# Voice command settings

> On the Advanced tab of Settings, choose Press & hold or Hands-free for talking to Plexii, set when Hands-free stops, and turn spoken replies on or off.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/settings-voice-command
Section: Plexii assistant > Talk to Plexii
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

The **Voice command (mic button)** settings decide how talking to Plexii works: whether you hold the Plexii button the whole time you speak or let it listen hands-free, how long a pause ends a hands-free recording, and whether Plexii reads its reply back to you. Changes take effect from your next recording, with no restart.

## Before you start

- **Every plan** includes these settings.
- **They change hold to talk.** If you have not used it yet, start with [Talk to Plexii: hold to talk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/plexii-voice).
- **These settings belong to this computer.** If you use PlexiDesk on more than one computer, set them on each.

## Open the voice command settings

1. Click the gear at the right-hand end of the header to open **Settings**.
2. Click the **Advanced** tab.
3. Scroll to **Voice command (mic button)**.

## Trigger mode

Choose how a recording starts and ends:

| Option | What it says | How it works |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Press & hold** | Walkie-talkie — release to send | Hold the Plexii button, or `⌘` `⇧` `Space` on a Mac, while you speak. Letting go stops listening and puts your words in the Plexii box. This is the setting until you change it. |
| **Hands-free** | Keeps listening after you let go; stops on silence | Hold the Plexii button for a moment to start, then let go and keep talking. Listening stops by itself when you pause. On a Mac, tap `⌘` `⇧` `Space` once to start and again to stop. |

The option you chose is highlighted.

### Stop a hands-free recording early

- Press the Plexii button again, or
- on a Mac, tap `⌘` `⇧` `Space` again.

Either one stops listening and transcribes what you have said so far. To throw the recording away instead, press `Esc`.

In Hands-free you can look at another app while you talk, and listening carries on. In Press & hold, switching to another app cancels the recording.

## Auto-stop after silence

This slider appears when **Hands-free** is chosen. It sets how long a pause has to last before listening stops. The value shows beside it, for example **5.0s**.

- Drag it between **1.0s** and **15.0s**, in half-second steps. It starts at **5.0s**.
- The pause only counts once you have started speaking, so taking a breath before you begin does not end the recording.
- If nothing is heard at all, listening stops by itself after 20 seconds.

Choose a shorter pause for quick commands, and a longer one if you think aloud and pause mid-sentence.

## Speak the AI's reply aloud

When **Speak the AI's reply aloud** is ticked, Plexii reads a short version of its reply aloud. It is ticked until you change it.

Plexii speaks only when you spoke first:

- **It reads replies to messages you said out loud.** A message you typed is never read aloud.
- **Dictation does not count.** Words typed into a note or document by voice produce no reply to read.
- **It reads a short version.** Plexii reads the first few sentences of its reply, and leaves out code, links and citation numbers.
- **Send within ten minutes.** If your spoken words sit in the box for more than ten minutes before you send them, the reply is not read aloud.

To stop a reply while it is being read, start talking to Plexii again: holding the Plexii button stops it. A newer reply also replaces one that is still being read.

## What you will see

Under the controls, a line describes the gesture: hold the Plexii button, or press `⌘` `⇧` `Space`, and speak; what you said lands in the Plexii box for you to send, and speaking into a text field types the words in instead. With **Hands-free** chosen, it adds that you can press the button again to stop early.

## Common questions

**I chose Hands-free, but a quick click only opens the panel.** That is expected. In both modes you start by holding the button for a moment; a short click opens the Plexii panel.

**Hands-free keeps cutting me off.** Drag **Auto-stop after silence** to a longer pause.

**Hands-free never seems to stop.** It waits for a pause after you have spoken. In a noisy room it may not hear a pause; press the Plexii button again to stop.

**Plexii doesn't read its reply aloud.** Check that **Speak the AI's reply aloud** is ticked, and that you spoke the message rather than typed it. Your computer's sound also needs to be on.

**Does the shortcut work on Windows?** `⌘` `⇧` `Space` is for Mac. On Windows, use the Plexii button.

## Related tasks

- [Talk to Plexii: hold to talk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/plexii-voice)
- [Choose how speech is transcribed: Cloud or Local](https://plexiidesk.com/help/ai-voice-transcription)
- [Settings overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/settings-overview)
- [Keyboard shortcuts](https://plexiidesk.com/help/keyboard-shortcuts)