier on Mac only.

  • The left and right version of the same modifier together (for example, left Ctrl + right Ctrl).

  • Left click and right click — pressing either while recording cancels, as does Escape alone unless you are editing the Cancel shortcut.

  • Combinations on Flow's reserved list, including common OS shortcuts such as Cmd+C and Cmd+V, which are rejected with "This shortcut is not allowed."

A combination already assigned elsewhere shows "This shortcut is already in use." The Cancel (ESC) shortcut allows only one binding. Enter Rebind, Note, Paste Last Text and Copy Last Text have no default and can be left unassigned. Use the Reset button in the shortcuts dialog to restore defaults.

Note: Key labels differ by platform. Mac shows ⌃ Ctrl / ⌘ Cmd / ⌥ Opt / ⇧ Shift, with "→" marking right-hand variants; Windows shows Ctrl / Win / Alt / Shift, with Opt shown as Alt.

FAQs

Nothing happens when I press the shortcut. Why?

Command Mode requires a paid plan; on a free plan the shortcut does nothing. Shortcuts also stay inactive until you reach the dictation step of onboarding, and are ignored while the microphone-test dialog is open.

Why do I see "Transcript currently processing"?

You pressed the shortcut while your previous transcript was still processing. Wait for it to finish, then press again.

I said a command but nothing changed. Why?

Text-editing commands require existing text: with no surrounding text and nothing selected, the command does nothing. Failed edits also show no error, so re-try the command.

Can I turn Command Mode off?

Yes — toggle it in Settings → Experimental. The one-time notice shown on your first activation also includes an option to disable it.

What are the defaults on a Mac without an Apple Fn key?

Push-to-talk is Ctrl+Option and hands-free is Ctrl+Option+Space, alongside the Command Mode default listed above.

Still stuck?

Reach out to support — most issues are resolved in one reply. Include:

  • Your platform (Mac or Windows) and Wispr Flow version

  • The shortcut you used and the command you spoke

  • What you expected versus what happened, including any error notifications