Using Flow with Linux, WSL, and Terminal Applications

Last updated: June 5, 2026

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, then 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.

  1. Open your terminal and click into it so it has focus.

  2. Dictate using Flow.

  3. 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 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.

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

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

  3. 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.

  1. Dictate using Flow. 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 Cmd+Ctrl+V (Mac) to paste.

Note: Verify the text appears in your terminal after pressing the shortcut. 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 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

No setup required

Ghostty (Mac/Windows)

Yes

No setup required

Hyper (Mac/Windows)

Yes

No setup required

Alacritty (Mac/Windows)

Yes

No setup required

Kitty (Mac/Windows)

Yes

No setup required

Claude Code (in terminal)

Yes

Long dictations are automatically split into smaller chunks for reliable delivery.

Codex (in terminal)

Yes

Long dictations are automatically split into smaller chunks for reliable delivery.

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). On Windows, Flow uses Shift+Insert instead of Ctrl+V to simulate paste.

Cursor (integrated terminal)

Yes

File tagging works in editor panels. On Windows, Flow uses Shift+Insert instead of Ctrl+V to simulate paste.

Windsurf (integrated terminal)

Yes

File tagging works in editor panels. On Windows, Flow uses Shift+Insert instead of Ctrl+V to simulate paste.

VS Code Remote SSH (Windows)

Yes

Use Paste last transcript if direct paste doesn't work in remote sessions.

Termius (Windows)

No

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 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.

  • Use the Copy last transcript shortcut: A separate shortcut (default Shift+Alt+X on Windows; user-configurable on Mac) copies the last transcript to the clipboard without pasting — useful when you need to paste somewhere Flow can't paste directly.

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

  • Switch keyboard layouts freely: Flow's paste shortcuts use physical key positions, so they work the same across keyboard layouts (QWERTY, Dvorak, AZERTY, Colemak) on both Mac and Windows. No restart needed.

  • Recover 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; if a paste is cancelled, the previous clipboard is not restored. If the transcription is empty, Flow shows only a notification with no clipboard fallback. On Windows, if paste is blocked because Flow has lower privilege than the terminal, a separate notification prompts you to run Flow as Administrator.

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:

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

  2. 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).

Why are my long dictations split into pieces in Claude Code or Codex?

In Claude Code and Codex, Flow automatically splits long dictations into smaller chunks for reliable delivery. This happens automatically — no action needed.

I see an "Update admin settings to paste!" notification on Windows. What does it mean?

Your terminal is running at a higher privilege level than Flow, and Windows is blocking the paste between them. Quit Flow and relaunch it as Administrator (right-click the Flow icon → Run as administrator), then try dictating again.

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

Try these steps:

  1. Restart Flow and your terminal application.

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

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  • Direct paste is not supported in WSL terminals, SSH sessions, tmux, or screen. Use Paste last transcript in these environments.

  • 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.

  • 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.