Hands-free dictation on a Mac: talk without holding a key
OpenWhisp now supports hands-free dictation on a Mac: instead of holding a key the whole time, you tap your trigger once to lock the mic open, speak freely, then tap again or press Esc to stop. A silence safety net ends a forgotten session automatically. Hold-to-talk still works exactly as before.
Push-to-talk is great for a quick sentence — hold the key, speak, release. But for anything longer — a paragraph, a journal entry, thinking out loud — holding a key the entire time is a small, constant strain, and it ties up a hand you might want for something else.
OpenWhisp’s hands-free mode removes the hold. One tap locks the mic open; you speak with both hands free; a tap or Esc stops it.
How to turn it on
- Go to Settings › Dictation › Activation and set the activation style to “Hands-free (tap to lock)”. (Or leave it on hold-to-talk and just double-tap your trigger key to lock the mic for a single session.)
- Tap your trigger key — the overlay shows a lock badge and “Hands-free — tap key or Esc to stop.”
- Speak. The mic stays live with nothing held down.
- Tap the trigger again to insert what you said, or press Esc to discard the session.
It won’t record forever by accident
The obvious worry with a locked mic is walking away and leaving it running. OpenWhisp has a safety net: auto-stop after a long silence is on by default, so a session you forget about ends itself after a long quiet stretch instead of recording indefinitely. It’s all on-device — the audio never leaves your Mac.
You don’t lose hold-to-talk
Hands-free is an addition, not a replacement. Holding the key still works exactly as before, so you can use the quick hold for a one-liner and switch to hands-free for the long stuff. Pair it with a floating Scratchpad and you can lock the mic, lean back, and talk a whole note into existence without touching the keyboard again.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I dictate on a Mac without holding a key down?
- Yes. OpenWhisp's hands-free mode locks the mic open with one tap of your trigger key. You speak with your hands free and tap again (or press Esc) to stop. Hold-to-talk remains available too.
- What stops hands-free dictation from recording forever if I forget?
- An auto-stop-after-long-silence safety net, on by default, ends a locked session after a long quiet stretch — so a forgotten session can't keep recording.
- Is hands-free dictation still private and on-device?
- Yes. Like all OpenWhisp dictation, hands-free transcription runs on-device and the audio never leaves your Mac.
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