Switch Dictation Modes by Tapping Ctrl Twice

Pithflow for Windows now has three dictation modes: Structured cleans up what you say, Prompting turns it into a clean prompt for an AI, and Raw types your exact words. To switch, tap Ctrl twice, quickly and on its own. The floating bar shows the new mode's name, and your next dictation uses it.

One key to talk (Ctrl+Space), one double tap to change what comes out. It's in the Windows app from version 1.40.6.

Why does one dictation app need three modes?

Because the same voice ends up in very different places within the same hour. An email to a client should read cleanly. A request to ChatGPT or a coding agent works better as a structured list of asks. A quote from an interview must not change by a single word. One fixed style of cleanup gets at least one of those wrong.

And speaking is worth getting right: in a Stanford study (Ruan, Wobbrock, Liou, Ng and Landay, 2016), speech input on phones was about three times faster than typing for English. That speed only pays off if what lands on the page is usable without a second pass.

What does each mode do?

Mode	What it does	Use it for
Structured	Removes filler and false starts, adds punctuation, turns announced lists into bullets, follows your tone and intent settings	Email, documents, chat
Prompting	Removes filler and repeats, keeps every request, numbers two or more asks — and never answers the prompt	ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, any AI text box
Raw	No AI rewriting: your words as spoken, plus punctuation, numbers and spoken commands such as "new line"	Quotes, legal or clinical wording

Here is the same spoken ramble in Prompting mode — the example the formatter itself is built around:

You say: "okay so um I want you to look at the login page and like see why it's slow I don't know maybe it's the database and also can you uh can you add a dark mode to the settings and yeah also check why the login page is slow on mobile too"

Prompting types:
I want you to do two things:
1. Find out why the login page is slow, including on mobile. Maybe it's the database.
2. Add a dark mode to the settings.

In our own test on the live service, a three-request ramble came back as a lead-in and a numbered list after about 1.5 seconds of server processing.

How do you switch modes?

Tap Ctrl twice, quickly, without pressing any other key. Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V and other shortcuts never count.
Look at the bar: it shows Structured, Prompting or Raw for a moment.
Dictate as usual with Ctrl+Space. The order always rotates Structured → Prompting → Raw → Structured.

Prefer the mouse? Right-click the floating bar and it moves to the next mode. Your tone and intent settings are never changed by switching: Prompting and Raw only override them while they're active.

Which mode should you leave on?

Structured. It's the everyday mode and the one the app starts in. Tap twice before you dictate into an AI tool, and twice more when you need the literal transcript; a third double tap brings you back. After a day the gesture stops needing thought, the same way Ctrl+C did.

Can you turn the double tap off?

Yes. It's a switch in the Style settings ("Tap Ctrl twice to switch"). With it off, right-clicking the bar still rotates the mode. The double tap is part of the Windows app; it is on by default from version 1.40.7.

See all three modes side by side, with a live demo, on the dictation modes page, or download Pithflow for Windows.

FAQ

Which version of Pithflow has the three modes?

The Windows app from version 1.40.6. New downloads from pithflow.com get the latest version; existing installs update automatically.

Does Raw mode work offline?

No. Raw skips the AI rewrite, but speech recognition runs on Pithflow's servers, so every mode needs an internet connection.

Will Prompting send my prompt automatically?

No. The prompt lands in the text box and waits. You read it, adjust it if you want, and press Enter yourself.

Are the modes on the free plan?

Yes. All three modes are on every plan, including the free tier of 2,000 words per week.