Dictate in any app · Design

Voice typing in Sketch

Design files are handed over, and the handover is written in the layer names. Typally types what you say straight into Sketch — hold a key, talk, let go — so you can dictate anywhere Sketch lets you type.

Yes, we build Typally. That is also why the section on Sketch's built-in option is honest: people who switch after trying both are the ones who stay.
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In short

  • Sketch's own dictation: None. Text layers and notes are typed.
  • What Typally does instead: types into the focused window, so it works in Sketch and everywhere else you write.
  • Best used for: annotation text

Does Sketch have built-in dictation?

None. Text layers and notes are typed.

Why dictate in Sketch at all?

Sketch files pass between designers and developers, and everything the receiver needs to know that is not visible — which symbol to use, what a variant is for — lives in naming and annotations that take time to write.

In practice people use it for: Annotation text, symbol and component descriptions, handover notes, and design rationale.

How to dictate in Sketch

Because Typally types at the system level rather than plugging into Sketch, setup is the same everywhere:

1

Set Typally up once

One install, one sign-in. Nothing else to configure.

2

Click into the right box in Sketch first

Put the cursor in the field you are about to fill — Sketch decides where the text lands, not Typally.

3

Hold the hotkey and talk

Say the whole thought, then let go. No time limit.

4

Read it before you move on

Sketch's shortcuts are single-key when no text layer is being edited. Make sure you are in a text field.

What Typally adds in Sketch

Typally types into Sketch's text fields and into whatever document holds your handover notes, from the same key. Speaking the reasoning is what makes annotation happen at all, since typing it is what always gets postponed until after handover.

What this looks like in practice

A designer annotates a handover with three spoken lines per screen explaining what varies by state. The build comes back correct on the first pass instead of after two rounds of clarification.

One habit that makes it work better

Annotate the decision, not the measurement. Developers can measure; what they cannot infer is why the spacing changes on one breakpoint.

What to watch out for in Sketch

Sketch's shortcuts are single-key when no text layer is being edited. Make sure you are in a text field.

Frequently asked questions

Does Sketch have dictation?

No app-specific feature; macOS system dictation reaches its text fields.

What should design annotations say?

The reasoning. Measurements are visible; intent is not.

Can I dictate symbol descriptions?

Yes, wherever Sketch gives you a text field.

Try it in Sketch

Start on the free plan (100 minutes a month, no card). Pro lifts the cap and adds meeting notes for $7.99/month.

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Also dictate in: Figma · Adobe InDesign · Milanote · see all apps