Shortcuts and hands-free dictation
Choose how dictation starts, stops, cancels, and pastes on Mac.
Open Monologue → Settings → Dictation to configure the shortcuts that work best with your keyboard and other apps.
Primary shortcut
Hold the primary shortcut while speaking, then release it to finish. The default is the right-side Option key, but you can record another modifier, key combination, function key, or supported mouse button.
Monologue distinguishes the left and right versions of modifier keys. If you assign right Option, pressing left Option should keep its normal behavior.
Hands-free shortcuts
Double-press the primary shortcut to start hands-free recording. Press it again to finish. You can also add dedicated hands-free shortcuts or mouse buttons.
Other useful shortcuts
- Cancel dictation: Stops the active recording without inserting a result.
- Paste last transcript: Inserts the most recent result again if the original paste went to the wrong place.
- Voice Notes shortcuts: Start, pause, resume, or stop a longer note recording from the Notes settings.
Avoid shortcut conflicts
If another app already uses your shortcut, change one of them. Right Option can conflict with some AI apps and custom keyboard layouts. A multi-key combination is usually the safest alternative.
After changing a shortcut, test both hold-to-talk and hands-free recording in a plain text field.