In short
Press Ctrl+Space to start and again to stop, or switch to “Push-to-talk” and hold the shortcut while you speak. While you record, a small recording bar shows the time and your level; there you pause, stop or cancel, and Esc cancels too. By default, music and videos pause while you record.
- Default shortcut
- Ctrl+Space, press to start and press again to stop
- Modes
- “Toggle” or “Push-to-talk”
- Cancel
- Esc or the cross on the recording bar
- Music and videos
- Paused while you record; mute or leave them instead
How to set up the shortcut
- Open the Zack Typing settings and choose “Shortcuts”.
- Click the field next to “Record shortcut” and press the new key combination.
- Under “Recording mode”, choose “Toggle” or “Push-to-talk”.
- Under “General” → “Audio while recording”, choose “Pause”, “Mute” or “Normal”.
- In the “Pill” tab, decide how the recording bar looks and whether it shows chips.
Toggle or push to talk: which suits me?
| Mode | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| “Toggle” | Press once to start, press again to stop | Longer dictations; your hands are free while you speak |
| “Push-to-talk” | Hold the shortcut while you speak, release to stop | Short messages; a recording never keeps running by mistake |
A shortcut needs Ctrl, Alt or the Windows key together with another key. A function key such as F8 also works on its own, which is comfortable for push to talk. Esc cannot be used because it cancels recordings. If another program already uses your combination, Zack Typing shows “This key combination is already in use by another program.”
What can I do on the recording bar?
The bar sits at the top center of the screen, above all windows, and does not take the keyboard focus away from your app.
- Time and level show that Zack Typing hears you.
- “Pause recording” stops the clock; “Resume recording” continues the same recording.
- “Stop recording” ends the recording. Zack Typing transcribes it and pastes the text.
- The cross, or Esc, cancels: nothing is transcribed or inserted. With “Save audio” on, the default, the recording stays in your history untranscribed.
- When the text is in, click its title to copy it, or click “Insert” to paste it again. Hover over the bar to see the chips.
- If you start the next recording before the previous one is inserted, the bar shows “1 queued”, and the texts arrive in order.
What happens to music and videos while I record?
Under “General” → “Audio while recording” you choose what happens to other playback so it does not end up in your recording:
- “Pause” (default): Zack Typing pauses media that Windows can control, such as a song or video in a player, and resumes exactly those players when the recording ends.
- “Mute”: Zack Typing mutes your default speakers or headphones and turns the sound back on afterwards. If they were already muted, they stay muted.
- “Normal”: everything keeps playing.
Players that Windows cannot control keep playing with “Pause”. Use “Mute” if that happens to you.
Zack Typing does not open the microphone before you start a recording, so nothing from before the key press is recorded.
How can I change the recording bar?
In the “Pill” tab of the settings, “Show pill” turns the bar off completely. Dictation with the shortcut still works; you only lose the controls on screen. “Text actions on the pill” hides the chips, and “Expand” decides whether they open “On hover” or “On click”.
“Style” switches to the compact “Mini” view, which shows only a stop button, the level and a cross. “Position” puts the bar at the top or bottom of the screen, and “Size” makes it smaller or larger.
Related questions
Can I start a recording without the shortcut?
Yes. Click the microphone button in the Zack Typing window. Alt+5 brings the window to the front; you can change that shortcut under “Shortcuts” → “Show window”.
Can I cancel while the text is still being transcribed?
Yes. Press Esc or click the cross while the bar shows the progress. Nothing is inserted.
What if I release the key too early with push to talk?
Releasing the key stops the recording. Press and hold again for the rest of your sentence; Zack Typing inserts both texts in order.