> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.dictanote.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.dictanote.co/plus/custom-voice-commands.md).

# Custom Voice Commands

Custom voice commands map a spoken phrase to replacement text or an action. Use them to correct recurring recognition errors, insert names or text templates, and control the browser.

1. [Create a Custom Voice Command](#h_01g2j8x6d8cdrm2ztrk2nw741n)
2. [Match within a Word](#id-2.-matching-within-a-word)
3. [Action Commands](#id-3.-action-commands)
4. [Edit, Delete, and Alias](#id-4.-editing-deleting-and-alias)
5. [Common Use Cases](#h_01g2jb24r2w421y206295cqdd5)\
   a. [Correct common dictation errors](#id-01hedjn5jpn9eyrcnby448f8j2)\
   b. [Remove the censorship/profanity filter](#id-01hedjng30mp5mezrm0swjq1cj)\
   c. [Avoid repetitive text entry with templates](#id-01hedjnr2g1d58zrddrq1hewwd)\
   d. [Replace ß with ss](#h_01hepcr5z5hmwvd8765zv3s2sd)

For actions such as pressing a keyboard shortcut or changing the dictation language, jump to [Action Commands](#id-3.-action-commands).

After you read this guide, see our lists of sample voice commands for popular work domains: [Customer Support](/plus/voice-commands-examples/customer-support.md) [Healthcare](/plus/voice-commands-examples/healthcare.md) [Legal/Law](/plus/voice-commands-examples/legal-law.md)

## 1. Create a Custom Voice Command <a href="#h_01g2j8x6d8cdrm2ztrk2nw741n" id="h_01g2j8x6d8cdrm2ztrk2nw741n"></a>

1. Make sure that the [Voice In Voice-To-Text](https://dictanote.co/voicein/install/) extension is installed and that you have upgraded to [Voice In Plus](https://dictanote.co/voicein/plus/).
2. Open the [Voice In Options Page](https://dictanote.co/voicein/options/).
3. In the Custom Commands section, click *Add Command*.

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2FcWrmVnYqTon9g8yiiUbI%2FScreenshot%202023-11-20%20at%205.02.08%20PM.png?alt=media&amp;token=ae4ca3ac-ff8f-41e1-bade-77a0e4356502" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

A pop-up asks for the details of the custom voice command:

* *Say This* - the phrase that triggers this voice command.
* *To Insert This* - the phrase that you want to insert.

For example, to add a voice command for your phone number, enter these values:

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2Ff3U8n7qiNjjsjwkrj4cx%2FScreenshot%202023-11-20%20at%205.05.09%20PM.png?alt=media&amp;token=028de14a-579d-455d-8fb7-4f487ebb4e18" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Fill out the form and click the *Add new command* button. In the example above, when you say "insert phone", Voice In inserts "217-652-8632".

### **Bulk Add Commands**

You can add multiple commands at once with *Bulk Add*.

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2FYhokZ6b3mJ1dSLSCvaEL%2FScreenshot%202023-11-20%20at%205.08.46%20PM.png?alt=media&amp;token=fc4d0866-4b2c-4e27-941d-65f50e2b2363" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

A pop-up opens. Enter a list of voice commands in CSV format to add them all at once.

### Export Commands & Sync <a href="#export-commands-and-sync" id="export-commands-and-sync"></a>

To export a copy of your voice commands in CSV format, click the *Export* button. A backup copy of your custom voice commands is also available [here](https://dictanote.co/voicein/commands/view/).

Currently, voice commands do not sync across your computers. If you use a new computer or reinstall the Chrome extension, you may need to add the voice commands again manually. We are working on automating this process.

## 2. Matching within a Word

By default, a voice command matches only whole words. For example, a command for the word "magic" matches "magic" but not "magical". To match both "magic" and "magical" with the phrase "magic", select the match within the word option when you create the voice command.

