Fireflies Talk: free dictation, not offline transcription
Fireflies Talk turns your speech into text in the app you are using. Dictation is free and unlimited on every plan, but its terms say audio and text are sent to servers for processing.
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What is Fireflies Talk?
Talk is a dictation feature in the Fireflies desktop app for Mac and Windows. You hold a keyboard shortcut, say what you want to write and release it. The service turns the speech into text where your cursor is. The product page describes punctuation, removing filler words and formatting for the app you are using.
This is useful for writing your own email, notes, drafts or prompts. It is different from recording a meeting. The Talk supplemental terms specifically prohibit using it to capture meetings, calls or other people's conversations, or feeding previously recorded or routed audio into it.
Is it really free?
The official product page says unlimited dictation is included on every Fireflies plan, including Free. It says there is no word limit and no separate dictation subscription. That statement concerns Talk, not a promise that every meeting, storage or other Fireflies feature is unlimited.
It supports more than 90 languages according to the vendor. Broad language coverage is not proof that every Malayalam name, local place or mixed-language phrase will be recognised correctly. Test ordinary examples before relying on it for a formal message.
How to set it up
- Install or update the official Fireflies desktop app. Open the Dictation tab.
- Set the microphone and shortcut, and inspect the privacy settings before enabling Talk.
- Click a text field in a non-sensitive document. The page lists Fn on Mac and Ctrl + Win on Windows as default shortcuts.
- Hold the shortcut, speak your own words, then release it. Check the text before sending or submitting it.
- If you want hands-free dictation, the product page describes double-tapping the shortcut. Change shortcuts in Settings if they conflict with another app.
- Choose your usual languages in Settings when recognition needs help. Keep names, amounts and dates under manual review.
If no text field is selected, the product page says the result is copied to the clipboard. A correct transcript is not proof that it landed in the intended destination, so check the app and field too.
The important privacy correction
The controlling Talk terms, effective 28 September 2026, say the app sends dictation audio, transcribed text and Screen Context to Fireflies and its service providers for transcription and formatting. Local history does not mean the recognition happens entirely on your computer.
The terms say audio and Screen Context are not stored on Fireflies servers after processing and are not written to logs. That is a post-processing retention statement, not a promise that the data is never transmitted. The text of dictations is stored on your device and can be deleted or cleared in Settings.
What is Screen Context?
When a dictation ends, Talk can capture limited text from the application you are using to help format and recognise the request. This can include somebody else's message, a customer name or a colleague's document. That information can leave your computer even if you only intended to dictate your own sentence.
You can turn Screen Context off in Settings › Dictation. With it off, Talk transcribes without reading the current application, but dictation processing still uses the server route described in the terms. Talk itself is off until enabled, and a workspace administrator can disable it for the workspace.
The terms tell users not to use Talk while viewing protected health information, credentials, card details, confidential material or anything they do not want sent to the service. For a sensitive work document, use another approved workflow rather than assuming a free tool is suitable.
For Indian and Kerala users
Try it first on a draft you can edit, not a banking form, exam submission or patient record. Check Malayalam spelling and English-Malayalam switching. Dictated text can accidentally name the wrong person or change an amount. Review before sending, and clear history when appropriate.
What changed since the original post?
The 30 September post described free dictation but implied stronger local privacy. This guide corrects that: local history is not offline inference. Audio, text and optional Screen Context are sent for processing under the Talk terms. It also separates dictation from meeting recording.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the Free plan?
The official page says unlimited Talk dictation is included.
Does Screen Context have to stay on?
No. It can be disabled in Dictation settings.
Can Talk record a meeting?
No. Its terms restrict it to live dictation of your own words.
Was Talk installed for this guide?
No. Features and limits were checked against the official page and terms.
Sources: Talk features and setup · Controlling Talk terms · General terms. Checked 7 October 2026.