Using Flow with Linux, WSL, and Terminal Applications
Available on: Mac, Windows
Flow transcribes but nothing appears in your terminal? Text shows up in Flow but not in WSL? This guide covers which terminals support direct paste, how to use the Paste Last Transcript shortcut when they don't, and tips for dictating into terminal editors.
Quick checks
Is your terminal focused? Click into the terminal window before dictating — Flow pastes into the active window.
Did Flow transcribe successfully? Check Flow's interface for the transcribed text. If text is there but didn't paste, the problem is paste delivery, not transcription.
Does direct paste work in your terminal? Dictate a short phrase. If it appears, you're done. If not, press Shift+Alt+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Ctrl+V (Mac) to paste the last transcript — and continue to the steps below to set things up properly.
How to use Flow with terminals
Windows terminals
Flow pastes directly into Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Windows Terminal without any setup.
Open your terminal and click into it so it has focus.
Dictate using Flow.
Verify text appears in your terminal. If it doesn't, press Shift+Alt+Z to paste.
Important: If your terminal is running as Administrator (an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell), Flow must also run as Administrator. Windows security (UIPI) blocks paste between apps at different privilege levels.
Mac terminals
Flow works with Terminal.app, iTerm2, Warp, and other Mac terminal applications once accessibility permissions are enabled.
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and enable the toggle for Wispr Flow.
Open your terminal, click into it so it has focus, and dictate.
Verify text appears directly. If it doesn't, press Cmd+Ctrl+V to paste.
Note: Only Flow needs Microphone and Accessibility permissions. Your terminal app does not need any permissions of its own.
WSL and virtual machines
Flow transcribes successfully but does not paste directly into WSL terminal windows or Linux VMs. Use Paste Last Transcript instead.
Dictate using Flow. Text appears in Flow's interface.
Click into your WSL or VM terminal so it has focus.
Press Shift+Alt+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Ctrl+V (Mac) to paste.
Warning: Flow's context-aware formatting (capitalization, spacing, punctuation) applies in terminals just like other apps. This can cause unexpected transformations when dictating shell commands. Use Paste Last Transcript if formatting is interfering.
Tip: For longer content like scripts or documentation, dictate in a supported app first, then copy to your terminal.
Terminal compatibility
Terminal | Direct paste | Notes |
Terminal.app (Mac) | Yes | No setup required |
iTerm2 (Mac) | Yes | No setup required |
Warp (Mac/Windows) | Yes | Recognized as an AI app |
Ghostty (Mac/Windows) | Yes | Recognized as an AI app |
Hyper (Mac/Windows) | Yes | No setup required |
Alacritty (Mac/Windows) | Yes | Recognized as a terminal app |
Kitty (Mac/Windows) | Yes | Recognized as a terminal app |
PowerShell (Windows) | Yes | No setup required |
Command Prompt (Windows) | Yes | No setup required |
Windows Terminal | Yes | No setup required |
WezTerm (Windows) | Yes | No setup required |
VS Code (integrated terminal) | Yes | Standard paste — no special IDE commands (file tagging not supported) |
Cursor (integrated terminal) | Yes | Special code insertion is disabled in the terminal pane. File tagging works in editor panels. |
Windsurf (integrated terminal) | Yes | Special code insertion is disabled in the terminal pane. File tagging works in editor panels. |
VS Code Remote SSH (Windows) | Yes | Use Paste Last Transcript if direct paste doesn't work in remote sessions |
Termius (Windows) | No | Not recognized as a terminal app — use Paste Last Transcript |
WSL terminals | No | Use Paste Last Transcript (Shift+Alt+Z) |
SSH sessions, tmux, screen | No | Use Paste Last Transcript |
Tips for terminal use
Prefer native terminals: Windows Terminal, PowerShell, and Terminal.app integrate more reliably than third-party alternatives.
Enter insert mode first: In Vim, Nano, or other terminal editors, switch to insert mode before dictating.
Trigger Paste Last Transcript without the keyboard shortcut: Use the tray menu ("Paste last transcript") or the Flow Bar context menu. On Mac, the app menu (Dictation → "Copy last transcript") copies the text to your clipboard instead of pasting it directly.
Remote development on Windows: If your SSH client doesn't support Flow's paste, use VS Code with the Remote SSH extension.
Non-QWERTY keyboard layouts: On Mac, Flow detects your layout at startup, so AZERTY, Dvorak, and similar layouts work. Restart Flow if you switch layouts. On Windows, the paste shortcut is layout-independent.
If paste fails: Flow shows a notification and copies the text to your clipboard so you can paste it manually. Flow saves your previous clipboard before pasting and restores it after a successful paste (~500 ms delay); if a paste is cancelled, the previous clipboard is not restored.
Common issues
Edits to dictated text in terminals weren't being saved
In terminals and other plain-text inputs, edits made to dictated text were sometimes silently dropped and didn't appear in your history. This was fixed in a recent update. To resolve:
Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.
Restart Flow after updating.
FAQs
Why doesn't Flow paste into my WSL terminal?
WSL handles input from Windows differently, which prevents Flow's paste shortcut from being delivered into the WSL window. Press Shift+Alt+Z to paste your transcription manually.
Can I use Flow with Vim, Nano, or other terminal text editors?
Yes. Enter insert mode before dictating. If automatic paste doesn't work, use the Paste Last Transcript shortcut (Cmd+Ctrl+V on Mac, Shift+Alt+Z on Windows).
I granted accessibility permissions but Flow still won't paste. What do I do?
Try these steps:
Restart Flow and your terminal application.
Verify Accessibility permission is enabled for Wispr Flow (not the terminal) in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
Verify Microphone permission is enabled for Wispr Flow. On Mac: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. On Windows: Settings → Privacy → Microphone. Also confirm Screen Capture permission, which doesn't always re-prompt after revocation.
Test with a native terminal (Terminal.app on Mac, PowerShell on Windows). If it works there, the issue is specific to your third-party terminal.
Use Paste Last Transcript if direct paste continues to fail.
Does Flow work on Linux?
Flow is not available as a native Linux application. If you're running Linux in WSL or a virtual machine on Windows or Mac, use Paste Last Transcript to paste transcriptions.
Limitations and notes
Flow is available on Mac and Windows only — there is no native Linux application.
If you revoke Flow's permissions, Flow notifies you and opens the relevant System Preferences pane so you can re-enable them.
Still stuck?
Reach out to support if:
Direct paste fails in a terminal listed as supported above, even after restarting Flow and re-checking permissions.
The Paste Last Transcript shortcut doesn't paste anywhere, including into a plain text editor.
You see an error message not covered in this guide.
Include your platform (Mac or Windows), the terminal name and version, and what you've already tried. Most terminal paste issues are resolved in one reply.