Where can you find your HoldSay dictation history?
Find, edit, star, and keep earlier dictations.
Dictation history gives you a second chance to use text after the original app or cursor has moved on.
It is separate from the recording library, so you can keep important dictations without treating every short sentence like a meeting note. Open History when you need to recover a sentence, revise a draft, or reuse text that was originally sent somewhere else.
Every dictation lands here as its own note, ready to find and reuse.
Open dictation history
You may have dictated a reply, a project note, or a short instruction into another app, then moved to a different document before you were ready to reuse the text. HoldSay keeps past writing in History so you can return to the text itself rather than trying to recreate it from memory.
Open the HoldSay main window, then open History. In the library filter, choose Dictations. This changes the list to show dictation items rather than recordings or imported files. Select the dictation you want from the list. Its complete text appears in the reading pane, where you can review what was sent to the cursor at the time you dictated it.
The Dictations filter isolates text you spoke into other apps.
- Open the HoldSay main window and go to History.
- Choose Dictations in the library filter.
- Select an item in the list to open its text in the reading pane.
Verify that you are in the right place by checking the item type and reading the full text in the pane. If you instead see a note with audio, playback, or views such as Speakers or Summary, you are looking at a recording or imported file rather than a past dictation.
Find a specific dictation in a long list
History is most useful when you can identify the exact dictation you need without opening many items. When the Dictations list is long, use search to narrow it down. Search for a distinctive name, phrase, or wording from the text. A person’s name, an unusual project term, or a memorable sentence is generally more useful than a common word.
Search by a distinctive title, person or phrase instead of opening notes one by one.
For example, if you dictated a note that included the phrase confirm the revised agenda, search for revised agenda. Then select the matching result and compare the full text in the reading pane with what you expected to find. This lets you confirm the result before copying or editing anything.
- Choose Dictations in History before searching, so you are looking only through past writing.
- Enter a distinctive name or phrase from the dictation in search.
- Select a result and read the text in the reading pane to confirm it is the correct item.
If your first search is too broad, use a more distinctive part of the wording. If you do not remember the exact phrasing, look for a name or subject that appeared in the text. The result is verified when the reading pane shows the complete dictation you intended to recover.
Copy, edit, or star a dictation
Once you have opened the right dictation, decide whether you need the original wording, a corrected version, or a saved reference for later. These choices are separate because a past dictation is often close to what you need but may require a small correction before it is used again.
Use Copy when you want the complete text on your clipboard. You can then paste it into the new destination, such as the document, message, or field where the text now belongs. Before copying, edit the dictation if you need to correct a name or improve the wording. This is useful when the first destination was temporary but the text now needs to be used in a more permanent place.
Star the dictations and recordings you expect to reuse.
Star a dictation when it is important to keep easy to find among temporary items. A star distinguishes useful writing from routine short sentences, so you can return to the item without relying on a future search.
- Select the dictation and review its complete text in the reading pane.
- Edit it if a correction or wording change is needed before reuse.
- Use Copy to place the complete text on the clipboard, then paste it into the new destination.
- Star the item if it should remain easy to identify later.
- After copying, the complete dictation is ready to paste.
- After editing, review the text again before you reuse it.
- After starring, the item is marked as important rather than left among ordinary temporary dictations.
Choose what HoldSay keeps
Not every dictated sentence needs to remain in History for the same amount of time. A quick reply may only be useful for a day, while a reusable instruction or important note may need to remain available. HoldSay lets you choose how long ordinary dictations are kept without treating recordings, imported files, and important starred writing as ordinary temporary text.
Open Settings and find Keep dictation history. Choose the retention period that fits how you use dictation: 24 hours, 1 week, 1 month, or Forever. This setting controls how long ordinary dictations remain available in History.
Choose how HoldSay keeps ordinary dictations while recordings and favorites remain available.
- Open Settings.
- Find Keep dictation history.
- Choose 24 hours, 1 week, 1 month, or Forever for ordinary dictations.
- Star any dictation that is important enough to keep apart from the ordinary retention period.
Recordings, imported files, and starred dictations are kept even when ordinary dictations have a shorter retention period. This means you can use a shorter setting for routine writing while preserving items that need continued access. To verify the distinction, return to History and use the appropriate library filter: use Dictations for past writing and Recordings for conversations and media.
Common questions
Where is my HoldSay dictation history?
Open the HoldSay main window, go to History, and choose the Dictations filter. Select an item to read its full text, copy it, edit it, or star it.
How long does HoldSay keep dictation history?
Under Keep dictation history in Settings, choose 24 hours, 1 week, 1 month, or Forever for ordinary dictations. Recordings, imported files, and starred dictations remain available.
Can I edit or copy an earlier dictation?
Yes. Open the dictation in History, correct any needed wording, then use Copy to put the complete text on the clipboard for pasting into another destination.
If a label on this page does not match the app, email support@holdsay.com. Include Mac or Windows and the HoldSay version shown in Settings.