Keyboard shortcuts

Learn the macOS defaults and customize the keys you use for voice.

Launch preview Build and service availability vary. Check availability →

Open Settings → General to see and change your shortcuts. The welcome tour and shortcut cards follow your saved choices.

Action	Default on macOS
Dictate	Hold Fn / Globe
Ask the agent	Hold left Control + left Option
Open the chat box	Tap Control + Option
Hands-free dictation	Double-tap Fn, or Fn + Space
Hands-free agent	Double-tap Control + Option
Paste last transcript	Control + Command + V
Cancel recording	Escape

Change a voice trigger

Choose Change beside Agent Mode or Dictation Mode.
Edit an existing trigger or choose Add shortcut.
Press the combination you want and save it.
Test it in a scratch document before relying on it elsewhere.

Each mode supports up to five triggers. On macOS, voice triggers use modifier keys or supported mouse buttons; normal character keys are not accepted for these hold shortcuts. Left and right mouse clicks are excluded. Reserved system combinations and conflicting triggers are refused.

Nock pauses its voice shortcuts while you record a replacement combination. Saving re-registers them without an app restart.

Fn opens emoji

Open System Settings → Keyboard and set Press 🌐 key to → Do Nothing. Nock’s tour can take you there. This changes macOS’s action for the key so it does not compete with dictation.

A shortcut does nothing

Check Accessibility and Input Monitoring in permissions. Use the configured side of modifier keys; the default agent combination uses the left keys. Check for a competing app shortcut and try another combination.

These defaults describe macOS. Other platform builds can have different controls; consult the availability guidance in overview.

Avoid confusing taps with holds

Fn needs a deliberate hold to start dictation; a very brief touch is ignored. A brief Control + Option tap opens the composer instead of submitting a spoken question. When double-tap is enabled, a small delay lets Nock distinguish one press from two.

If you press Escape while still holding the voice keys, release them before trying again. Also finish or cancel any shortcut-editing dialog: its temporary suspension of global shortcuts is intentional.

Secure input and recovery keys

macOS can hide ordinary keys while a password field or another secure-input context is active. A modifier-only voice trigger and a combination containing Space or a letter may therefore behave differently. Move to a normal editable field to test hands-free and paste-last shortcuts. For a microphone problem after a shortcut has clearly started recording, use voice troubleshooting rather than continuing to change the binding.