> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.coddo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Start

> Set up Whisper Island and dictate your first message in under 2 minutes.

## 1. Pick an overlay mode

Open Whisper Island's settings (tray icon → **Settings**) and choose:

* **Pill** — a floating 420 × 120 overlay near the top of the screen. Works on any Mac.
* **Notch** — the overlay sits inside your MacBook's notch area. Best on notched MacBooks.

Switch any time — the overlay reshapes itself live.

## 2. Pick a recording mode

In Settings → Recording:

* **Push-to-talk** — hold the shortcut, speak, release. Best for short utterances.
* **Toggle** — tap to start, tap to stop. Best for longer dictations.

## 3. Bind a shortcut

The default mic shortcut is `Cmd+Shift+Space`. Change it in Settings → Shortcuts. You can also rebind:

| Shortcut          | Action                        |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------- |
| `Cmd+Shift+Space` | Mic toggle / push-to-talk     |
| `Cmd+Shift+H`     | Show / hide the pill          |
| `Cmd+Shift+L`     | Expand / collapse the overlay |
| `Cmd+Shift+V`     | Toggle clipboard inclusion    |

## 4. Try it

<Steps>
  <Step title="Focus an app">
    Click into the text field of any app — Slack, Notion, your IDE, Safari, Mail.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Trigger the shortcut">
    Hold (push-to-talk) or tap (toggle) the mic shortcut. The overlay lights up.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Speak">
    Say something. Release the shortcut, or tap again to stop. The overlay shows a quick "transcribing" state.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Text is pasted">
    The transcribed text appears in the focused field. Done.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## 5. Pick a language

In Settings → Language, choose the language you usually dictate in. Whisper auto-detects, but pinning the language meaningfully improves accuracy on short utterances.

## What's next?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Overlay modes" icon="circle-dot" href="/whisper-island/features/overlay">
    Deep dive into pill vs notch behavior.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Recording modes" icon="keyboard" href="/whisper-island/features/recording-modes">
    Push-to-talk vs toggle — when to use each.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Shortcuts" icon="command" href="/whisper-island/features/shortcuts">
    Customize every shortcut Whisper Island uses.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings" icon="gear" href="/whisper-island/features/settings">
    Language, clipboard behavior, autostart, and more.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>