Your First Dictation
This guide walks you through your very first dictation in TalkWriter. In 60 seconds, you will go from silence to polished text.
Why This Matters
Your first dictation is the moment TalkWriter proves its value. In about 60 seconds, you will see raw, casual speech transformed into clean, ready-to-use text -- automatically. Once you see it work, you will understand why voice dictation with AI Polish is faster than typing.
Your First 60 Seconds
Step 1: Open any app where you type
Open TextEdit, Notes, Google Docs, Slack, or any application where you can type text. Click to place your cursor where you want text to appear.
Step 2: Press and hold the Fn key
Hold down the Fn key on your keyboard (bottom-left corner). The TalkWriter pill overlay appears on screen, showing an animated waveform that confirms dictation is active.
Step 3: Speak naturally
Say something like:
"Hey I wanted to follow up on our meeting from yesterday. I think the project timeline looks good but we might need to push the design review back a week. Let me know what you think."
Speak at your normal pace. Do not worry about punctuation, filler words, or perfect grammar. TalkWriter handles all of that.
Step 4: Release the Fn key
Let go of the Fn key. TalkWriter processes your speech for a moment (the pill shows a processing animation).
Step 5: See your polished text
The finished text appears at your cursor. Here is what the AI Polish does to your raw speech:
Before and After: AI Polish in Action
| What You Said | What TalkWriter Typed | |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1 | "hey um I wanted to follow up on our meeting from yesterday I think the project timeline looks good but uh we might need to push the design review back a week let me know what you think" | "Hey, I wanted to follow up on our meeting from yesterday. I think the project timeline looks good, but we might need to push the design review back a week. Let me know what you think." |
| Example 2 | "so basically the thing is that um the server keeps crashing whenever we try to upload files that are larger than like fifty megabytes" | "The server keeps crashing whenever we try to upload files larger than 50 MB." |
| Example 3 | "dear professor I was wondering if uh I could get an extension on the paper that's due Friday because I've been really sick this week" | "Dear Professor, I was wondering if I could get an extension on the paper due Friday, as I have been sick this week." |
- Removes filler words ("um", "uh", "like", "basically", "you know")
- Adds proper punctuation (periods, commas, question marks)
- Fixes grammar and sentence structure
- Formats numbers and abbreviations ("fifty megabytes" becomes "50 MB")
- Keeps your meaning and voice intact
What You Should See
After your first dictation, verify these results:
| Check | What to Look For |
|---|---|
| Pill appeared | A small dark floating pill showed on screen when you held Fn |
| Audio detected | The pill showed a waveform animation while you spoke |
| Text appeared | Polished text was pasted at your cursor position |
| Punctuation added | The output has periods, commas, and capitalization |
| Filler words removed | Any "um" or "uh" you said is gone from the output |
Practical Example: Real-World Scenario
Scenario: You need to reply to a coworker's email asking about a project deadline.
- Open Gmail in your browser and click Reply on the email.
- Click into the reply text field so your cursor is blinking there.
- Hold Fn and say: "Hey Sarah, the project is on track and we should have everything wrapped up by Friday. I'll send you the final files once QA is done. Let me know if you need anything before then."
- Release Fn.
- Within 1-2 seconds, a clean, polished reply appears in the Gmail compose box.
- Click Send.
You just replied to an email in 10 seconds instead of 2 minutes of typing.
After your first dictation, try pressing Cmd + Z immediately. It undoes the pasted text, just like any other text input. This gives you confidence that dictation is reversible -- you can always undo and try again.
Try These Next
Now that your first dictation worked, experiment:
- Dictate an email -- Open your email app, click reply, and dictate your response.
- Try a longer passage -- Hold Fn and speak for 30 seconds or more. TalkWriter handles long dictations smoothly.
- Test in different apps -- Try Google Docs, Slack, VS Code, or any text field.
- Use the Scratchpad -- Open TalkWriter's built-in Scratchpad to dictate without any other app open.
- Hover over the pill -- While dictating, hover your mouse over the pill overlay to see quick controls for switching language or dictation mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
My text appeared but there was no AI Polish applied. Why? AI Polish is enabled by default. Check Settings > AI Polish to make sure it is toggled on. If it is off, you will get the raw Soniox transcription without cleanup.
The text pasted in the wrong place. What happened? TalkWriter pastes text wherever your cursor is. Make sure you click into the correct text field before pressing Fn. Do not switch apps while the pill shows "Processing."
Nothing happened when I pressed Fn. What should I do? Make sure you granted both Microphone and Accessibility permissions. See First Setup. Also check that TalkWriter is running (look for the TW icon in your menu bar).
Can I undo a dictation? Yes. Press Cmd + Z immediately after text is pasted to undo it, just like any other text input.
How long can a single dictation be? There is no hard limit. PTT mode works best for dictations under 60 seconds. For longer content, switch to Live mode where you can pause and resume naturally.
Was this helpful? Let us know at support@talkwriter.ai