> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vowen.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Shortcut Patterns > Tips and tricks for getting more out of the shortcut system. These are shortcut setups people have shared that go beyond the defaults. For the full reference of every key, mode, and option, see [Shortcuts](/features/shortcuts). Most of the patterns below rely on assigning **multiple shortcuts** (or alternative modifiers) to the same action. The free plan supports one shortcut per action; multiple shortcuts and the patterns that depend on them require Pro. ## Slide into hands-free without releasing your hand If your push-to-talk and hands-free shortcuts share a common prefix, you can start dictating with one finger and "upgrade" mid-sentence by tapping the extra modifier. Release everything afterwards and Vowen stays in hands-free. | Shortcut | Mode | | - | - | | `Fn` | Push-to-talk | | `Fn + Control` | Hands-free toggle | **Why it works:** Vowen waits 500ms before deciding which shortcut you intended, so the longer combo wins if it arrives within that window. Use it when you don't know yet how long a thought will run. The macOS defaults already nest this way. The Windows defaults do not: push-to-talk is `Ctrl + Shift` and hands-free is `Ctrl + H`, and neither is a prefix of the other. To get the same behavior on Windows, rebind hands-free to something that extends push-to-talk, such as `Ctrl + Shift + Space`. Settings > Shortcuts listing Transcription Shortcut on fn, Command Mode Shortcut on option and shift, Hands-Free Mode on fn and control, and Start New Note ## Separate raw and polished onto two adjacent shortcuts If you toggle AI Enhancement on and off through the day, give it its own shortcut instead of opening settings every time. Most useful when you alternate between dictating into code editors or AI prompts (where you want raw words) and writing emails or docs (where you want polish). | Shortcut | AI Enhancement | | - | - | | `Fn` | Primary, follows your global setting | | `Fn + Shift` | Alternative, chip set to **Enhance with AI** | The AI chip only exists on alternative shortcuts, so the pairing is always "primary plus an alternative", never two primaries. Add the alternative, then flip its chip to **Enhance with AI** (new alternatives start with AI off). `Fn` for terminal commands, Cursor prompts, and replies that need exact phrasing. `Fn + Shift` when you're drafting prose. ## Put dictation on a mouse button When your hand is already on the mouse, reaching back to the keyboard breaks flow. This one is for designers in Figma, video editors, and anyone working in a graphics-heavy app. Vowen binds mouse buttons natively, so there is no vendor software step. Open **Settings > Shortcuts**, click the key display for the action you want, and click the button instead of pressing a key. Middle, M4, M5, M6, M7 and M8 are all bindable. The Record Shortcut dialog reading Press and hold the key combination you want to use, with Clear, Cancel and Save Shortcut buttons Mouse-bound shortcuts follow the same Hold and Tap modes as keyboard shortcuts. In the default Hold mode the button is push-to-talk and recording stops when you release it. Set the shortcut to Tap if you want the first click to start and the next one to stop. ## Pair left and right modifiers for two-thumb operation Your thumbs already reach for `Alt + Space` (or `Cmd + Space`) regularly. Use left and right variants to do different things without learning a new finger pattern. | Shortcut | Action | | - | - | | Left `Alt + Space` | Transcribe | | Right `Alt + Space` | Command Mode | Left to dictate. Right to ask the AI to act on whatever's selected. The keys are identical, the side decides the behavior. ## Give a long shortcut a Tap mode instead of a second finger Holding a chord for a two-minute thought is uncomfortable. Rather than adding a hands-free binding, switch the Transcription or Command Mode row to **Tap** with the Hold/Tap pill next to the key display. One tap starts, one tap stops. Alternatives carry their own pill, so you can keep the primary on Hold and put a Tap-mode alternative next to it. Settings > Shortcuts with the Hold and Tap pill on the Transcription Shortcut row highlighted ## Turn on Start New Note before you need it The Start New Note shortcut is off by default, so most people don't think about it until they're already in a meeting. Flip it on in [Settings > Shortcuts](/features/shortcuts) with the default `Cmd + Shift + N` (macOS) / `Alt + N` (Windows) or your own combo. Then it's ready the first time a call unexpectedly turns into something worth recording. ## Adding more shortcuts? Reach for Tones instead If you find yourself adding shortcut after shortcut for different writing styles (formal, casual, technical, dev), [Per-app Tones](/ai-features/tones) is the cleaner answer. Tones change Vowen's behavior based on the active app, so the same shortcut writes formally in Mail and casually in Slack with no thinking on your part. Tones can also carry their own shortcut, and those bindings share the same namespace as your global shortcuts, so Vowen refuses a tone shortcut that would collide with one you already use. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.