Setting Up Speech Note for Voice Typing on Linux Mint
Speech Note is a powerful offline speech-to-text app for Linux. This guide covers how to set it up for voice typing directly into any application on Linux Mint.
Installation
flatpak install flathub net.mkiol.SpeechNote
Setting Up Voice Typing to Active Window
Step 1: Install xdotool
Note: As of writing, the xdotool version in the Linux Mint/Ubuntu repositories is outdated and may cause issues like terminal windows opening unexpectedly or blank characters being typed. If the Mint repos have been updated to the latest version, you can simply run:
sudo apt install xdotool
Then skip to Step 3.
If you experience issues, you'll need to install the latest version manually from the xdotool releases page. Download the pre-built binaries and install them:
# Remove outdated repo version
sudo apt remove xdotool
# Copy downloaded binary to /usr/local/bin
sudo cp xdotool /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/xdotool
Step 2: Set Up Systemd Service (Only if manually installed)
mkdir -p ~/.config/systemd/user
cat > ~/.config/systemd/user/xdotool.service << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=xdotool Service
[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/xdotool
[Install]
WantedBy=default.target
EOF
systemctl --user enable xdotool
systemctl --user start xdotool
Step 3: Grant Flatpak Permissions
flatpak override --user --socket=x11 net.mkiol.SpeechNote
Or use Flatseal for a GUI:
sudo apt install flatseal
Step 4: Enable Global Shortcuts in Speech Note
- Open Speech Note
- Go to Settings → Accessibility
- Enable Use Global Keyboard Shortcuts
Step 5: Restart Speech Note
Close and reopen Speech Note for all changes to take effect.
Step 6: Use It
Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K to start listening and type into the focused window.