Wispr Flow Styles, Smart Formatting and Auto Cleanup: control how much it changes your words
By Ryleigh Newman · Published
Wispr Flow does not paste exactly what you said. Three settings shape the result. Styles choose capitalization and punctuation by the kind of app you are in. Smart Formatting builds lists and punctuation and removes false starts. Auto Cleanup sets how far it goes, from the raw transcript to rewording for clarity. If Flow keeps changing your words, Auto Cleanup is the one to look at.
I built YapToText, a different dictation app for the Mac, so read what I say about Wispr Flow with that in mind. Every fact about Wispr Flow here comes from its own help center, read on October 10, 2026.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
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On this page: 9 sections
Auto Cleanup: how much it edits
From Wispr Flow's help article Auto Cleanup, read October 10, 2026. Mac and Windows. The article says a former High level is no longer selectable.
| Level | What it does |
|---|---|
| None | Pastes the raw transcript, including filler words, false starts and spoken errors |
| Light | Removes filler words and fixes grammar. This is what you get when no level is set |
| Medium | May reword phrases for clarity and conciseness while preserving meaning |
- Open the Flow hub.
- Go to Style, then Auto Cleanup. It is marked Beta.
- Click the card for None, Light or Medium.
The new level applies to your next dictation. For your exact words, choose None.
Get the original back
The article says the original dictation is never lost. On the Home tab of the Flow hub, click the three-dot menu next to a recent dictation and choose Undo AI edit. Right after a dictation, the normal undo shortcut also reverts the pasted text.
Styles: capitals and punctuation by app
From Wispr Flow's help article How to setup Flow Styles, read October 10, 2026.
| Style | Where it is offered | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Formal | Every category | Capitals and full punctuation |
| Casual | Every category | Capitals, less punctuation |
| Very casual | Personal messages only | No capitals, less punctuation |
| Excited | Work, Email and Other | More exclamation marks |
There are four categories: Personal messages, Work messages, Email and Other. Flow picks the category from the app you are dictating in, and on a computer it also recognizes web apps by their address. Email apps get email formatting too, such as a greeting, a sign-off and line breaks. Set them in Wispr Flow, Style: pick a category tab and click a style card. It saves at once. The article notes that style formatting applies in English only.
Smart Formatting and Backtrack
- Lists. Say numbers or sequence words, such as one, two, or first, second, and Flow makes a list.
- Punctuation. Mostly automatic. For exact control say the mark by name: period, comma, question mark, colon.
- Line breaks. Say new line or new paragraph. These work whether Smart Formatting is on or off.
- Backtrack. Say actually, scratch that or never mind, or just restate what you meant, and the false start is removed. The article's example: Let's do coffee at 2 actually 3 becomes coffee at 3.
Smart Formatting is on by default. The article is clear about its limit: formatting cleans up filler words, grammar, punctuation and capitalization, and it does not correct misheard words. On Android formatting is always applied, with no switch.
The missing period at the end
On Mac and Windows, whether Flow drops the final period depends on your style. Formal never drops it. Casual drops it for up to 10 sentences. Very casual drops it with no practical limit. With Excited, or no style set, it drops it for up to two sentences in messaging apps and keeps it elsewhere. Exclamation and question marks are always kept.
When text comes out unformatted
- Auto Cleanup is on None. That is the raw transcript by design.
- AI formatting is off. A default transcription format of No AI formatting does the same.
- The app is treated as an AI app. The article says dictations into apps Flow recognizes as AI apps skip formatting by design, as do Command Mode dictations.
- Formatting failed. Flow returns the raw transcript when formatting fails.
How YapToText handles the same choice
Wispr Flow from its help center, read October 10, 2026. YapToText from its own settings.
| Wispr Flow | YapToText | |
|---|---|---|
| Exact words | Auto Cleanup set to None | Raw Transcription mode |
| Light tidy | Light, the default | Clean Up mode, which keeps your wording and never shortens a sentence |
| By app | Styles by app category | Auto mode, or a default mode per app |
| Where the editing runs | On Wispr's servers | On the Mac |
| See what changed | Undo AI edit | History shows the raw and the cleaned transcript of each dictation |
The page on dictation without AI covers getting only your words, the modes help page covers mine, and the Command Mode page covers Wispr's tools for rewriting text on purpose.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
The short version
- Too many edits. Style, Auto Cleanup, None or Light.
- Undo one. Home, three-dot menu, Undo AI edit.
- Capitals and punctuation. Styles, by app category.
- Fix a false start. Say scratch that, or restate it.
- Misheard words. Formatting does not fix those. Use the dictionary.
If Wispr changes these settings, open an issue on GitHub and I will update this page. Every one gets read.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
Related
Sources
- https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/2368263928-how-to-setup-flow-styles (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/5373093536-how-do-i-use-smart-formatting-and-backtrack (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://docs.wisprflow.ai/articles/4283510616-auto-cleanup-control-how-much-flow-edits-your-dictation-beta (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-10)
Questions
Why does Wispr Flow change my words?
Auto Cleanup edits your dictation. Light removes filler and fixes grammar, and Medium may reword phrases. Set it to None for the raw transcript.
How do I turn off Wispr Flow's formatting?
In the Flow hub, open Style, Auto Cleanup, and choose None. That pastes the raw transcript.
What are Flow Styles?
Settings for capitalization and punctuation by app category: Personal messages, Work messages, Email and Other. The choices are Formal, Casual, Very casual and Excited.
Why does Wispr Flow remove the period at the end?
It depends on your style. Casual and Very casual drop trailing periods, Formal never does.
Can I undo a Wispr Flow edit?
Yes. On the Home tab, open the three-dot menu next to the dictation and choose Undo AI edit.