Quick voice notes on Mac: send a thought to Apple Notes, Bear or Obsidian.
Ideas rarely arrive while a text field is focused. The Flash key is built for that moment: press once and talk, press again to finish, and the sentence lands in VoiceInput's Flash list and in the note apps you chose.
Short answer:Use VoiceInput's Flash key: press once to talk, press again to finish, and the sentence is saved to the Flash list and synced to the note apps you set up, such as Apple Notes, Bear, Obsidian or flomo. It no longer writes to Calendar or Reminders, so create reminders yourself.
How the Flash key works
The default Flash key is Right Command. Unlike the hold-to-talk Direct Insert key, it toggles:
- Press Right Command once. A recording indicator appears; start talking.
- Press it again to stop.
- The recognized text is saved to the Flash list. It is not typed into the current window, and every enabled note destination gets a copy.
Sync Flash notes to a note app
In the VoiceInput window open Settings → Sync to notes, pick a note app's icon, and fill in the one or two fields it asks for.
- flomo: paste your flomo webhook URL; one URL is enough.
- Apple Notes: no account needed. macOS asks for automation permission the first time; allow it. You can pick a target folder.
- Bear / Drafts: opened through x-callback-url, so the apps must be installed.
- Tana / Yuque: enter each service's API token (Yuque also needs a namespace).
- Joplin / Obsidian: these use a local REST interface; Obsidian needs the Local REST API community plugin first.
- Custom: enter a URL, headers and a body template to reach any HTTP webhook.
Every destination has a test delivery button. Send a test note and confirm it shows up in the target app before relying on it. Destinations are switched on and off independently.
What it no longer does
Earlier versions could detect to-dos and write them into macOS Calendar and Reminders. v0.90.0 retired that feature, so Flash now only records and syncs to note apps. If you need a reminder, create it in Reminders yourself.
Change the key, or turn it off
Under Settings → Recording → Hotkeys you can switch the Flash key to another modifier or turn it off. The three keys cannot repeat; see the shortcut guide for the full list of keys.
FAQ
Does the Flash key insert text into the window I am in?
No. The Flash key is for moments with no text field. The recognized text is saved to the Flash list in VoiceInput and then synced to the note apps you enabled; nothing is typed at the cursor.
Which note apps can Flash notes go to?
Under Settings, Sync to notes, you can choose flomo, Apple Notes, Bear, Drafts, Tana, Yuque, Joplin and Obsidian, or use Custom HTTP to reach any service with a webhook. Each destination has its own switch.
Can Flash still write to Calendar or Reminders automatically?
No. The automatic write to Calendar and Reminders was retired in v0.90.0. Flash now records and syncs to note apps only.
What if the Flash key collides with another VoiceInput key?
The three keys cannot repeat. If the Flash key matches the Direct Insert or AI Tidy key, it is not installed and the app asks you to change it. The default Flash key is Right Command; change it under Settings, Recording, Hotkeys.
Matches VoiceInput v0.91.0 (checked 2026-10-13). More on destinations in the Flash Route help page.