Route dictation directly to Slack, Email, or Calendar with keyboard shortcuts

Set your own keyboard shortcuts — or mouse buttons — for Flow's dictation actions like push-to-talk, hands-free mode, and pasting your last transcript. Useful when the defaults clash with another app or you want a key that's easier to reach.

What it is

Keyboard shortcuts let you trigger Flow's core dictation actions without taking your hands off the keyboard. Assign up to four shortcuts per action, and use mouse buttons alongside keys. Manage shortcuts in Settings → General → Shortcuts.

When to use it

Customize your shortcuts when you want to:

• Replace the default push-to-talk key with one that's easier to reach.

• Bind a mouse button to dictation so you can talk without using a key at all.

• Resolve a conflict with another app that already uses Flow's default shortcut.

• Assign multiple shortcuts to the same action for different setups (laptop vs. external keyboard).

How it works in Flow

Overview

Open Settings → General → Shortcuts and click Change to open the Shortcuts dialog. Each action has its own row, and you can assign up to four bindings per row.

Configurable actions

• Push to talk: Hold to dictate, release to stop. Default: Fn (Mac) / Ctrl+Win (Windows). On Mac models without an Apple Fn key, the default uses Ctrl+Opt instead of Fn.

• Hands-free mode: Toggle dictation on and off without holding a key. Default: Fn+Space (Mac) / Ctrl+Win+Space (Windows).

• Enter rebind: Remap the Enter key during dictation.

• Command Mode: Speak commands instead of inserting plain dictation.

• Paste last transcript: Re-paste your most recent dictation result. Default: Cmd+Ctrl+V (Mac) / Shift+Alt+Z (Windows).

• Copy last transcript: Copy your most recent dictation result to the clipboard. Default: Cmd+Ctrl+C (Mac) / Shift+Alt+X (Windows).

• Cancel: Stop the current dictation without inserting text. Default: Esc.

• Open Scratchpad: Open the Scratchpad directly from a keyboard shortcut. No default is set — bind one in Settings → General → Shortcuts.

Key behaviors

• Multiple bindings: Assign up to four shortcuts per action — useful when switching between keyboards or input devices.

• Mouse button support: Bind extra mouse buttons (such as side buttons on a gaming mouse) to any dictation action.

• Shortcut rules: Shortcuts must contain 3 or fewer keys and include at least one modifier (except Esc for Cancel).

• Reserved shortcuts blocked: Reserved or system-level shortcuts can't be assigned, and Flow shows an error if you try.

• Conflict warning: A warning appears if the Hands-free shortcut overlaps with the Push-to-talk shortcut.

• Reset to default: The Reset to default button restores all bindings.

• Double-tap and triple-tap PTT: Double-tapping push-to-talk locks into hands-free mode; triple-tapping dismisses it.

• Maximum dictation duration: A single dictation can run up to 20 minutes, with a warning shown shortly before the limit.

Best practices

• Start with the defaults and only change shortcuts that conflict with apps you use daily.

• Use a mouse button for push-to-talk if you dictate while reading or scrolling.

• Keep Cancel bound to Esc so it's easy to stop a dictation that's going sideways.

FAQs

Limitations and notes

• This feature is available on Mac and Windows.

• You can assign up to four shortcuts per action.

• Shortcuts must contain 3 or fewer keys and include at least one modifier (except Esc for Cancel).

• The Open Scratchpad shortcut row is always visible in Settings → General → Shortcuts, but no default binding is set — assign one to use it.

• Conditional rows (Transform, View Diff, Focus Mode) only appear when those features are enabled.

• Logitech MX Master side buttons cannot be used for push-to-talk when configured through Logi Options+.