# Select and Dial with Hotkey

With Select and Dial, you can call a phone number from anywhere on your computer without retyping it. Wherever a number appears (a web page, an email, a spreadsheet, a document), highlight it, press your hotkey (a keyboard shortcut you assign), and the Cloud Voice App places the call. It does not matter which application the number lives in.

## Before you begin

Make sure your environment meets these requirements:

- Your Cloud Voice system is running version **84.12.0.32** or later.
- The Cloud Voice App for desktop is version **1.21.2** or later, on either Windows or macOS.

:::caution
If either version is older than the minimum listed above, the **Dial Selected Number** option may not appear or the hotkey will not work. Confirm both versions first, before you spend time troubleshooting anything else.
:::

## Step 1. Turn on the hotkey

A key combination is already assigned by default, but the whole feature ships switched off. Nothing happens when you press it until you enable the option below.

:::note
This is a per-device setting. It lives in the desktop app, not on the server, so you enable it on each computer where you want to use it.
:::

1. Open the app's **Settings**. How you get there depends on your operating system.

   - **Windows**: Right-click the Cloud Voice App icon ![Cloud Voice App tray icon](/images/pbx/linkus-desktop-logo.png) in the system tray (the small icons near the clock), then choose **Settings**.

     
     ![Cloud Voice, opening Settings from the Windows system tray menu](/images/pbx/windows-access-system-menu.png)

   - **macOS**: In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click **Cloud Voice App**, then choose **Settings**.

     ![Opening Settings from the macOS app menu](/images/pbx/mac-access-settings-menu.png)

2. Find the **Hotkeys** section and do the following:

   ![The Dial Selected Number hotkey option in Settings](/images/pbx/dial-selected-number-hotkey.png)

   a. Select the **Dial Selected Number** checkbox.

   b. To use a different key combination, click the hotkey field beside the option and press the keys you want to assign.

   :::tip
   Pick a combination that no other program already uses (for example a browser or spreadsheet shortcut). If two apps claim the same keys, one of them wins and Select and Dial may appear to do nothing.
   :::

## Step 2. (Optional) Review the number before dialing

By default, the app dials as soon as you select a number and press the hotkey. If you would rather check or edit the number before the call goes out, turn off **Dial out immediately**.

1. Open the **Settings** page.
2. In the **Call** section, clear the **Dial out immediately** checkbox.

   ![Clearing the Dial out immediately checkbox in the Call settings](/images/pbx/disable-dial-out-imme.png)

:::caution
With **Dial out immediately** left on, the call starts the instant you press the hotkey, with no confirmation. If you accidentally highlight text that reads like an emergency or premium-rate number, it will be dialed immediately. Turn this setting off for anyone who needs a chance to review the number first.
:::

## What to expect

The result depends on the **Dial out immediately** setting from Step 2:

- **Left on (default)**: Select a number, press the hotkey, and the call starts right away.
- **Turned off**: Select a number and press the hotkey. The number opens in the dialer so you can adjust it, then place the call when you are ready.