You press the shortcut, you talk, and nothing appears. Or the app clearly hears you but the text never lands. Or it worked fine yesterday and today it just spins.
Wispr Flow is a cloud dictation app, so three things have to work at once: your Mac has to let it hear you, your Mac has to let it type for you, and your Mac has to reach its servers. When it breaks, the cause is almost always one of those three. Work through the checks below in order. Most problems are solved by step 3.
We make TAWK, a different dictation app. The steps below are standard macOS checks that apply to any cloud dictation app, Wispr Flow included. For problems with your Wispr Flow account or billing, their own support team is the right place to go.
First, Work Out Which Kind of Broken
- Nothing happens when you press the shortcut. Usually the app is not running, another app uses the same key, or it needs a restart. Go to step 6.
- It seems to listen, but no text appears. Usually Accessibility permission, or your cursor is not in a text field. Go to step 2.
- It does not hear you, or the text is empty or wrong. Usually microphone permission or the wrong input device. Go to steps 1 and 5.
- It hangs, times out or is very slow. Usually your internet connection, a VPN or a firewall. Go to steps 3 and 4.
1. Check Microphone Permission
macOS blocks every app from your microphone until you allow it. Updates, migrations and new Macs can quietly reset that choice.
- Open System Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security, then Microphone.
- Find the dictation app in the list and make sure its switch is on.
- If it is already on, switch it off and on again, then quit and reopen the app.
If the app is missing from the list, open it and try to dictate once. macOS should ask for permission. If you clicked Don't Allow at some point, that choice sticks until you change it here.
2. Check Accessibility Permission
To type into other apps, any dictation tool needs Accessibility access. Without it, the app can hear you perfectly and still never put a word on screen.
- Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Accessibility.
- Make sure the app is listed and switched on.
- If it is on but still not typing, select it, remove it with the minus button, then add it back with the plus button.
- Quit and reopen the app.
This is the most common fix after an app update, because macOS can hold on to an old permission entry that no longer matches the new version of the app. While you are in Privacy & Security, also look at Input Monitoring. If the app appears there, make sure it is switched on too.
One more simple check: click into a real text box before you speak. If your cursor is on a web page background or a menu, there is nowhere for the text to go.
3. Check Your Internet Connection
A cloud dictation app sends your speech to a server and waits for the text to come back. If the connection is slow or drops, dictation fails or comes back partial.
- Open a website you have not visited today, to confirm you are really online and not looking at a cached page.
- On hotel, airport or cafe WiFi, you may need to accept a login page before anything else works.
- Try your phone's hotspot. If dictation suddenly works, the problem is the network, not the app.
- Check whether the service has a known outage. If it does, the only fix is to wait.
4. Pause Your VPN or Check Your Firewall
VPNs, corporate firewalls and network filters can block or slow the connection to a dictation server. Office networks are a frequent culprit, because they often only allow approved services.
- Pause the VPN and test again.
- If you use a firewall app like Little Snitch or LuLu, check whether it is blocking the dictation app.
- On a work Mac, ask IT whether the service is allowed. Managed Macs can also have privacy permissions locked by a profile you cannot change yourself.
TAWK transcribes on your Mac, so there is no server to reach, no VPN to fight and no login to expire. 5,000 words free, no card.
5. Check the Input Device
If the wrong microphone is selected, the app hears silence or a muffled room.
- Open System Settings, then Sound, then Input.
- Pick the microphone you are actually speaking into.
- Talk and watch the input level. If it does not move, the problem is the microphone, not the app.
Bluetooth headphones are a common trap. When your AirPods connect, macOS may switch the input to them, and a headset microphone can sound worse than the one built into your Mac. Many dictation apps also have their own microphone choice in their settings, so check there as well.
6. Quit, Restart, Update
- Quit the app fully from its menu bar icon, then open it again.
- Restart your Mac. It clears stuck audio and permission states more often than you would expect.
- Install any waiting app update and any waiting macOS update.
- If the shortcut does nothing, check that no other app, like a launcher or screenshot tool, is using the same key.
7. Sign Out and Back In
Cloud dictation apps need an active account session. If your login expired, your plan lapsed or a payment failed, the app may open normally and still refuse to transcribe. Sign out, sign back in, and check that your subscription is active.
8. Reinstall as a Last Resort
Delete the app, download a fresh copy from the official website, install it, and grant microphone and Accessibility permission again when asked. If it still fails, contact the app's support team with your macOS version and exactly what you see. A short screen recording helps them more than a long description.
Want Dictation That Does Not Depend on a Connection?
Look back at the list. Steps 3, 4 and 7 only exist because the app needs the internet and an account. An offline dictation app removes that whole class of problem. There is no server to reach, no VPN to fight and no login to expire.
That is why we built TAWK. Hold a key, speak, let go, and the text is typed at your cursor in any app. The speech model is OpenAI's Whisper, and it ships inside the app, so it works from the first launch with no internet. Your voice and your words never leave your Mac. There is no account to sign in to.
- $59 once. No subscription, and every update is free.
- No account. Your licence works on up to 3 of your Macs and verifies offline.
- Polite with your microphone. It opens only when you press the key and closes 5 minutes after your last dictation.
- Recovers on its own after your Mac sleeps and wakes.
- 90+ languages, detected automatically, on macOS 11 and later.
- 5,000 words free with every download, no card.
To be fair, TAWK still needs microphone and Accessibility permission like every dictation app on a Mac, so steps 1, 2 and 5 apply to it too. It simply skips the rest. See how the two compare in TAWK vs Wispr Flow, read why offline speech recognition matters for privacy, or if it is Apple's own dictation giving you trouble, try our Mac dictation fixes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Wispr Flow not typing anything on my Mac?
The most common cause is missing Accessibility permission, which any app needs to type into other apps. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Accessibility, and make sure the app is switched on. If it already is, remove it, add it back and reopen the app.
Does Wispr Flow work without internet?
Wispr Flow processes speech on its servers, so it needs a working connection. If you need dictation that works offline, an app that transcribes on your Mac, like TAWK, does not depend on a connection at all.
Can a VPN stop a dictation app from working?
Yes. A VPN, corporate firewall or network filter can block or slow the connection a cloud dictation app needs. Pause the VPN and test again, or try your phone's hotspot to rule out the network.
Is there a Mac dictation app that does not need an account?
Yes. TAWK has no account. You download it, get 5,000 words free, and if you keep it you pay $59 once. Transcription runs on your Mac with no internet.