How to dictate into any application
How to dictate into any application on macOS and Windows — including what the built-in tools already do for free, and the point at which they stop being enough.
Step by step
- Put your cursor where the text should goAny text field, in any app.
- Press Option+D (Alt+D)The screen dims and your words appear as you say them.
- TalkNormal speed, normal punctuation habits.
- StopThe transcript is typed at the cursor. Nothing to copy.
Try dictation that types where your cursor already is
Free on every aiCat plan, including the free one.
Start with what you already own
Before paying for dictation, spend a day on Apple Dictation or Windows Voice Access. They are free, already installed, and for plain text entry they are competent. If they turn out to be enough, nothing on the rest of this page is worth money to you.
The three things that usually send people past them are the same three every time: saying 'comma' out loud, having to edit the filler out afterwards, and a second language that means changing a system setting before every recording.
Free on every plan, in every application
Download for free and hold one key.
Frequently asked
Is dictation free?
Yes — voice recording and transcription work on the Free plan.
Which engine is used?
Whichever you choose: Deepgram, OpenAI, Gemini, AssemblyAI or ElevenLabs. The default is the best accuracy-per-cost option.
Which operating systems does aiCat support?
macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows 10/11, and Linux as AppImage, .deb or .rpm.
How much does aiCat cost?
Free to start, with 10 aiCatCoins a month and everything aiCat does included. Premium starts from $6 a month (40% off the $10 list price) and adds Think More, read-aloud, encrypted memory, 5000-character selections and 3000 coins a month. Team + Offline starts from $18 per member and adds local models, a memory you can edit by hand, and MCP access from your other tools. Coins can also be bought outright instead of subscribing, and they do not expire.