Voice typing in Cursor

Not yet tested in a recorded run. The steps on this page follow Cursor's docs and how VocType pastes; the dated test results and a recording will be added here.

Cursor's built-in voice input

Cursor added voice to its Agents Window, and version 3.1 made it record the whole clip before turning it into text. You hold Control-M, speak, and confirm. Cursor also lists Command-Shift-Space as a Voice Mode toggle. That is a good fit when you only talk to the agent.

It stops at the chat box. Cursor's docs describe voice for the agent only, and users on the Cursor forum say the upgraded input is missing from the chat in the main window. The editor, the Inline Edit box, the terminal and the Source Control panel are where a lot of the writing in Cursor happens.

Where VocType works in Cursor

VocType does not plug into Cursor. It pastes with Command-V into whatever has focus, so it works in any Cursor box that accepts a paste. The help page on when pasting does not work explains what to do when a paste fails.

• Agent chat, in the side panel or the Agents Window. Long prompts with real context are the main reason people dictate in Cursor.
• Inline Edit, opened with Command-K in a file. Say the change for the selected lines.
• The editor itself, for code comments, docstrings, README sections and Markdown notes.
• The terminal, including the prompt bar Command-K opens there and agent tools you run in it, such as Claude Code.
• The commit message box in Source Control.

Sending is still your call

VocType pastes and stops. It never presses Return. In Cursor that matters, because Return in the Agent chat queues the message while the agent is busy and Command-Return sends it right away. Read the pasted prompt, fix a name or two, then choose Return or Command-Return. A half-finished thought never goes to the agent by accident.

Pick a hotkey that does not clash

The Record hotkey is Option + Space by default. Press it once to start, talk, and press it again to stop; Esc also stops and still pastes. Two Cursor shortcuts are worth keeping clear of:

• Command-Shift-Space, which Cursor lists for Voice Mode.
• Control-M, which Cursor uses for voice input in the Agents Window.

If you rebind VocType, F5 and F6 both work as one-key choices. See Record hotkey and shortcuts.

Three things to dictate in Cursor

1. An Agent prompt with the context the agent needs

Open the chat, press the hotkey, and talk through the task. You might say:

The settings page loads the user twice. Find where the profile query runs in the layout and in the page, keep the one in the layout, and pass the data down as a prop. Don't change the API route.

2. An Inline Edit instruction

Select the function, press Command-K, then dictate the change. You might say:

Return early when the list is empty, and rename the loop variable from x to invoice.

3. A commit message

Click into the message box in Source Control and say what changed and why. You might say:

Fix the double profile fetch on the settings page. The layout now owns the query and passes the result to the page.

Read each one back before you press Return or commit. Speech models still mishear the odd identifier.

Words to add to your Personal Dictionary

Code names are where dictation slips most. Put the ones you say often in the Personal Dictionary. A starting list for Cursor work:

• Vocabulary: Cursor, TypeScript, JavaScript, Tailwind, Postgres, Prisma, GraphQL, Vitest, pnpm, monorepo, your repo names and your team's product names.
• Word replacements: "next js" to Next.js, "type script" to TypeScript, "use effect" to useEffect, "read me" to README, "get hub" to GitHub.

What Cursor's own docs say

Checked on October 22, 2026. Each line links to where we read it.

• Cursor 3.1 (April 2026) upgraded voice input in the Agents Window, where you hold Control-M and speak. Source
• Cursor's keyboard shortcuts list Command-Shift-Space as the Voice Mode toggle. Source
• Cursor users report that the upgraded voice input is missing from the chat in the main window. Source
• In the Agent chat, Enter queues your message while the agent is still working, and Command-Enter sends it right away. Source
• Command-K opens Inline Edit in the editor and a prompt bar in Cursor's terminal. Source

When you don't need VocType here

• You only talk to the agent, and you work in the Agents Window. Cursor's own voice input covers that, with no other app to install.
• You dictate a short line now and then. The dictation built into macOS is free; see how it compares in VocType vs Apple Dictation.
• You want to write and edit code by voice alone, symbols included. A voice control tool such as Talon is built for that; VocType types sentences.
• Your audio must stay on your Mac. VocType sends each recording to the cloud to be turned into text.

More on dictating while you code

VocType works the same way in a terminal, so the guide to voice dictation in Claude Code follows on from this one. For pull requests and review comments, see dictation for developers, and for the full list of apps, see dictating into any app on your Mac.

Get VocType for Mac and dictate your next Agent prompt.