# Dictation Problems and Fixes (2026): Mac and Windows

> 81 dictation problems with fixes on Mac and Windows, from Infina.

Source: https://www.infina.so/dictation-problems-and-fixes
Published: 2026-10-20. Last updated: 2026-10-20.
Category: Buying guide. Published by Infina (https://www.infina.so).

**About Infina.** Infina runs the whole prompt loop on three spoken words. Say "type" and your sentence and it types. Say "send it", or just "enter", and it presses Enter. Say "open Cursor" and it switches apps. No hotkey, no key held down, no touching the keyboard, from across the room. Not push-to-talk. There is no key to hold to start talking and no Enter to press to send, so prompting an AI tool costs zero keypresses. It runs on macOS (Apple Silicon) and Windows 10 and 11, transcribes on your own computer, and costs $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, for unlimited words and commands. The Free plan gives 2,000 free words.

---

**TL;DR:** 81 dictation and voice typing problems, each with causes and step-by-step fixes. Infina is hands-free voice typing for Mac and Windows: say "type", "send it" and "open [app]". $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99.

## On a Mac

- [AirPods Dictation Not Working on Mac](/airpods-dictation-not-working-mac)
- [App Not Showing in Mac Microphone Privacy Settings](/mac-app-not-showing-in-microphone-privacy)
- [Globe Key Dictation Not Working on an External Keyboard](/globe-key-dictation-not-working-external-keyboard)
- [How to Add Custom Words to Mac Dictation](/add-custom-words-to-mac-dictation)
- [How to Reset Dictation on Mac](/how-to-reset-dictation-on-mac)
- [How to Turn Off Voice Control on Mac](/how-to-turn-off-voice-control-mac)
- [Improve Siri and Dictation Popup Won't Go Away](/improve-siri-and-dictation-popup-wont-go-away)
- [Mac Dictation Auto Punctuation Not Working](/mac-dictation-auto-punctuation-not-working)
- [Mac Dictation Blue Underlined Words](/mac-dictation-blue-underlined-words)
- [Mac Dictation Greyed Out or Can't Be Turned On](/mac-dictation-greyed-out)
- [Mac Dictation Inaccurate or Getting Words Wrong](/mac-dictation-inaccurate)
- [Mac Dictation Keeps Adding Periods and Commas](/mac-dictation-adding-periods)
- [Mac Dictation Keeps Turning On Accidentally](/mac-dictation-turns-on-accidentally)
- [Mac Dictation Key Opens Siri Instead](/mac-dictation-opens-siri-instead)
- [Mac Dictation Microphone Too Quiet](/mac-dictation-microphone-too-quiet)
- [Mac Dictation New Line Command Not Working](/mac-dictation-new-line-not-working)
- [Mac Dictation Not Available in My Language](/mac-dictation-language-not-available)
- [Mac Dictation Not Working After macOS Update](/mac-dictation-not-working-after-update)
- [Mac Dictation Not Working Offline](/mac-dictation-not-working-offline)
- [Mac Dictation Not Working With a Bluetooth Headset](/mac-dictation-not-working-with-bluetooth-headset)
- [Mac Dictation Not Working in Terminal](/mac-dictation-not-working-in-terminal)
- [Mac Dictation Shortcut Not Working](/mac-dictation-shortcut-not-working)
- [Mac Dictation Shortcut Option Greyed Out](/mac-dictation-shortcut-greyed-out)
- [Mac Dictation Shows the Microphone but No Text Appears](/mac-dictation-no-text-appears)
- [Mac Dictation Stops After a Few Seconds](/mac-dictation-stops-after-a-few-seconds)
- [Mac Dictation Stops Working After Sleep](/mac-dictation-stops-working-after-sleep)
- [Mac Dictation Text Disappears After Speaking](/mac-dictation-text-disappears)
- [Mac Dictation Typing in the Wrong Language](/mac-dictation-wrong-language)
- [Mac Dictation Using the Wrong Microphone](/mac-dictation-using-wrong-microphone)
- [Mac Dictation Works in Some Apps but Not Others](/mac-dictation-works-in-some-apps-but-not-others)
- [Mac Voice Control Not Recognizing Commands](/mac-voice-control-not-recognizing-commands)
- [Mac Voice Control Not Working](/mac-voice-control-not-working)
- [Mac Voice Control Says Not Listening](/mac-voice-control-not-listening)
- [Mac Voice Control Stuck Downloading](/mac-voice-control-stuck-downloading)
- [MacWhisper Dictation Not Working](/macwhisper-dictation-not-working)
- [Secure Input Is Blocking Dictation and Shortcuts on Mac](/secure-input-blocking-dictation-mac)
- [Touch Bar Dictation Button Not Working](/touch-bar-dictation-not-working)

