Use a command while dictating
Click the text field where you want to write, start Dictation with your configured shortcut, and speak your message with the layout instruction included. Finish recording as usual. Oneslice inserts the requested spacing and leaves the command words out of the written message.
- Focus the destination text field.
- Start Dictation and say your message, including a command from this guide.
- Finish Dictation and review the resulting line breaks in that editor.
Line breaks
Say ‘new line’, ‘next line’, or ‘newline’ to continue on the next line without leaving a blank line. Use this for addresses, short lists, or a message sign-off.
“Hello Maya. New line. The report is ready.”
Hello Maya. The report is ready.
Paragraph breaks
Say ‘new paragraph’ or ‘next paragraph’ to start a separate paragraph. This inserts two line breaks, leaving one blank line between the text blocks.
“Hello Maya. New paragraph. The report is ready.”
Hello Maya. The report is ready.
A specific number of blank lines
Say ‘leave three lines’, ‘insert three lines’, or ‘skip three lines’ to leave three blank lines before continuing. You can also say ‘leave three blank lines’. Replace three with your desired count; number words from one to twenty are supported.
‘Leave a line’ and ‘leave a blank line’ each leave one blank line. A blank line is an empty row between blocks, so it requires one more line break than the number of empty rows. ‘Leave x lines’ is a pattern: say an actual number instead of the letter x.
“Summary. Leave three lines. Next steps.”
Summary. Next steps.
Explicit commands and automatic formatting
These explicit spoken layout instructions work even when Auto Dictation Formatting is off. The switch in Settings → Intelligence controls automatic structuring of suitable speech; it does not disable a line break you deliberately ask for. See Line breaks and formatting for that setting.
Where these commands apply
These are Dictation layout commands. They do not select Scratchpad fonts, apply highlights, or operate arbitrary menus in another application. Use the destination editor's controls for rich text. Some editors display paragraph spacing differently; check the inserted text before sending.