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2F2jO4pdPYbfl0fHDMpDxC%2FScreen%20Shot%202022-05-08%20at%2010.04.44%20AM.png?alt=media&amp;token=777d9666-5f22-4f34-a476-b00f961b6697" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## 3. Action Commands

An action command does a specific task. Usually, an action command does not insert text. Voice In supports these action commands:

| **Command**                                                       | **Action**                                                                                                                              |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| \<newline>                                                        | Insert a line break                                                                                                                     |
| \<newparagraph>                                                   | Insert a paragraph break                                                                                                                |
| \<paste>                                                          | Paste text from the clipboard                                                                                                           |
| \<undo>                                                           | Undo the last text insertion                                                                                                            |
| \<deleteword>                                                     | Delete the last word                                                                                                                    |
| \<deleteword:n>                                                   | Delete the last n words. (See section e below)                                                                                          |
| \<capson>                                                         | Insert text in upper case from this point (the same as caps lock on)                                                                    |
| \<capsoff>                                                        | Stop \<capson>                                                                                                                          |
| \<capitalize>                                                     | Capitalize the next word                                                                                                                |
| \<enter>                                                          | Press the enter key                                                                                                                     |
| \<tab>                                                            | Press the tab key                                                                                                                       |
| \<delete>                                                         | Delete the selected text                                                                                                                |
| \<open:\*>                                                        | <p>Open a webpage. Example<br>\<open:[https://google.com>](https://help.dictanote.co/plus/https:/google.com>) (See section a below)</p> |
| \<press:\*>                                                       | <p>Press a keyboard shortcut. Example<br>\<press:shift+enter> (See section b below)</p>                                                 |
| <p>\<scrollup>,\<scrolldown>,<br>\<scrolltop>,\<scrollbottom></p> | Scroll the current page up, down, to the top, and to the bottom, in that order                                                          |
| \<closetab>                                                       | Close the current tab                                                                                                                   |

|             |                                                                                                                    |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| \<lang:\*>  | Change the language. Example: \<lang:es-ES> changes the language to Spanish (Spain). (See section c below)         |
| \<case:\*>  | Change the dictation case. Example: \<case:upper> changes the case to uppercase. (See section d below)             |
| \<click:\*> | Click a link or button that has the given text. (See section f below)                                              |
| \<date>     | Insert the current date                                                                                            |
| \<date:\*>  | Insert the current date and time in a specified format. Example: \<date:MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm a>. (See section g below) |
| \<unset>    | Remove a built-in voice command. Example: period => \<unset> removes the built-in voice command period.            |

You can add a voice command that maps a phrase to one of the action commands above.

For example, when you say "new line", the dictation result is sometimes "uline". To start a new line when this error occurs, add this voice command:\
uline => \<newline>

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2FwEQgIAVNHWm8SIb3rMyZ%2FScreenshot%202023-11-20%20at%205.19.07%20PM.png?alt=media&amp;token=c409d2ec-5e65-474f-a5ee-018bbf5825a5" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

You can configure some action commands. For example, add this voice command to change the dictation language to Spanish quickly:\
use spanish => \<lang:es-ES>

There are 5 configurable action commands:

* \<open:\*>
* \<press:\*>
* \<lang\*>
* \<case:\*>
* \<deleteword:n>

### a. **\<open:\*>: open a new webpage**

Use this action command to open a webpage. Example:\
open google => \<open:[https://google.com>](https://help.dictanote.co/plus/https:/google.com>)

### b. **\<press:\*>: press a keyboard shortcut**

Use this action command to press a key.

For example, in Gmail, the shortcut to send an email is ctrl + enter (cmd + enter on Mac). To do this action with your voice, add this voice command: "send mail" => \<press:ctrl+enter> (or \<press:cmd+enter> on Mac).

For more information, read the [Action Commands For Keyboard Shortcuts](/plus/action-commands-for-keyboard-shortcuts.md) article.

### c. **\<lang:\*>: change the dictation language**

Use this action command to change the dictation language. Examples:\
use spanish => \<lang:es-ES>\
use english => \<lang:en-US>

The command needs the language code of the language. In the example above, en-US is the language code for English (United States). To find the language code for your language, see [the list of languages that Voice In supports](https://dictanote.co/n/806053/).

