Push-to-Talk Mode

Push to Talk is the default recording mode. You hold your recording keybind while you speak. When you let go, the recording ends and your words appear at your cursor once EnviousWispr has worked out what you said.

The three ways to record

1. Hold. Press and hold your keybind while you speak. Let go to finish.
2. Double-press. Press your keybind twice within half a second to go hands-free. Press it three times within half a second to cancel instead. After a double-press, recording keeps going when you let go. Press your keybind once to stop.
3. Hold + Space. If your keybind is a modifier key used on its own, such as Command, Option, Shift, Control or Fn (Globe), hold only that key and press Space to go hands-free. The default keybind, Right Option, is one of these. A key combination cannot do this. Press your keybind once to stop.

Hands-Free Mode (Long Dictation) explains hands-free recording, including when Space does not lock.

Dictate with Push to Talk

1. Click into a text box. Use any text box on your Mac.
2. Press and hold your keybind. Start speaking.
3. Let go when you finish. Your text appears at the cursor a moment later.

Recording stops the moment you release the key, so a cough, a deep breath, or a passing conversation after you finish never reaches the transcript.

A short sound confirms when recording starts and stops. To switch it off, go to Dictation Settings > Chimes and turn off Play recording chimes.

Switch to Push to Talk

1. Click the EnviousWispr icon in your menu bar and choose Open EnviousWispr.
2. Open Keybinds.
3. In the Recording mode row, pick Push to Talk.

The option you pick is highlighted. It worked when holding your keybind starts a recording and releasing it ends the recording.

Record without holding the key

For a long block of speech, press your keybind twice within half a second. Or, if your keybind is a modifier key used on its own, such as Option, hold only that key and press Space. Recording stays on after you let go. This is hands-free mode. Hands-Free Mode (Long Dictation) covers it in full.

If you prefer to tap once to start and once to stop, use Toggle Mode.

I pressed cancel by mistake

Pressing your cancel keybind, Escape by default, keeps the dictation and offers it back instead of throwing it away. See Escape Recovery.

The first word gets cut off

The moment you press your keybind, EnviousWispr starts waking the microphone, before you have said anything. That head start helps stop a Bluetooth headset from cutting off the start of your sentence.

It is a head start, not a guarantee. On your first dictation after opening the app there is no earlier audio to draw on, so pause for a beat after pressing the key before you speak. First Word Gets Cut Off explains when that happens and how to make it rarer.