## On Windows

- [Bluetooth Headset Mic Sounds Bad for Dictation on Windows](/bluetooth-headset-mic-dictation-windows)
- [Can You Use Windows Voice Typing Offline](/windows-voice-typing-offline)
- [Fluid Dictation Not Working on Copilot+ PC](/windows-fluid-dictation-not-working-copilot-plus-pc)
- [How to Run the Speech and Recording Audio Troubleshooter on Windows](/windows-speech-troubleshooter)
- [How to Turn Off Voice Typing Popping Up on Windows 11](/turn-off-voice-typing-windows-11)
- [Microphone Access Blocked for Voice Typing on Windows 11](/windows-11-microphone-access-blocked-voice-typing)
- [Microphone Too Quiet for Voice Typing on Windows](/windows-microphone-too-quiet-voice-typing)
- [Voice Access Can't Download the Required Language Files](/voice-access-cant-download-language-files)
- [Voice Access Commands Not Recognized](/voice-access-commands-not-recognized)
- [Voice Access Not Responding to Voice](/voice-access-not-responding)
- [Voice Access Not Working on Windows 11](/voice-access-not-working-windows-11)
- [Voice Typing Functionality Is Limited on This App](/windows-voice-typing-limited-on-this-app)
- [Win+H Not Working on Windows 11](/win-h-not-working-windows-11)
- [Windows 10 Dictation Win+H Not Working](/windows-10-dictation-win-h-not-working)
- [Windows Microphone Muted or Disabled for Voice Typing](/windows-microphone-muted-voice-typing)
- [Windows Speech Language Pack Not Downloading](/windows-voice-typing-speech-pack-not-downloading)
- [Windows Speech Recognition Missing in Windows 11](/windows-speech-recognition-missing-windows-11)
- [Windows Speech Recognition Won't Start](/windows-speech-recognition-wont-start)
- [Windows Voice Typing Auto Punctuation Not Working](/windows-voice-typing-auto-punctuation-not-working)
- [Windows Voice Typing Censoring Words With Asterisks](/windows-voice-typing-censoring-words)
- [Windows Voice Typing Launcher Missing or Won't Stay On](/windows-voice-typing-launcher-missing)
- [Windows Voice Typing Needs Online Speech Recognition](/windows-voice-typing-online-speech-recognition-off)
- [Windows Voice Typing Not Available in Your Language](/windows-voice-typing-language-not-supported)
- [Windows Voice Typing Not Detecting Microphone](/windows-voice-typing-microphone-not-detected)
- [Windows Voice Typing Says Select a Text Box](/windows-voice-typing-select-a-text-box)
- [Windows Voice Typing Says Something Went Wrong](/windows-voice-typing-something-went-wrong)
- [Windows Voice Typing Stopped Working After Update](/windows-voice-typing-stopped-working-after-update)
- [Windows Voice Typing Stops After a Few Seconds](/windows-voice-typing-stops-after-a-few-seconds)
- [Windows Voice Typing Types the Wrong Words](/windows-voice-typing-wrong-words)
- [Windows Voice Typing Typing in the Wrong Language](/windows-voice-typing-wrong-language)

