--- title: "What MediSync Dictate does" summary: "Dictate writes your dictation where your cursor is, in any program on Windows and on the Mac. Your computer or MediSync Cloud processes the speech." url: "https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/what-is-dictate" product: "MediSync Dictate" platforms: ["windows","macos"] access: "public" updated: "2026-11-11" version: "Dictate 0.4.0-beta.6" --- # What MediSync Dictate does Dictate writes your dictation where your cursor is, in any program on Windows and on the Mac. Your computer or MediSync Cloud processes the speech. MediSync Dictate is a program for Windows and for Macs with an Apple chip. You click into a text field, hold the dictation key and speak. When you let go, the text appears where the cursor is. This works in practice software, in hospital information systems, in Word, in Outlook and in the browser. There is no separate dictation window. | | Windows | macOS | | --- | --- | --- | | Dictate (hold) | `Ctrl` + `Win` | `Fn` | | Hands-free (tap, speak, tap again) | `Ctrl` + `Win` + `Space` | `Fn` + `Space` | | Start or stop a note | `Ctrl` + `Win` + `M` | `Control` + `Option` + `M` | A dictation lasts 10 minutes at most. You change the keys under **Settings › General › Shortcuts**, see [Change the trigger](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/change-trigger). ## What happens to what you say - Speech recognition understands 25 European languages. - Smart Dictation adds punctuation, writes numbers as digits and leaves out filler words. Smart Dictation is trained on German and English. Dictate formats other languages with rules. - Dictate writes the terms in your dictionary the way you entered them. A spoken trigger word inserts a snippet. - With the **Assistant** switch on under **Settings › Dictation**, Dictate also writes on request, for example "Write to Ms Weber that Monday's appointment is cancelled". When you have selected text, the same key changes it the way you say. More in [Edit text by voice](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/edit-text-by-voice). What the assistant writes or changes is a draft. You read it and release it. Dictate makes no diagnoses. ## The parts of the app The sidebar on the left leads to every part: | Part | What for | | --- | --- | | **Home** | Your dictations of the last 7 days and your word counts, see [Dictation history](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/dictation-history) | | **Notes** | Notes of meetings and calls, see [Notes](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/notes) | | **Scratchpad** | A small window above all programs for quick notes, see [Scratchpad](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/scratchpad) | | **Smart Find** | Find and open documents on this computer by voice, see [Smart Find](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/smart-find) | | **Personalize › Dictionary** | Names and terms, see [Dictionary](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/wordbook-and-text-blocks) | | **Personalize › Snippets** | Texts that a trigger word inserts, see [Snippets](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/snippets) | | **Personalize › Style** | Tone and clean-up for each kind of text, see [Style](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/writing-style-and-smart-dictation) | | **Personalize › Commands** | Your own instructions for selected text, see [Commands](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/edit-text-by-voice) | | **Personalize › Voice profile** | Suggestions from your dictations, see [Voice profile](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/voice-profile) | | **Insights** | Speed, word counts and where you dictate, see [Insights](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/insights) | | **Set up Dictate** | The list of first steps, see [First-run setup](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/first-run-setup) | | **Recommend Dictate** | Invite links for colleagues, see [Recommend Dictate](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/recommend-dictate) | | **Share team dictionary** | A shared team dictionary, see [Team dictionary](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/team-wordbook-in-dictate) | At the bottom of the sidebar you open **Settings** and **Help**. **Help › New** shows what changed in your version, see [What's new in Dictate](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/whats-new). At the bottom of the screen, the Action Bar shows when Dictate is listening. It stays above every program, see [The Action Bar](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/action-bar). ## Where processing runs You choose this under **Settings › General › Processing**. | | MediSync Local | MediSync Cloud | | --- | --- | --- | | Where | On your computer | On MediSync servers in Frankfurt | | Internet | Only for the one-time model download | For every dictation | | Account | Not needed once the models are installed | MediSync account with Cloud in the plan | What exactly leaves the computer is in [MediSync Cloud or MediSync Local](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/cloud-or-local) and [Privacy in Dictate](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/privacy-in-dictate). ## What Dictate does not do - Dictate does not record conversations between doctor and patient. MediSync Scribe does that. - **Notes** is for meetings and calls. Get the consent of everyone taking part before you record. - Dictate does not release any text on its own. Summaries, rewrites and translations are drafts that you check. ## Next steps 1. Check the [system requirements](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/system-requirements). 2. [Download and install Dictate](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/install). 3. Go through the [first-run setup](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/first-run-setup). 4. [Dictate](https://help.medisynchealth.ai/en/dictate/dictate).