# Polish, shorten or clarify a dictation

> After you dictate, NoteOwl offers Polish, Shorten, Clarify, Make formal and Make friendly. Each rewrites your words in the app, and Undo puts them back.

Source: https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/polish-shorten-clarify · Last updated 2026-09-27 · Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0

After you dictate with NoteOwl, the panel at the top of the screen offers **Polish** and, under **More…**, **Shorten**, **Clarify**, **Make formal** and **Make friendly**. Each one rewrites the words you just dictated, right in the app you dictated into, and **Undo** puts your original words back.

Nothing changes unless you choose an action. The panel stays open until you click **Done** or press Esc.

## What can I do after I stop dictating?

When you stop, the panel says where your words went, such as **Inserted into Mail**, and offers four buttons. Your words stay exactly as NoteOwl typed them until you click one.

| Button      | What it does                                                           |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Polish**  | Swaps your words for a cleaned-up version in the tone set for that app |
| **Rewrite** | Lets you choose a rewrite or say how to change the text (NoteOwl Pro)  |
| **More…**   | **Shorten**, **Clarify**, **Make formal** or **Make friendly**         |
| **Done**    | Closes the panel and leaves the text as it is                          |

## Polish or shorten what you dictated

1. Dictate as usual: tap **fn**, talk, then tap **fn** again or press **● Stop**. The panel shows where your words went, for example **Inserted into Mail**.
2. Click **Polish**. Or click **More…** and choose **Shorten**, **Clarify**, **Make formal** or **Make friendly**.
3. Wait a moment while NoteOwl rewrites the text on your Mac. When it's done, the panel says **Replaced in** and the app's name, such as **Replaced in Mail**.
4. Click **Done** to keep the new text, or **Undo** to put your original words back.

After an action runs, the panel offers **Undo** and **Done**, not a second action. If an action can't run, the panel says so, for example **Polish couldn’t run — your text is unchanged.**, and your words stay as they were.

## What do Shorten, Clarify, Make formal and Make friendly do?

Each one rewrites the words you just dictated with a single instruction, on your Mac, keeping what you meant.

| Action            | What it does                                                                                                          |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Polish**        | Tidies your words in the tone set for that app: filler words and false starts removed, punctuation and capitals fixed |
| **Shorten**       | Says the same thing in fewer words                                                                                    |
| **Clarify**       | Makes it easier to follow                                                                                             |
| **Make formal**   | Rewrites it in a more formal tone                                                                                     |
| **Make friendly** | Rewrites it in a friendlier tone                                                                                      |

**Polish** uses the copy NoteOwl already wrote in that app's tone when you stopped, such as a professional email in Mail. If there isn't one, for example because the app is set to **Keep exact**, NoteOwl tidies your words when you click **Polish**. To change the tone for an app, see [set the dictation tone for each app](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/tone-for-each-app).

## How do I undo a change?

Click **Undo** in the panel. NoteOwl puts back exactly the words you dictated, and the panel says **Restored the original in** and the app's name.

NoteOwl only does this while the text in your app is still what it wrote. If you've edited it since, NoteOwl leaves your app alone, copies your original words to the clipboard and says **That text has changed since — the original is on your clipboard instead.**

## When does NoteOwl copy the new text instead?

When it can't safely change the text in place. NoteOwl edits your app only when it can confirm the text is still exactly what you dictated, in the same field. Otherwise it leaves the app untouched, puts the new version on your clipboard, and the panel says why:

* **The app can't be edited directly**, as in some code editors and web pages: the panel says NoteOwl couldn't edit that app directly and that the new text is on your clipboard. Press ⌘V to paste it.
* **You've moved on**: you switched apps, moved the cursor to another field or changed the text. The panel says, for example, **You switched apps, so nothing was changed there. The new version is on your clipboard.**
* **It's a terminal**: NoteOwl doesn't replace text in a terminal, and says **That’s a terminal — nothing was typed into it.**

Click **Copy** in the panel to copy the new text again.

## What if NoteOwl couldn't type my dictation?

Then there's nothing in the app to replace. Without the macOS **Accessibility** permission, NoteOwl copies your dictation instead of typing it, and the panel says **Copied — press ⌘V in** and the app's name.

In that case **Polish** puts the polished version on your clipboard, ready to paste, and the **More…** actions say **Nothing was inserted, so there’s nothing to rewrite here.** To have NoteOwl type directly, see [dictation hears you but no text appears](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/troubleshooting/dictation-not-typing).

## Is the rewritten text saved in Dictations?

No. **Polish** and the **More…** actions change only the text in your app. The dictation NoteOwl saved in **Dictations** keeps your raw words and the version in that app's tone, and you can give it a different style there: see [find, play and export your dictations](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/voice-notes).

## Common questions

### Are Polish, Shorten and Clarify part of NoteOwl Free?

Yes. Polish and the four actions under More… (Shorten, Clarify, Make formal and Make friendly) work on NoteOwl Free. Rewrite, which lets you choose or say how to change the text, is part of NoteOwl Pro.

### Does NoteOwl send my text anywhere to shorten or clarify it?

No. NoteOwl rewrites your dictation on your Mac with on-device AI models. Your words and every rewritten version stay on your Mac.

### Why did NoteOwl put the new text on my clipboard instead of changing it?

NoteOwl changes the text in your app only when it can confirm it's still exactly what you dictated, in the same place. If it can't edit the app directly, or you've switched apps or edited the text since, NoteOwl leaves the app alone and copies the new version so you can paste it with ⌘V.

## Related

- [Dictate into any app with the fn key](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/dictate-into-any-app): Tap fn to start dictating in any Mac app and tap it again to stop. NoteOwl types your words at the cursor and keeps exactly what you said.
- [Set the dictation tone for each app](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/tone-for-each-app): NoteOwl picks a dictation tone for each app, such as professional in Mail and casual in Slack. Change it in Settings → Auto-Context. Raw words are always kept.
- [Find, play and export your dictations](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/voice-notes): NoteOwl saves every dictation in Dictations. Record voice notes with New Dictation, then filter, rename, compare raw and polished text, play and export them.
- [Dictation hears you but no text appears](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/troubleshooting/dictation-not-typing): If NoteOwl hears your dictation but no words appear, turn on Accessibility and click into a text field first. Every dictation is also kept in Dictations.

Learn more: [Dictation, on the NoteOwl Features page](https://www.noteowl.ai/features/dictation)