Capture a thought when there is no text field.
The Flash key is Right Command by default: press once and talk, press again to finish. The sentence goes to VoiceInput's Flash list and to the note apps you enabled; nothing is typed at the cursor.
When it helps
- Hands are busy: walking, driving, cooking, with something to remember.
- An idea in a meeting: you do not want to switch windows and lose the thread.
- A thought while reading: you do not want to leave the page.
- Loose ideas with no obvious home: capture first, sort them later from the Flash list.
Flash key vs Direct Insert key
| Dimension | Direct Insert (Right Option) | Flash (Right Command) |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Hold to talk, release to stop | Press to start, press again to stop |
| Where the text goes | The cursor | The Flash list, plus every note app you enabled |
| Needs a text field | Yes | No |
| Typical use | Email, documents, chat | Loose ideas, quick notes |
Basic setup
Settings → Recording → Hotkeys → Flash key
The Flash key has its own switch and can be changed to another modifier. The three keys cannot repeat; if the Flash key matches the Direct Insert or AI Tidy key, it is not installed.
Sync to note apps
Settings → Sync to notes
Pick a note app's icon and fill in the one or two fields it asks for. Each destination has its own switch and, once set up, a test delivery button.
- flomo: paste the flomo webhook URL; one URL is enough.
- Apple Notes: no account needed; macOS asks for automation permission the first time. You can pick a folder.
- Bear / Drafts: opened with x-callback-url, so the apps must be installed.
- Tana / Yuque: enter each service's API token (Yuque also needs a namespace).
- Joplin / Obsidian: a local REST interface; Obsidian needs the Local REST API community plugin.
- Custom: enter a URL, headers and a body template to reach any HTTP webhook.
Retired features
Earlier versions could detect to-dos and events and write them into macOS Reminders and Calendar. That was retired in v0.90.0. Flash now records and syncs to note apps only; it no longer creates reminders or events for you.
Privacy: what leaves your Mac
The flow is: record, recognize, tidy, then sync to the destinations you enabled.
- Recognition: with a local engine nothing goes online and audio stays on the Mac; with VoiceInput Cloud or Volcano Engine, audio is sent to the cloud for recognition.
- Tidy: Flash text is processed like AI Tidy, so with a cloud AI the text is sent to the model service; with a local engine and no AI connection it stays offline.
- Sync: VoiceInput calls the note app or service you enabled (flomo webhook, Tana, Yuque and so on) directly.
A step-by-step version: Quick voice notes on Mac.