Dictation settings

The Dictation tab. Choose your language and microphone, where the finished text goes, which recordings are kept and the recording sounds.

Click your account chip at the bottom of the sidebar, choose Settings, then open the Dictation tab, in the Features group.

Dictation language

“Auto detects it for each recording.” Auto (detect automatically) is the default, and the list holds 35 languages (39 options, counting regional variants). Pick a specific language if detection gets it wrong. Details in Languages & translation.

Microphone

Which microphone Cluinn records from (“System default follows your Mac.”). Leave it on System default and Cluinn switches to the right device when it changes, for example when you connect AirPods, with no restart. Or choose a specific device if you always want the same one.

If a recording starts and no sound reaches Cluinn, you don’t have to come here: after a couple of seconds the pill shows Microphone not detected, with your inputs listed so you can switch and start again. See Troubleshooting.

Microphone level

“Boosts during recording. Doesn’t change system mic level.” Five levels; it starts on 2.

Keep mic warm

“The next recording starts instantly.” Cluinn holds the mic open for 15 minutes after each recording. On by default. Turn it off and Cluinn lets go of the mic about 15 seconds after each recording. With it on, macOS keeps its microphone indicator lit for those 15 minutes.

After transcription

In the Output group. Where your finished dictation goes:

Pasting needs the macOS Accessibility permission. If it isn’t granted, a Permission row appears under After transcription with an Enable Permission button that takes you straight to the right pane in System Settings. Once access is granted, the row disappears. See Permissions.

Recordings

Save recordings decides whether the audio is kept with each transcript. On by default. Turn it off and Cluinn keeps only the text of new dictations, so their rows have no Play button. See Dictations & history.

Delete automatically (“Deletes the recording and its transcript after the chosen age.”) clears old dictations for you: Off (keep forever), After 7 days, After 30 days, After 90 days, After 180 days or After 1 year. New installs start at After 90 days, and the line under the control shows how much space your saved recordings take on this Mac.

The clean-up runs when Cluinn starts, and only on dictations from a calendar month that has ended, so a 7-day setting deletes no sooner than 7 days and can take up to about a month longer. Nothing is deleted before its date. Where encrypted backup is switched on for your account, a month still waiting to be backed up is held until it has been; see Sync & backup.

This only affects dictations: a saved call is never removed automatically. How long a deleted call is kept is set in Calls settings.

Sounds

Related: General settings for hotkeys and theme, Privacy settings for permissions, and Troubleshooting if your mic isn’t being picked up.

Common questions

My mic works elsewhere but not in Cluinn

Check the Microphone permission first (see Permissions), then try choosing the device here instead of System default. More in Troubleshooting.