Dictate into any Mac app, right at your cursor

You have a clear idea in your head, but typing it out takes three times longer than just saying it aloud. The problem? Most dictation tools make you speak into a separate window, then copy-paste the result into Mail, Slack, or your code editor. That back-and-forth kills your momentum and breaks your focus.

The right approach: dictate directly wherever your cursor already is, in the app you're already using. Here's how to do it on macOS — cleanly, without per-app extensions and without copy-pasting.

Why cursor insertion changes everything

Cursor insertion means the text appears exactly where you were typing, in the active field. No intermediate window, no clipboard to manage.

In practice, this unlocks three things:

• Your flow stays unbroken. You keep your eyes on your document, not on a transcription panel.
• Context is preserved. You reply to an email while staying in the email, you annotate code while staying in the editor.
• It works the same everywhere. One gesture, the same reflex in every app.

That's the difference between a tool you try for two days and one you actually keep.

The method: hold a key, speak, release

The most reliable approach on Mac is push-to-talk. You hold down a modifier key, speak, then release. The text is inserted at the cursor.

With Speech Flow, the gesture goes like this:

1. Place your cursor in the field where you want to write (email body, Slack message, Notion page, code comment…).
2. Hold Ctrl and dictate your sentence naturally.
3. Release. Clean, punctuated text is inserted at the cursor position.

No per-app configuration needed. Because insertion uses macOS's native text input mechanisms, it works in any standard text field.

What the rewrite step does

Raw dictation often produces hesitant text: “uh,” repetitions, zero punctuation. Speech Flow runs the transcription through an LLM (via your own API keys) to:

• remove filler words and false starts;
• add punctuation and capitalization;
• adapt the tone to the app (a Slack message more direct, an email more composed).

You speak the way you think; the inserted text is immediately readable.

App by app: what to expect

The simple rule: if you can click into a field and type, you can dictate there.

For code, dictation shines most on the text around the code — comments, PR descriptions, commit messages — rather than the syntax itself.

Multilingual, no settings change needed

If you work in multiple languages, you can dictate in English, then switch to French, Spanish, or Italian on the fly. Handy for a French email in the morning and an English team message in the afternoon, without digging through preferences.

Privacy: where does your voice go?

A fair question when you're dictating internal emails or code. Speech Flow's model is built on BYOK (bring your own keys: OpenAI, Gemini, or Groq). Audio is not stored on the app side: it's used to produce text, then it's gone. You stay in control of which provider you use.

If you're comparing solutions on the market, this point often makes the difference — see our comparison Speech Flow vs Wispr Flow.

FAQ

Do I need to install a plug-in for each application?
No. Insertion goes through macOS's text input mechanisms, so any standard text field works with no per-app setup.

Does it work offline?
The rewrite step calls an API (your keys), so a connection is required. That said, no audio is kept after processing.

What if the inserted text contains an error?
Since it's inserted at the cursor in the app, you correct it directly from the keyboard, just like any typed text. Nothing to re-import.

In summary

Dictating into any Mac app becomes simple the moment text is inserted at the cursor: one gesture, everywhere, no copy-pasting. You keep your rhythm and the context of the app you're working in.

Speech Flow is a native macOS app (Apple Silicon), lightweight (~50 MB), at €69 lifetime on BYOK — or as an all-inclusive plan if you'd rather not manage keys. If cursor dictation sounds right for you, details and pricing are here.