How to dictate on Mac with a hotkey

You dictate on Mac by holding Option, speaking, and releasing when you are done. Parlo for Mac transcribes your words on the device and strips filler sounds by default, then pastes clean text into the app you were using at your cursor. AI cleanup, off by default, adds a full language-model pass. The beta is free and needs no account.

By Eric Friedman. Last updated 2026-09-08.

Parlo for Mac lives in the menu bar, with no window to open before you dictate. You dictate anywhere on the Mac with a single hotkey, and the text lands where your cursor already is.

How do you dictate with the Option hotkey?

The default hotkey is Option. You are not stuck with it: Settings lets you record a custom shortcut if Option is already used by something else on your Mac.

What happens after you release Option?

1. Parlo transcribes what you said on your Mac, using Apple's on-device speech engine.
2. By default, a deterministic pass strips filler sounds and false starts and applies spoken commands like "new line," "new paragraph," and "parentheses ... end parentheses." Turning on "Use AI cleanup" in Settings replaces that pass with a full on-device language model, which also removes repeated words and handles "quote" and "end quote."
3. Parlo puts the cleaned text on the pasteboard and sends a paste command to the app you were using, after confirming that app is in front.

If that last step fails, because the app is no longer frontmost or the paste does not go through, the text stays on your clipboard and Parlo tells you it was copied instead of lost.

Where does the text land?

Wherever your cursor already is, in whatever app was in front when you held Option: a Mail draft, a Slack message, a document, a terminal. Parlo for Mac is not a keyboard extension and does not have its own text field. It inserts into the app you were already using.

What permissions does Parlo for Mac need and why?

Parlo for Mac needs two permissions. Microphone access lets it record while you hold the hotkey. Accessibility access lets it insert text into the app you were using, since macOS requires that permission for any app that pastes into other apps on your behalf. First-run onboarding walks through both, plus setting the hotkey and turning on launch at login, with a live check that shows whether Accessibility is actually granted.

If you replace Parlo.app later, for example after installing a new beta build, macOS can drop the Accessibility grant on its own. If Option-hold dictation stops working after an update, open System Settings, Privacy and Security, Accessibility, and turn Parlo off and back on in that list.

Does dictation on Mac work without an internet connection?

Processing runs on your Mac. The first time you dictate on a fresh install, Apple's on-device speech model may need a one-time download, which needs a connection. After that, transcription and cleanup both run on the device.

What happens to your dictation history?

Every finished dictation lands in the Notes window, a searchable list you can open from the menu bar. Notes are encrypted at rest on the device. History sync through your private iCloud is on by default and end-to-end encrypted, so only your own devices can read the synced copy; you can turn it off in Settings. Deleting a note moves it to a device-local trash for 30 days rather than removing it immediately.

Can you export what you dictate on Mac?

Yes. Markdown export is a Mac-only feature. Filenames are deterministic per note, so exporting the same note again overwrites the file instead of creating a duplicate. Export All and an auto-export toggle write files into a folder you choose, such as an Obsidian vault, with no network step involved.

What if the hotkey stops responding?

Check Accessibility first, since that permission being dropped is the most common cause after reinstalling the app. If the hotkey still does not respond, quit and reopen Parlo from the menu bar, and confirm no other app has claimed the same shortcut. It is a beta, so reply to beta@parlokey.com with what you saw and your macOS version if you have it.

How is the Option hotkey different from Apple's built-in dictation on Mac?

Apple's Mac dictation starts from the Microphone key, a Dictation shortcut you set in Keyboard settings, or Edit > Start Dictation, and it toggles on and off rather than holding a key down. Parlo's hotkey is the same hold-and-release gesture in every app, with cleanup and a searchable history built around it. Neither approach publishes an accuracy percentage, so trying both on your own voice is the honest way to compare them.

What settings can you adjust around the hotkey?

Settings groups a few related options together: recording a custom shortcut instead of Option, turning launch at login on or off, showing or hiding the menu-bar icon, and hiding the Dock icon. Playing a short sound when text is inserted is also there, off by default. None of these change how the hotkey itself works, only how Parlo behaves around it.

What can you use the Mac hotkey for?

You can use it for quick Slack replies and follow-up notes between meetings, without breaking your typing flow to open another app. You can dictate a rough draft straight into a document, then clean it up by hand afterward. Right after a call or an appointment, you can get a note down before the details fade; it is encrypted at rest, and history sync through your private iCloud is on by default if you want it, off if you do not. If you dictate hands-free for RSI or another reason, the double-tap lock means you never have to hold a key down for a long stretch of dictation.

Does Parlo tell you when a new build is out?

Yes. Parlo for Mac checks parlokey.com once a day and tells you when a new build is available. The check is notify-only and on by default; it does not install anything by itself. Downloading the new build again from the beta page is how you update during the public beta, unless you have separately enrolled in automatic updates.