# Turn Polished Transcription on or off

Source: https://help.contextli.com/articles/turn-on-polished-transcription

Polished Transcription is a toggle on the **Default Transcription** card on the **Contexts** page. When it is on, AI corrects grammar and adds punctuation to what you say with your main hotkey; when it is off (the default), you get the raw transcription.

## Turn it on or off

1. Open Contextli and click **Contexts** in the sidebar.
2. Find the **Default Transcription** card under **Selected Contexts**.
3. Click the toggle on the card. When it is on, the card is renamed **Polished Transcription**.

![Contexts page listing Polished Transcription, Slack and Email with their hotkeys and toggles](https://cdn.kamaan.io/kamaan/sites/6ae9f572170cd8d9857a277c/images/contextli-contexts-page.webp)

You can also flip the same toggle on the **Dashboard** under **Your Contexts**.

The change applies to your main recording hotkey (Option+Space on Mac, Ctrl+Space on Windows and Linux by default). Other contexts, like Email or Slack, always rewrite your words with their own instructions.

## Which should I use?

| | Polished Transcription off | Polished Transcription on |
|---|---|---|
| Output | Exactly what you said | Cleaned up grammar and punctuation |
| Speed | Fastest | A second or two slower |
| Good for | Quick notes, chat, code comments | Messages and documents you send as-is |

If dictation feels slow, turning Polished Transcription off returns raw text faster.

## Edit the polish instructions

When Polished Transcription is on, its card can be edited. Click the edit button on the card to adjust its instructions, then save.

## See the raw version of a note

Every polished note keeps the original words. Open the note on the **Notes** page and switch to the **Transcript** tab to see the **Raw transcription**.

## Troubleshooting

- **"AI polish failed"**: your words are saved in Notes. Open **Notes** and retry.
- **Nothing changes**: make sure you are recording with the main hotkey, not a context hotkey.

## Related articles

- [What are contexts?](/articles/what-are-contexts)
- [Turn on built-in contexts like Email and Slack](/articles/enable-built-in-contexts)
- [Find, copy and retranscribe your notes](/articles/find-and-manage-your-notes)
- [Dictation is slow or cuts off my first words](/articles/dictation-is-slow-or-cuts-off-the-start)