How dictation works
Hermes listens to your voice, transcribes it in real-time, formats the text intelligently, and inserts it wherever your cursor is. The whole process takes about a second.
You speak → Hermes transcribes → AI formats → Text appears
Starting and stopping dictation
Press and hold (default)
- Press your hotkey (Fn by default) and hold it down
- Speak while holding the key
- Release the key when you’re done
- Text is processed and inserted
This is the default mode—quick and intuitive for short dictations.
Double-tap for long dictations
For longer dictations where holding a key is uncomfortable:
- Double-tap your hotkey quickly
- Speak freely without holding anything
- Tap the hotkey once to stop
Double-tap mode is great for writing long emails, taking notes in meetings, or journaling.
The Hermes bar
When you start dictating, the Hermes bar appears on your screen. It shows:
- Audio waveform — Visual feedback that Hermes is hearing you
- Live transcription — Your words appear as you speak
- Status indicators — Recording, processing, or ready
Moving the bar
Drag the Hermes bar to reposition it. You can place it:
- Top Middle or Bottom Middle
- Any of the 4 corners
Drag it off the edge of the screen to hide it.
Speaking tips
Speak naturally
Don’t try to sound like a robot. Hermes is trained on natural speech:
- Pause to think — It’s fine to take a moment
- Say filler words — “Um”, “uh”, “like” are automatically removed
- Vary your pace — You don’t need to speak slowly or rush
Don’t say punctuation
Unlike older dictation systems, you don’t need to say “period” or “comma”. Hermes adds punctuation based on context:
| You say | Hermes writes |
|---|
| ”Hi how are you" | "Hi, how are you?" |
| "Let me know thanks" | "Let me know. Thanks!" |
| "The meeting is at 3 pm" | "The meeting is at 3 PM.” |
Numbers are converted automatically
| You say | Hermes writes |
|---|
| ”twenty three" | "23" |
| "one hundred dollars" | "$100" |
| "call me at five five five one two three four" | "Call me at 555-1234” |
Supported languages
Hermes supports dictation in 100+ languages using Whisper.
Popular languages:
- English (US, UK, Australian)
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Dutch
- And many more
Set your language in Settings → Dictation, or use Auto to let Hermes detect it automatically.
Viewing your history
Every dictation is saved to your history. To view past dictations:
- Open the Hermes app
- Go to the Home or History section
- Browse your recent dictations
From history, you can:
- Copy a past dictation
- Delete dictations you don’t need
- Save as a note for longer-term storage
