What permissions does Hold to Talk need on Mac?

Updated June 16, 2026

Direct answer: Hold to Talk needs Microphone permission to record speech and Accessibility permission to paste the transcript into the focused Mac app. The setup flow walks new users through those grants before the first dictation.

What happens after install

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  1. Focus any Mac text field.Cursor, ChatGPT, Slack, email, docs, terminals, browser forms, and more.
  2. Hold the shortcut and speak.Use Fn/Globe or a custom hotkey only while you are talking.
  3. Release to paste.The transcript appears in the active app instead of a separate dictation workspace.
  4. Review before sending.Hold to Talk never auto-submits prompts, messages, emails, or commands.

Source

This answer is backed by the public source page: https://holdtotalk.com/getting-started/.

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