Apps

Voice input in Craft: the Quick Entry hotkey and Potok

Mark Vesyoly · founder of Potok · ~6 min

Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.

There is no data on built-in text dictation in Craft. On macOS Craft has the system hotkey Ctrl+Space, the Quick Entry panel for quickly capturing notes and tasks. It is the same hotkey that Potok (potok.now) has by default: on a Mac the Potok key should be changed in the settings, and then it recognizes about 900 characters per minute without interference.

Do you dictate notes in Craft, pressed Ctrl+Space on a Mac, and something other than dictation opened? Let us work out what this key is and how to dictate text anyway.

Does Craft have its own dictation

There is no data on built-in text dictation in Craft. But the app itself on macOS has a system function with a similar key: Ctrl+Space opens the Quick Entry panel, a quick way to add a document, a task or a daily note from anywhere on the computer without switching to the Craft window itself. This is a convenient function, but it is not related to speech dictation.

The problem is that Ctrl+Space is also the default Potok hotkey. On a Mac where Craft is installed, both assignments compete for one key: the app that intercepts the combination first will react.

The fields in Craft themselves (documents, tasks, daily notes) are ordinary text fields: they accept inserted text wherever it comes from, so you can dictate into them with a third-party app without limits.

What is available
Hotkey conflictsCtrl+Space (macOS only) is the global system shortcut of Craft itself for opening the Quick Entry panel (quick capture of notes and tasks from anywhere on the Mac); it may conflict with the dictation hotkey
Text insertionyes
PlatformsmacOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Web
Potokhold the key, speak, release: the text lands in the field under the cursor

How to dictate in Craft through Potok

  1. Install Potok and allow it system access to the microphone: without this dictation does not work.
  2. If you work on a Mac, go to the Potok settings at once and change the hotkey from Ctrl+Space to another combination, your own key or a side mouse button, otherwise it will conflict with Quick Entry in Craft.
  3. Choose the needed microphone in the Potok settings or in the menu of its tray icon.
  4. Open Craft and put the cursor in the needed field: the document title, a task or a daily note line.
  5. Hold the Potok hotkey, dictate the text and release: the text appears in the field, and Potok places punctuation and capital letters itself.

Voice input works in a similar way in other note apps too, for example in Evernote or in Microsoft OneNote (in Russian): the service itself gives only a text field, and the text is dictated into it by a separate app.

Where voice input will not work in Craft

The key conflict concerns only macOS: according to the help, Ctrl+Space is taken there for Quick Entry. There is no such information about Windows, iOS, Android and the web version of Craft: the default Potok hotkey may work differently there, or it is also worth checking it in the settings in advance.

Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. It has no offline mode and no voice commands, and 2500 words per week are available for free on one device: for someone who keeps notes in Craft all day, this limit may not be enough.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Ctrl+Space in Craft on Mac not start dictation?

Because it is the system hotkey of Craft itself: according to the help, it opens the Quick Entry panel for quickly capturing documents, tasks and daily notes from anywhere on the Mac, and it is not related to dictation.

Voice input in Craft: whether it has built-in voice input and what to dictate with?

Voice input in Craft. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input in Craft you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

Voice input in Craft: how to dictate a text with your voice?

Voice input in Craft. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input in Craft you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

Voice input in Craft: does it work without an internet connection and where is speech recognised?

Voice input in Craft. Versions are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the default hotkey is Ctrl+Space; there are no mobile versions. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. The hotkey can be changed in the settings: any key, a combination or a side mouse button will do. Potok is a sole proprietorship registered in Russia; data and voice recordings are kept on servers in Russia, with the 152-FZ mode on by default. For Voice input in Craft you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

Voice input in Craft: how much it costs and what the free plan includes?

Voice input in Craft. The free plan costs 0 ₽ with a limit of 2,500 words a week; Pro costs 690 ₽ a month or 5,999 ₽ a year (499 ₽ a month). Here is how Potok works: hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), speak, release — and the finished text is inserted into the active field of any app. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input in Craft you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

How to start

Potok is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. For two weeks everything is open for free, after that 2500 words per week without paying. Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.

Download Potok

A voice message from a messenger or a call recording can be forwarded to the bot @potok_now_bot, and it sends back the text. The bot is part of the same subscription as the Potok app.

Built-in dictation and Potok

Based on Microsoft and Apple help pages.
ToolWhere it worksRussian languageWhere speech is recognized
PotokWindows, macOS, Linuxprimary languagecloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline
Windows voice typing (Win+H)Windows 10 and 11Windows 11 onlyMicrosoft cloud, does not work offline
macOS DictationmacOSyeson the device or on Apple servers

Primary sources: www.craft.do · support.craft.do · support.craft.do

Mark Vesyoly — founder of Potok. Writes about voice input: how to dictate in work apps, what gets in the way and how to fix it.
© Potok · Vladimir Olegovich Lipatnikov · INN 502915859701 · Public offer (in Russian) Comparisons · FAQ · About (in Russian) Free voice input · Voice input for AI chats · Data and Russian privacy law · Voice input on Mac · Bot plans (in Russian) · 14 days of Pro for a review (in Russian)