> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.augmental.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Map shortcuts to your buttons

> Assign a press or a double press on the white, red, and grey buttons.

Vox has three buttons you can configure, and each one recognises three gestures: a
press, a double press, and a hold.

## The buttons

| Button | Default press            | Default double press | Default hold  |
| ------ | ------------------------ | -------------------- | ------------- |
| White  | Start and stop dictation | Enter                | Unassigned    |
| Red    | Escape                   | Switch apps (⌘Tab)   | Unassigned    |
| Grey   | Unassigned               | Unassigned           | Voice command |

The black button is not in this list. It belongs to the device rather than the app,
so Vox shows it read-only. See [Understanding the black button](/getting-started/turning-on-and-pairing).

## Changing what a gesture does

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Buttons tab">
    Open Vox and select **Buttons** at the top of the window.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a button and a gesture">
    Each button card has a row for **Press** and a row for **Double press**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose an action">
    Every gesture can be set to one of:

    * **Start and stop dictation** or **Start and stop note**
    * **Add to last note** or **Cancel dictation**
    * **A keyboard shortcut** of your choosing
    * **Voice command** or **Edit text** on a hold
    * Media controls such as play/pause, next track, volume, and mute
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record the shortcut">
    If you chose a keyboard shortcut, click the shortcut field and press the key
    combination you want the button to send.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Changes apply immediately. There is no save step.

## What a keyboard shortcut actually does

Vox sends the key combination to whatever app is in the foreground, exactly as if you
had pressed those keys yourself. That means it works with anything that has a keyboard
shortcut, including apps that know nothing about Vox.

Some combinations worth stealing:

| You want                   | Set the shortcut to                                              |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Push to talk in a call app | Whatever that app uses, often <kbd>Space</kbd> or <kbd>⌘⇧A</kbd> |
| Trigger Superwhisper       | Its own hotkey, see [Superwhisper](/other-apps/superwhisper)     |
| Trigger Wispr Flow         | Its own hotkey, see [Wispr Flow](/other-apps/wispr-flow)         |
| Play and pause music       | <kbd>F8</kbd>                                                    |

<Tip>
  If you want the same button to do different things in different apps, you do not
  need a second button. See [App-specific profiles](/using-vox/app-profiles).
</Tip>

## Press and double press interact

When a gesture is assigned to double press, Vox has to wait a moment after the first
press to see whether a second one is coming. That delay is short, but it is real. If
you never use double press on a given button, leaving it unassigned makes the single
press feel instant.

Vox uses a 0.3-second window to detect a double press.

## Older devices with one button

Some earlier units report a single unlabelled button. Vox treats that as the white
button, so the white button row is the one to configure.