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2FfVPLAB0ktlBE5POqB2zt%2FScreenshot%202023-11-20%20at%205.20.23%20PM.png?alt=media&amp;token=34e2eb20-f897-4ba1-a97c-2ca16f59259d" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### d. **\<case:\*>: change the dictation case**

Voice In can change dictated text to a specific case. Voice In supports these five cases:

* default
* lowercase
* UPPERCASE
* Sentence case
* Capitalize Each Word

Use the \<case:\*> action command to change between these cases. Example:\
uppercase => \<case:upper>

The possible values are:

* \<case:default> for default
* \<case:lower> for lowercase
* \<case:upper> for UPPERCASE
* \<case:sentence> for Sentence case
* \<case:capitalize> for Capitalize Each Word

### e. \<deleteword:n>: delete the last n words

Use this action command to delete the last n words. Example:\
delete last two words => \<deleteword:2>

Note: English already has built-in voice commands for delete last <2-20> words. See the [English Built-In Voice Commands List](https://dictanote.co/voicein/voicecommands/en/).

### f. \<click:\*>: click a link

Use this action command to click a link or button on the page. Example:\
click submit ⇒ \<click:submit>

If more than one link or button has the given text, Voice In clicks the first one.

### g. \<date:\*>: insert the current date and time

Use this action command to insert the current date and time in a specified format. Example:\
insert date ⇒ \<date:MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm a>

The command above inserts the date as 05/15/2025 02:30 pm.

Voice In supports these format options:

```
yyyy: 4-digit year (e.g., 2023)
yy: 2-digit year (e.g., 23)
MM: 2-digit month with leading zero (e.g., 05)
M: Month without leading zero (e.g., 5)
dd: 2-digit day with leading zero (e.g., 09)
d: Day without leading zero (e.g., 9)
HH: 2-digit hour in 24-hour format with leading zero (e.g., 09)
H: Hour in 24-hour format without leading zero (e.g., 9)
hh: 2-digit hour in 12-hour format with leading zero (e.g., 09)
h: Hour in 12-hour format without leading zero (e.g., 9)
mm: 2-digit minutes with leading zero (e.g., 05)
m: Minutes without leading zero (e.g., 5)
ss: 2-digit seconds with leading zero (e.g., 08)
s: Seconds without leading zero (e.g., 8)
a: am/pm indicator in lowercase
A: AM/PM indicator in uppercase
```

### \<unset>: remove a built-in voice command

To remove a built-in voice command, use the `<unset>` action in a custom voice command. For example, the built-in voice command **"period"** inserts a dot (.). To remove this built-in voice command, create this custom voice command:\
**period ⇒ `<unset>`**

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2FWaghE3MraEfmIYX2MYUt%2FScreenshot%202025-01-20%20at%205.39.40%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&amp;token=a67136b3-88ca-4836-82f3-4e8081e1bdf0" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

The list of built-in voice commands is available at this [link](https://dictanote.co/voicein/voicecommands/).

## 4. Editing, Deleting and Alias

You can manage your commands in the voice commands table:

* To change a command, click the **edit** button.
* To remove a command, click the **delete** button.

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2FtCzryt7gAxcMNwXevpx5%2FScreenshot%202025-01-31%20at%205.53.29%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&amp;token=08d10eb1-4d17-4816-9dbf-6166e5fc96b2" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Use **Alias** to trigger one command with several phrases. This is useful when speech recognition produces different spellings of the same phrase, or when you want several spoken phrases to perform the same action.

For example, when you say "ChatGPT", Voice In might recognize it as "check GPT" or "chat GPT". With aliases, you create one command and add the alternative recognized phrases to it. The action then runs for every variant.

