Getting around
Keyboard shortcuts shown below are Windows defaults. On macOS, check the shortcut shown in TalkBar or its settings; configurable shortcuts can be changed there.
This page shows where everything is in the TalkBar main window and how to move around quickly. For a guided version, take the Find your way around tour from Help → Take a tour.
The sidebar
The sidebar on the left holds the main areas of the app.
| Item | What it opens |
|---|---|
| Home | Your start page. |
| Recording | The session you are recording now. After a session ends it is called Last session and opens the most recent one. A status indicator shows when you are recording, paused or on hold. |
| Sessions | Every recorded session. Your recent sessions are listed underneath. |
| Chats | Your conversations with TalkBar. |
| Notes | Your own notes. |
| Knowledge | Memory cards, documents, people, companies and action items that TalkBar keeps for you. A Review item appears under it when AI suggestions are waiting. |
| Projects | Your projects, one click away. Use + to create one, and pin the ones you use most. |
| Settings | All settings. A red badge means something needs your attention. |
| Account card | At the very bottom: your profile and the active workspace. Click it to switch workspace or manage your account. |
Collapse the sidebar to a narrow rail with the button at its top. To pin icon links to Knowledge pages, such as Documents or People, under Knowledge, turn on Show Knowledge shortcuts in Settings → General → Appearance.
The title bar
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| TalkBar logo | Opens the TalkBar menu: About TalkBar, Check for updates, a Settings submenu, Set up AI…, Turn on Private AI Mode (or Turn off Private AI Mode), Show Session Bar (or Hide Session Bar), Close Window and Quit TalkBar. |
| New session | Opens the New session window to start a recording. |
| Upcoming | Lists your scheduled sessions. A session that is starting soon gets a Start button. |
| Help | Take a tour, Documentation and Contact us. |
When Private AI Mode is on, the logo becomes a green shield to remind you that all AI features run on local models only. See Private AI Mode.
Close Window hides TalkBar to the system tray, and so does the window's close button. TalkBar keeps running there. Use Quit TalkBar to exit completely.
Home
Home is your start page for the active workspace.
- The greeting names the active workspace. New session starts a recording.
- Add creates a Chat, Note, Person, Company or Knowledge card.
- Four tiles count your Sessions, Chats, Notes and Documents. Click a tile to open that list.
- Up next appears when sessions are scheduled soon. Start one, or open its preparation.
- The time range menu sets how far back the recent list goes, such as Today or This week. Click Set as default to keep your choice.
- The recent list shows your latest sessions, notes and chats by day. Switch between All and Pinned, filter by type, and search.
Universal search
Press Ctrl+K, or click the search box at the top of the sidebar, to search everything in the workspace. Outside text fields, / opens search too.
Search finds sessions, notes, chats, action items, documents, memory cards, people, companies, projects and series. Matches inside a transcript, summary or document text are marked as such.
In the note editor these keys belong to the editor: / opens the editor's command menu and Ctrl+K inserts a link.
To find a setting, use the Find a setting… box at the top of the Settings sidebar.
Quick Actions
The round button in the bottom-right corner opens Quick Actions, your shortcuts for common tasks. By default it holds Home, New session, Sessions, Chat and Settings. You can also add Recording, Calendar, Chats, Knowledge, Notes, Documents and Projects.
Choose and reorder the items in Settings → Quick Actions. See Quick Actions settings.
The session bar
The session bar is a small floating window that stays on top of your other apps.
- While you record, it shows a compact view of the session, with the latest words of the current speaker.
- When session detection is on and your microphone is free, TalkBar listens on this computer for a conversation and offers to start a session from the bar. Audio and text never leave this device, and nothing is saved until you start.
Show or hide it from the TalkBar logo menu, or with Ctrl+Alt+B. You can drag the bar anywhere. Configure detection, the shortcut, its position, how many lines it shows and the Skip duration (how long the bar's Skip button pauses detection) in Settings → General → Session detection. Session detection is on by default.
Guided tours
Tours point at the real screen and explain it step by step.
- Help → Take a tour opens a tour picker with the tour for the current screen selected.
- Settings → Help & Tours lists every tour by group, shows how many you have completed, and lets you Start a tour or Run Again.
- Press
Escor click Skip Tour to stop a tour. A skipped tour is marked so you can come back to it. - When you finish a tour, TalkBar usually offers the next one in the same group.
While a tour runs, only the highlighted part of the screen responds to clicks.
Keyboard shortcuts
In the app
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
Ctrl+K | Open or close search. |
/ | Open search (outside text fields and editors). |
Esc | In search, clear the query, then close search. During a tour, stop the tour. On the recording screen, leave Focus mode. |
Ctrl+J | In a note, jump to the Ask AI to write or edit… bar. |
Ctrl+Shift+O | In a chat, start a new chat with the same setup. |
Shift+Esc | On the Chats page, return to the message box. |
J / K | On the Knowledge Review page, move to the next or previous suggestion. |
A / E / D / S | On the Review page, approve, edit, dismiss or snooze the current suggestion. |
Space | On the Review page, select the current suggestion. |
Anywhere on your computer
These shortcuts work even when TalkBar is in the background. You can change each one, or turn it off, in Settings.
| Shortcut | What it does | Default | Where to change it |
|---|---|---|---|
Hold Ctrl+Shift | Start or stop dictation. A short tap does nothing. | On | Settings → Voice → Dictation → Dictation shortcut |
Ctrl+Shift+Enter | While dictating, insert what you have so far and keep recording. | On | Settings → Voice → Dictation → Insert while recording |
Ctrl+Shift+L | Polish the dictation with AI and insert it. Works only while Polish with AI is on. | On | Settings → Voice → Dictation → Polish shortcut |
Ctrl+Shift+M | Mute or unmute all microphone input to TalkBar. Other apps are not affected. | On | Settings → Voice → Recording → Mute microphone shortcut |
Ctrl+Alt+B | Show or hide the session bar. | On | Settings → General → Session detection → Session bar shortcut |
Ctrl+Shift+Space | Open and focus the main TalkBar window. | Off | Settings → General → Startup → Show TalkBar shortcut |
If a shortcut is already used by another app, TalkBar tells you and asks you to choose a different one. Settings → Doctor also checks your shortcuts. See Dictation.
Interface language
TalkBar's interface is available in 15 languages: English, Español, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Русский, Türkçe, Polski, Українська, 简体中文, Português (Brasil), Português (Portugal), 日本語, 한국어 and 繁體中文.
Choose it during first-run setup, or later in Settings → General → Application UI Language. The change applies right away, including in the session bar and the dictation panel.
The interface language is separate from the language TalkBar transcribes. Set that in Settings → Voice → Transcription. See Recording and transcription.