Status bar legend
The footer status bar shows dictation readiness, the active mode, speech-engine shortcuts, microphone choice, and last response time. Prefer setting speech providers per mode on the Dictation page; the STT menu here is a legacy global control. Modes background: Modes.
Items
| Item | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Primary status | Ready / Listening / Recording / Processing / error / clipboard fallback. Click (when enabled) to start or stop dictation. Shows Dictation off when the master switch disables capture. |
| Storage | Local database health. Click to retry if storage is unavailable. |
| Active mode | Current dictation mode name and accent. Click to switch modes for the next dictation. |
| STT picker | Legacy global speech mode (Cloud / Hybrid / Local / Auto). Prefer per-mode providers under Dictation → Hear your voice — see Speech-to-text. |
| Latency | Last transcription time in milliseconds (— until the first result this session). |
| Language badge | Shown when two languages are configured and a language-toggle hotkey exists — active language code. |
| Hotkeys | Displays your hold or toggle dictate shortcut (and language toggle when set). |
| Cancel | Appears while processing — cancels the in-flight transcription. |
| Input level | Live mic bars while recording. |
| Microphone | Input device selector (system default or a specific mic). List refreshes on focus. |
STT picker vs per-mode provider
Modes own the real speech engine today. The status-bar Cloud/Hybrid/Local/Auto menu remains for older workflows; new setups should configure each mode (or Base) explicitly and use Choosing a speech mode.
Dictation off
If the primary segment stays on Dictation off, click that status-bar segment to re-enable capture (or use Start dictation on the idle pill menu) — the status bar will show Ready again when capture is allowed.