1. Place the cursor
Open Notes, Pages, Word, Mail, Messages, a browser field, or another writing app and click where the text should land.
Guide
Dictate into the app you already use.
Click where the text should appear, press the dictation hotkey, speak naturally, then finish the recording. Diktator turns your speech into text locally and gives you delivery options.
2. Use the hotkey
The default direct Mac shortcuts are Right Command for normal dictation and Right Option for translation to your selected target language. Shortcuts are configurable.
3. Speak naturally
The capsule indicates recording. Dictation is green, model translation blue, and Apple Translation neutral white or dark. Pause briefly when switching languages.
4. Let Diktator prepare the speech
Diktator watches pauses, splits speech into natural fragments, and keeps recent context so dictation is not handled as disconnected pieces.
5. Use spoken formatting
Basic spoken commands such as comma, question mark, new paragraph, new line, and capitalization can be treated as formatting rather than literal words.
6. Place or copy the result
The direct build supports multiple delivery paths: automatic typing without the clipboard, clipboard delivery, Input Method, Enhanced Assistive Mode, Copy, Drag, and the result capsule.
7. Pro proofreading
Pro adds segmented long dictation, live transcript, Original/Proofread comparison, and guarded final cleanup for longer writing. Review exact names, quotations, and poetry before replacing.
New in 2.3.1
Edit results and choose corrections. Set separate modes for dictation and proofreading. Restore an existing website purchase by email and optionally sync your dictionary with private iCloud.
Edit a result
Edit your dictation before inserting or copying it. Compare the original and proofread text, with red deletions and green additions, and accept or reject each change separately. Direct can insert the edited draft when its original destination is available. In the Mac App Store edition, copy the edited draft and paste it into your app; ordinary dictation continues to use macOS Services.
Recognition mode · Personal dictionary
Choose Faster, Balanced or Thorough independently for dictation and proofreading. Save names, preferred spellings and replacements in your personal dictionary; add entries from the editor’s context menu. Use an editable filler-word list with optional removal, off by default. Preferred spellings can provide optional recognition hints. They do not train Whisper or guarantee a spelling.
Dictionary storage
On-device storage is the default; private iCloud sync is optional. Save to merge your dictionary, filler words and their options with your private iCloud. Audio and transcripts stay on this device. Turning sync off keeps both copies. Dictionary sync requires Pro or an active trial. Sync works between Diktator versions that support this iCloud dictionary format.
Restore access
Use the email associated with your Diktator purchase. Choose “Existing website purchase”, then “Send verification code”. Enter the emailed 8-digit code and choose “Verify purchase”. Email restoration is optional. License-key activation and existing Direct licenses remain available. For an App Store purchase, choose “Restore with Apple Account”. Email restoration is an optional way to verify an existing website purchase; it does not replace Apple purchase restoration. Direct and App Store installations each use one device slot. Your email is sent to Diktator to verify this purchase. Recordings and dictated text are not sent.
Help
Updated onboarding, model descriptions and Help explain these features in all 13 interface languages.
Free, Pro and Trial
Editing, individual corrections, separate recognition modes, the personal dictionary, filler removal and iCloud sync require Pro or an active trial. Free includes Small-model dictation and Copy with no expiry. Start the 21-day trial only when you choose.
These notes cover Direct Mac 2.3.1 and the prepared Mac App Store adaptation. Sync works only between Diktator versions supporting the same iCloud dictionary format. Whisper model files and the recognition engine are unchanged.