Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
To start a new paragraph by voice on Mac, say the command "novyy abzats" (new paragraph). It is in the Formatting section of Apple's official Dictation command list. Potok (potok.now) has no voice commands at all, and its response to a hotkey press is about 0.4 s; a paragraph is added with the keyboard after the text lands in the field.
A paragraph in dictation is not just a line break but a separate element of text structure that separates one thought from another. Apple Dictation has its own command for this transition. To dictate text on Mac at all, you must first turn dictation on. The order of the first launch is described in the general guide on setting up voice input on a MacBook, and it is easier to start with the general principles of voice input on a computer in the article about dictating text on a computer from scratch.
How to start a new paragraph by voice on Mac: the Dictation command
Apple's official Dictation command list has a Formatting section. In the same place where the commands "chislo" (number) and "novaya stroka" (new line) are listed, the command "novyy abzats" (new paragraph) is listed too. Its official description is simple: "Create a new paragraph". Once dictation is turned on in the settings and started, with the microphone key in the row of function keys, the dictation keyboard shortcut, or Edit, Start Dictation, the phrase "novyy abzats" (new paragraph) creates a new paragraph. According to Apple's help, this is the same as pressing Return twice. This is a separate command, not the same as a line break inside one paragraph: in the same Formatting section there is a separate command "novaya stroka" (new line), and its result is different.
What to say to get a new paragraph
- Say the text of the paragraph and, at the end, "novyy abzats" (new paragraph). The transition itself will appear when you finish dictating.
- The command "novyy abzats" (new paragraph) is from the Formatting section of Apple's Dictation command list; it is not the same as the command "novaya stroka" (new line) from the same section.
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Free
- Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed
- Pro
- Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly
- Payment
- Russian bank cards, rubles
- Where speech is recognized
- cloud, servers in Russia; internet required
Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. Download: potok.now/download
Where Potok has limits
Potok is a cloud service: recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without an internet connection. It has no voice commands at all, neither "novyy abzats" (new paragraph) nor any other formatting commands from Apple's list. A break to a new paragraph after Potok has inserted the text into the field is added with the keyboard. Potok also has no apps for Android and iPhone: it works only on a computer, Windows, macOS or Linux.
Frequently asked questions
No: Potok has no voice formatting commands at all. After the text lands in the field, a paragraph is added with the keyboard.
There is nothing to turn on: according to Apple's help, you can dictate text of any length without a time limit. Dictation stops by itself only if no speech is heard for 30 seconds.
Apple menu → System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → turn it on and confirm with the button that says “Vklyuchit” (Turn on in Russian). Then start it like this: the microphone key (if there is one in the row of function keys), the dictation keyboard shortcut or Edit → Start Dictation.
It depends on the Mac: on a Mac with Apple Silicon, ordinary text dictation (messages, notes, but not the search field) is processed on the device and is not sent to Siri servers. This can be seen in System Settings, Keyboard, under the Dictation item. Whether Apple stores recordings of your dictations is decided by the Improve Siri and Dictation switch in Privacy and Security, Analytics and Improvements.
It depends on the Mac. On a Mac with Apple Silicon, ordinary text dictation (messages, notes, but not the search field) is processed on the device. On Intel Macs and in some scenarios the audio goes to Apple servers, and then the internet is needed. You can see exactly in System Settings, then Keyboard: under the Dictation item it says whether the internet is needed and whether speech is processed on the device.
Turn on Dictation: the Apple menu, then System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation. Then put the cursor in a text field and start dictation with the microphone key (if it is in the row of function keys), the dictation keyboard shortcut, or Edit, Start Dictation, and begin speaking.
Try it on your own texts
Download Potok for Windows, macOS or Linux: full access for the first 14 days, no card needed. After that, 2500 words per week for free or Pro for 690 ₽ per month. Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokA voice message from a messenger or a call recording can be forwarded to the bot @potok_now_bot, and it sends back the text. The bot is part of the same subscription as the Potok app.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows 11 only | Microsoft cloud, does not work offline |
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
| Task | Characters | Typing (200 chars/min) | Voice (900 chars/min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| chat reply | 300 | 2 min | 0.5 min |
| 1500 | 8 min | 1.7 min | |
| post or meeting minutes | 4000 | 20 min | 4.4 min |
| article | 10000 | 50 min | 11.1 min |
Primary sources: support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com · support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com