Dictation Mode
Use push-to-talk or hands-free recording to transcribe speech into text.
Dictation is Glaido's core feature. Speak naturally and Glaido transcribes your words in real time, formats the text with AI, and pastes it into whatever app you're using.
How it works
- Audio capture. Your microphone records audio while you speak. Built-in noise reduction cleans up the signal automatically.
- Transcription. Audio is streamed to Glaido's servers where Whisper AI converts speech to text.
- Formatting. An AI model applies punctuation, capitalization, and your custom formatting rules.
- Paste. The final text is pasted into your active text field.
The entire pipeline takes around 1 to 3 seconds after you stop speaking, depending on the length of your dictation.
Recording modes
Glaido offers two ways to record:
Hold to record, release to transcribe.
This is the default and most popular mode. It's ideal for quick dictations like sentences, messages, or short paragraphs.
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Hold hotkey | Recording starts |
| Speak | Audio is captured |
| Release hotkey | Recording stops, text is transcribed and pasted |
Default hotkey: Fn (macOS) / Ctrl + Win (Windows)
Press once to start, press again to stop.
Hands-free dictation is designed for longer dictations where holding a key would be uncomfortable. You toggle recording on and off.
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Press hotkey | Recording starts |
| Speak | Audio is captured |
| Press hotkey again or Enter | Recording stops, text is transcribed and pasted |
| Press Esc | Recording is cancelled (no text pasted) |
Default hotkey: Fn + Space (macOS) / Ctrl + Win + Shift (Windows)
Live feedback
While recording, Glaido shows visual feedback:
- The dictation bar appears at the bottom-center of your screen with a live waveform of your audio. It never steals focus from the app you're working in. You can raise its position in Preferences if it overlaps something on your screen.
- Interaction sounds play when recording starts and stops (configurable in Preferences)
Tips for best results
- Speak naturally. Don't over-enunciate or speak unnaturally slowly. Glaido handles natural speech patterns.
- Minimize background noise. Glaido includes a denoiser, but a quieter environment always helps.
- Dictate complete thoughts. Longer, continuous speech tends to produce better formatting than very short fragments.
Voice Activation
You can trigger an AI command mid-dictation by saying "Hey Glaido" followed by your request. See Voice Activation.