Voice to Text for Spotlight
You press Cmd+Space to search, but then you have to type. Every search query, every calculation, every file lookup means hands on keyboard. Blurt lets you speak your Spotlight searches instead. Hold a button, say what you're looking for, release. Your query appears in Spotlight instantly. Find files by describing them. Run calculations by speaking them. Launch apps without spelling them. The fastest way to search your Mac just got faster.
The Typing Problem
You know what you want but not what it's called
You need that PDF you downloaded last week. Something about quarterly projections. You can picture it. But what did you name it? You try 'quarterly', then 'projections', then 'Q3', then 'finance'. Four searches, four attempts, still hunting. You know what you're looking for, but Spotlight only understands exact matches. The disconnect between your memory and the search box wastes minutes every day.
Quick calculations require typing precision
Spotlight's calculator is powerful, but typing math formulas is tedious. You need to calculate 15% tip on $87.40. That's '87.40 * 0.15' typed character by character. Parentheses for complex math. Dollar signs that interfere with the syntax. By the time you've typed the formula correctly, you could have done it in your head wrong twice.
Natural language searches don't feel natural when typed
Spotlight supports natural language queries like 'documents from last week' or 'emails from Sarah about budget'. Great in theory. But typing out 'documents I modified last Tuesday' feels absurd. The natural language feature works, but the typing requirement makes it unnatural. You end up using simpler queries because who wants to type a sentence into a search box.
App switching interrupts your flow
You're deep in a document when you need to quickly open another app. Cmd+Space, start typing the app name, realize you're typing into your document instead because Spotlight didn't focus properly, delete, try again. The context switch plus the typing plus the occasional misfire adds up. Your quick app launch takes 5-10 seconds of attention you didn't want to spend.
Your hands are busy but you still need to search
You're on a call taking notes, eating lunch at your desk, or your hands are occupied with something physical. You need to look something up on your Mac but can't type right now. Spotlight requires your fingers on the keyboard. Without them, the world's fastest search interface becomes completely inaccessible.
How It Works
Blurt works anywhere you can type on your Mac, including Spotlight's search field. Just open Spotlight normally, then speak instead of type.
Open Spotlight and hold your hotkey
Press Cmd+Space for Spotlight, then hold your Blurt hotkey. A small indicator shows you're recording.
Speak your search naturally
Say what you're looking for. File names, calculations, natural language queries, app names. Speak it like you'd say it.
Release and search
Your spoken query appears in Spotlight's search field. Results appear instantly. Select what you need.
Real Scenarios
Finding files by describing them
You need the presentation you made for the client meeting. Open Spotlight, hold hotkey, say 'presentation Acme Corp December'. Release. Spotlight shows your 'Acme_Corp_Q4_Presentation.key' file. You didn't remember the exact name, but speaking enough context found it. No guessing at filenames, no multiple search attempts.
Instant spoken calculations
You're splitting a $247.80 restaurant bill four ways and adding 20% tip. Open Spotlight, hold hotkey, say 'two hundred forty seven point eight zero times one point two divided by four'. Release. Spotlight shows '74.34'. The math that would have taken 15 seconds to type correctly took 3 seconds to speak.
Natural language file searches
You need documents you worked on recently. Open Spotlight, hold hotkey, say 'spreadsheets I modified in the last three days'. Release. Spotlight understands and shows your recent Excel and Numbers files. The natural language query you'd never bother typing becomes effortless when spoken.
Launching apps without spelling
You need to open Microsoft Word but you're tired of typing 'Mic' and waiting for autocomplete. Open Spotlight, hold hotkey, say 'Microsoft Word'. Release. Hit Enter. App opens. Works great for apps with unusual names or ones you can never remember how to spell.
Quick dictionary lookups
You're writing and need to verify a word's meaning. Open Spotlight, hold hotkey, say 'define ephemeral'. Release. The definition appears. No hunting for the right spelling of an unfamiliar word, no switching to a browser. Just speak the word you want defined.
Unit conversions on the fly
You're reading a recipe with metric measurements. Open Spotlight, hold hotkey, say 'two hundred fifty grams to cups'. Release. Spotlight shows the conversion. Then say 'one hundred eighty celsius to fahrenheit'. Cooking without the conversion chart.
Searching while multitasking
You're on a video call and someone mentions a document you need to share. Without interrupting the conversation or fumbling with typing while talking, open Spotlight, hold hotkey, quietly say 'project timeline spreadsheet'. Release. Find the file. Drag it to the chat. All while maintaining eye contact with the camera.
Why Spotlight users choose Blurt over built-in dictation
| Blurt | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Single hotkey, works immediately in Spotlight | Double-tap Fn, often conflicts with Spotlight's own shortcuts |
| Speed | Text appears in under 500ms | Processing delay before text appears |
| Accuracy | Optimized for search queries and calculations | General-purpose, sometimes misinterprets numbers |
| Control | Hold to record, release to finish, precise timing | Tap to start, tap to stop, easy to leave running |
Frequently Asked Questions
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