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2FEc7PoETd7YieRmlT1y1G%2FScreenshot%202025-01-31%20at%205.56.20%E2%80%AFPM.png?alt=media&amp;token=45fb965a-ef97-4cd1-8471-22408cae3021" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## 5. Common Use Cases <a href="#h_01g2jb24r2w421y206295cqdd5" id="h_01g2jb24r2w421y206295cqdd5"></a>

This section gives some common use cases for custom voice commands. More examples for different work domains are available here:

{% content-ref url="/pages/dNwG3Jb0fEkfHkTZJOzw" %}
[Voice Commands Examples](/plus/voice-commands-examples.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### a. Correct common dictation errors <a href="#id-01hedjn5jpn9eyrcnby448f8j2" id="id-01hedjn5jpn9eyrcnby448f8j2"></a>

Voice In might misinterpret spoken words because of:

* Accents
* Words that Voice In cannot tell apart
* Uncommon words
* Other factors

For example, a user works for a company with the name iPacket. When she dictated the company name, Voice In typed "eye packet". To correct this, she can add this custom voice command:\
eye packet => iPacket\
This command tells Voice In to replace "eye packet" with "iPacket" each time it finds this phrase.

In a different example, a user said that Voice In always dictates the name of his child, "Sathyam", as "Satyam". To correct this, he can add the custom voice command "Satyam" => "Sathyam". This command tells Voice In to replace "satyam" with "Sathyam" each time it finds the word.

Two more examples:

1\. A user wants the word god to always start with a capital letter. To do this, they can add the voice command "god" => "God". Then Voice In always capitalizes the word.

2\. A user wanted Voice In to insert ":" for "colon". To do this, they can add the voice command "colon" => ":".

### b. Remove the censorship/profanity filter <a href="#id-01hedjng30mp5mezrm0swjq1cj" id="id-01hedjng30mp5mezrm0swjq1cj"></a>

By default, the speech-to-text engine of the browser censors curse words. You can use voice commands to reverse this. For example, to remove the censorship of a word, add a custom voice command such as:

s\*\*\* => suck

For instructions to create a voice command, see the [Create a Custom Voice Command](#h_01g2j8x6d8cdrm2ztrk2nw741n) section above.

Voice In also has a built-in feature that restores supported censored words. See the linked guide for the supported languages. To enable it, open the [Voice In Options page](https://dictanote.co/voicein/options/), scroll to the Dictation Text Transforms section, and enable the "Disable profanity/adult words filter" feature.

![](https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2Feb0AEsnM7fukwflMrDtw%2FScreenshot%202024-02-20%20at%208.03.44%E2%80%AFAM.png?alt=media\&token=eb4999db-caa5-4002-b61a-1b34f6423259)

For more information, read this article:

{% content-ref url="/pages/HyT0XpOrOan26pdeg2Hy" %}
[Remove Censorship/Profanity Filter](/help/features/remove-censorship-profanity-filter.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

### c. Avoid repetitive text entry with templates <a href="#id-01hedjnr2g1d58zrddrq1hewwd" id="id-01hedjnr2g1d58zrddrq1hewwd"></a>

For example, a salesperson can add this voice command:

| thank you message | <p>Thank you for purchasing from XYZ Store.<br>Thanks,<br>ABC</p> |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |

A doctor who does a general checkup of a patient can add this voice command:

| checkup text | <p>General/Constitutional:<br>overall health: unchanged<br>Chills: denies<br>Fever: denies<br>Night sweats: denies</p><p>Respiratory:<br>Cough: denies<br>Hemoptysis: denies<br>Shortness of breath: denies<br>Wheezing: denies</p> |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

This saves time. The doctor does not need to copy and paste this text block before each consultation.

### d. Replace ß with ss <a href="#h_01hepcr5z5hmwvd8765zv3s2sd" id="h_01hepcr5z5hmwvd8765zv3s2sd"></a>

Many German users (mainly users of Swiss German) want to use ss instead of ß in all dictated text. To do this, add a custom voice command that maps ß to ss. Set the match within a word flag to true.

<figure><img src="https://1715029537-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FLppVp8wXveO3zClwrkOP%2Fuploads%2F2jO4pdPYbfl0fHDMpDxC%2FScreen%20Shot%202022-05-08%20at%2010.04.44%20AM.png?alt=media&amp;token=777d9666-5f22-4f34-a476-b00f961b6697" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

If you have questions about custom voice commands, post them on the [Voice In forum](https://forum.dictanote.co).

\\