Using Flow with Linux, WSL, and Terminal Applications

Last updated: September 8, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows

Flow transcribes but nothing appears in your terminal? Text shows in Flow but not in WSL? Here's which terminals accept direct paste, how to use Paste last transcript when they don't, and how to dictate into terminal editors.

Quick checks

  • Is your terminal focused? Flow pastes into the active window — click into the terminal, then dictate.

  • Did Flow transcribe? If the text is in Flow's interface but didn't paste, the problem is paste delivery, not transcription.

  • Confirm your push-to-talk shortcut (Windows): The default is Ctrl+Win, but your binding may differ — check Settings → Shortcuts.

  • Does direct paste work here? Dictate a short phrase. If it appears, you're done. If not, press Shift+Alt+Z on Windows; on Mac, Paste last transcript has no default shortcut — set one in Settings → Shortcuts or use the tray/app menu entry — then continue below.

Note: In terminals, Flow does not warn you to click into a text field first, so a paste into an unfocused or non-editable terminal goes nowhere with no error.

How to use Flow with terminals

Windows terminals

Flow pastes directly into Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Windows Terminal with no setup.

  1. Click into your terminal so it has focus.

  2. Dictate using Flow.

  3. Verify text appears. If it doesn't, press Shift+Alt+Z to paste.

Important: If the target app runs as Administrator, Flow must too. Windows blocks input from lower-privilege apps to higher-privilege ones.

Mac terminals

Flow works with Terminal.app, iTerm2, Warp, and other Mac terminals once Accessibility is enabled.

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and enable Wispr Flow.

  2. Click into your terminal so it has focus, and dictate.

  3. Verify text appears. If it doesn't, use Paste last transcript from the tray menu, or set a shortcut for it in Settings → Shortcuts.

Note: Only Flow needs Microphone and Accessibility permissions; your terminal needs none. Without Accessibility, dictation fails to start with an "Accessibility is not enabled" error — not just paste.

WSL and virtual machines

Flow transcribes but does not paste directly into WSL windows or Linux VMs.

  1. Dictate using Flow; the text appears in Flow's interface.

  2. Click into your WSL or VM terminal so it has focus.

  3. Press Shift+Alt+Z (Windows), or use Paste last transcript from the Mac tray menu. If nothing appears, click into the terminal again to confirm focus and retry.

Warning: Flow's context-aware formatting (capitalization, spacing, punctuation) applies in terminals too and can transform shell commands unexpectedly. Use Paste last transcript if formatting interferes.

Tip: For longer content like scripts or documentation, dictate in a supported app first, then copy into your terminal.

Terminal compatibility

Flow inserts text the same way in every application on Mac and Windows, so direct paste works in any terminal that accepts a paste from another application — there is no per-terminal allow-list. It fails where the target window doesn't receive Flow's input: WSL windows, Linux VMs, and remote SSH sessions.

Terminal

Direct paste

Notes

Terminal.app (Mac)

Yes

No setup required.

iTerm2 (Mac)

Yes

No setup required.

Warp (Mac/Windows)

Yes

No setup required.

Ghostty (Mac/Windows)

Yes

No setup required.

VS Code (integrated terminal)

Yes

Standard paste; file tagging not supported.

Cursor (integrated terminal)

Yes

File tagging works in editor panels.

Windsurf (integrated terminal)

Yes

File tagging works in editor panels.

VS Code Remote SSH (Windows)

Yes

Use Paste last transcript if direct paste fails.

WSL terminals

No

Use Paste last transcript (Shift+Alt+Z).

Linux VMs

No

Use Paste last transcript.

Remote SSH sessions

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.

  • Paste without a shortcut: Use "Paste last transcript" in the Windows tray menu, or Dictation → "Copy last transcript" in the Mac app menu, which copies instead of pasting. Windows has no app menu bar — tray and shortcut only. Both entries are greyed out until you have a transcript.

  • Use Copy last transcript: On Windows, Shift+Alt+X copies without pasting — useful where Flow can't paste directly. Mac has no default; set one in Settings → Shortcuts. Both shortcuts are configurable.

  • Setting a custom shortcut: A custom Paste last transcript shortcut needs at least one modifier key (or a mouse button), can be at most 3 keys, can't reuse a combo assigned to another action, and can't mix left and right versions of the same modifier. Middle click and Mouse 4–10 can be bound; left and right click cannot.

  • Clipboard managers may skip it: Third-party clipboard-manager history may not record text pasted by Flow.

  • Clipboard restoration: Your previous clipboard contents come back shortly after pasting, except for copied files, PDFs, rich text, and audio.

  • Use VS Code for remote development on Windows: If your SSH client doesn't accept Flow's paste, use VS Code with the Remote SSH extension.

  • Switch keyboard layouts freely: Flow's paste shortcuts behave identically on QWERTY, Dvorak, AZERTY, and Colemak on both platforms — no restart needed.

  • Recover if paste fails: If the paste doesn't land, Flow may notify you and leave the text on your clipboard so you can paste manually with Ctrl+V / Cmd+V.

FAQs

Why doesn't Flow paste into my WSL terminal?

WSL handles input from Windows differently, so Flow's paste isn't delivered into the WSL window. Press Shift+Alt+Z to paste manually.

Can I use Flow with Vim, Nano, or other terminal text editors?

Yes. Enter insert mode before dictating, and use Paste last transcript if automatic paste doesn't work.

I see a notification about administrator/privilege settings when pasting on Windows. What does it mean?

Your terminal runs at a higher privilege level than Flow, so Windows blocks the paste. Quit Flow and relaunch it as Administrator (right-click the Flow icon → Run as administrator), then dictate again.

I granted accessibility permissions but Flow still won't paste. What do I do?

Work through these steps:

  1. Restart Flow and your terminal application.

  2. Verify Accessibility is enabled for Wispr Flow (not the terminal) in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

  3. Verify Microphone permission for Wispr Flow — Mac: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone; Windows: Settings → Privacy → Microphone. On Mac, also confirm Screen Capture.

  4. Test in a native terminal (Terminal.app on Mac, PowerShell on Windows). If it works there, the issue is specific to your third-party terminal.

  5. Use Paste last transcript if direct paste keeps failing.

I pressed Paste last transcript and nothing happened at all.

If the last dictation produced no usable text, Paste last transcript does nothing and shows no error. Wait until the current dictation finishes, then press it again.

Does Flow work on Linux?

There is no native Linux application. If you run Linux in WSL or a VM on Windows or Mac, use Paste last transcript.

Limitations and notes

  • Flow is available on Mac and Windows only — there is no native Linux application.

  • Direct paste is not supported in WSL terminals, Linux VMs, or remote SSH sessions; use Paste last transcript there.

  • Flow's post-paste edit tracking can't read secure or password fields, and doesn't apply when focus is lost or the focused element isn't editable. The paste itself still happens.

  • If you revoke Flow's permissions, Flow notifies you and opens the relevant System Settings 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.

  • Paste last transcript 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 tried. Most terminal paste issues are resolved in one reply.