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You press your dictation shortcut and nothing happens. Almost always, another application registered the same combination first — whoever asks the operating system first wins, and OpenWhispr is told it can’t have it. Every hotkey lives in Settings → Hotkeys under App. That section holds Dictation Hotkey and the separate shortcuts for Voice Agent, Translation and Meeting recording.

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The defaults

If the default can’t be registered at startup, OpenWhispr tries F8, then F9, then Ctrl+Shift+Space — so if your hotkey is one of those and you never chose it, that’s why.

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Quick checks

1

Try a different combination

The fastest way to prove a conflict. Open Settings → Hotkeys under App, set Dictation Hotkey to something unusual like Ctrl+Shift+K, and try again. If that works, the original was taken.
2

Add a second hotkey rather than replacing the first

Use Add another hotkey to bind a fallback. Both work, so you’re covered if one is claimed by an application you only sometimes run.
3

Check the Shortcut Guide

The hotkey field shows a Shortcut Guide with the rules and recommended combinations for your platform. Some keys are refused outright — the app lists them under Blocked shortcuts, because they’re reserved by the system.
4

Check the app you're typing into

Full-screen games, remote desktop sessions and virtual machines capture keyboard input before anything else sees it. Test in a plain text editor to rule this out.

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What makes a valid shortcut

The app enforces these, so a combination that breaks them won’t save:
  • It must include at least one modifier — Ctrl, Alt, Shift and so on.
  • Three keys maximum.
  • Single keys on their own aren’t allowed.
  • Reserved system shortcuts are refused.
Combinations that work well, by platform:
  • macOS — Globe/Fn (the default), Control+Option, Ctrl+Shift+K
  • Windows — Ctrl+Win (the default), Ctrl+Alt, Ctrl+Shift+K
  • Linux — Ctrl+Super (the default), Ctrl+Shift+K, Ctrl+Shift+J
On Linux, three combinations the app’s own Shortcut Guide suggests — Super+S, Ctrl+Alt+D and Alt+Space — are on its reserved list and will be refused. Use the ones above instead.
The best choices are the ones that type nothing if they slip through while you’re holding them — the platform defaults are all modifier-only or the Globe key for exactly that reason.

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Tap or hold

Activation Mode in the same section decides how the key behaves:
  • Tap — press once to start, press again to stop.
  • Hold — hold the key while you speak, release to finish.
If dictation stops the instant you start speaking, or never stops, you’re probably in the other mode from the one you expect.
Hold on Linux needs one-time setup. Reading key-down and key-up events requires access to input devices. The app tells you so — “Hold to Speak needs extra setup” — and gives you the command: sudo usermod -aG input $USER. Log out and back in afterwards.

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Linux desktops

GNOME doesn’t let applications grab global shortcuts, so OpenWhispr registers native GNOME shortcuts instead. Check Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts for a conflict with an existing binding.GNOME also requires a regular key rather than a modifier-only combination, which is why F8 is the usual fallback there.

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FAQ

That app claimed the shortcut. Close it and try again to confirm, then either change one of the two or add a second hotkey in OpenWhispr.
The operating system refused the combination — usually because it’s already taken or it’s reserved. Choose another; the Shortcut Guide lists ones that work.
If the one you set couldn’t be registered at startup, OpenWhispr falls back to F8, F9 or Ctrl+Shift+Space so dictation still works. Set it again and, if it keeps happening, something else is taking it first.
Check that macOS isn’t using it itself — System Settings → Keyboard, where the Press Globe key to option can be set to change input source or show emoji.