## On both, and in dictation apps

- [AirPods or Bluetooth Headset Makes Dictation Worse](/bluetooth-headset-dictation-low-quality)
- [ChatGPT Dictation Transcription Error](/chatgpt-transcription-error)
- [Chrome Microphone Blocked for a Site](/chrome-microphone-blocked-for-site)
- [Claude Code /voice Not Working](/claude-code-voice-mode-error)
- [Dictation Adds Random Words Like Thanks for Watching](/dictation-hallucinations-random-words)
- [Dictation Keeps Getting Names and Words Wrong](/dictation-wrong-words-names)
- [Dictation Lag: Delay Before Text Appears](/dictation-lag-delay)
- [Dictation Not Understanding My Accent](/dictation-not-understanding-accent)
- [Dictation Not Working in a Noisy Room](/dictation-background-noise)
- [Google Docs Voice Typing Not Working or Mic Blocked](/google-docs-voice-typing-mic-blocked)
- [Superwhisper Not Pasting or Not Recording](/superwhisper-not-pasting)
- [Wispr Flow Microphone or Shortcut Not Working](/wispr-flow-microphone-not-working)
- [Wispr Flow Not Pasting Text](/wispr-flow-not-pasting-text)
- [Word Dictate Button Greyed Out or Missing](/word-dictate-button-greyed-out)

## In a specific app

- [Aider Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/aider-dictation-not-working)
- [Apple Mail Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/apple-mail-dictation-not-working)
- [Apple Pages Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/apple-pages-dictation-not-working)
- [Brave Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/brave-dictation-not-working)
- [ChatGPT (desktop + web) Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/chatgpt-dictation-not-working)
- [Claude Code Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/claude-code-dictation-not-working)
- [Claude desktop Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/claude-desktop-dictation-not-working)
- [Cline Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/cline-dictation-not-working)
- [Codex Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/codex-dictation-not-working)
- [Cursor Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/cursor-dictation-not-working)
- [Discord Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/discord-dictation-not-working)
- [Epic (EHR) Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/epic-dictation-not-working)
- [Figma Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/figma-dictation-not-working)
- [Gemini CLI Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/gemini-cli-dictation-not-working)
- [Gmail Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/gmail-dictation-not-working)
- [Google Chrome (any website) Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/chrome-dictation-not-working)
- [Google Docs Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/google-docs-dictation-not-working)
- [JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA) Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/intellij-idea-dictation-not-working)
- [Jira Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/jira-dictation-not-working)
- [Kiro Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/kiro-dictation-not-working)
- [Linear Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/linear-dictation-not-working)
- [Logseq Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/logseq-dictation-not-working)
- [Mac Dictation Not Working? 7 Fixes That Actually Help](/mac-dictation-not-working)
- [Microsoft OneNote Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/onenote-dictation-not-working)
- [Microsoft Teams Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/microsoft-teams-dictation-not-working)
- [Microsoft Word Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/microsoft-word-dictation-not-working)
- [Obsidian Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/obsidian-dictation-not-working)
- [OpenCode Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/opencode-dictation-not-working)
- [Oracle Health (Cerner) Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/oracle-health-cerner-dictation-not-working)
- [Outlook Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/outlook-dictation-not-working)
- [Scrivener Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/scrivener-dictation-not-working)
- [Signal Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/signal-dictation-not-working)
- [Terminal (macOS) Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/terminal-mac-dictation-not-working)
- [Todoist Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/todoist-dictation-not-working)
- [VS Code Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/vs-code-dictation-not-working)
- [Warp Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/warp-dictation-not-working)
- [Windows Terminal / PowerShell Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/windows-terminal-dictation-not-working)
- [Zed Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/zed-dictation-not-working)
- [iTerm2 Dictation Not Working? Causes and Fixes](/iterm2-dictation-not-working)

## Infina at a glance

- **What it is:** hands-free voice typing and voice control for Mac and Windows.
- **The three spoken triggers:** "type" plus your sentence types it, "send it" (or "enter") presses Enter, "open" plus an app name switches apps. There is no fourth.
- **Hands-free mode:** turn it on in Infina once, then just talk. "send it" works in hands-free mode.
- **Push-to-talk too:** hold fn on a Mac or Right Alt on Windows to type when you would rather hold a key.
- **Where it runs:** on your own computer. By default your audio never leaves it, and it works offline once set up.
- **Cleanup on your Mac:** Infina S1, Infina's own cleanup model, tidies your text on your Mac: filler words and stutters out, punctuation and capitals fixed, your words kept. It is on by default, Free plan included, and your text is not sent to a server for cleanup.
- **Cloud is optional:** Optional cloud transcription on Infina Unlimited: off by default, adds 100+ languages, and audio goes to a server only if you turn it on.
- **Platforms:** Mac with Apple Silicon (macOS 14 or later) and Windows 10 or 11. On Windows the speech model runs on your own laptop, so it needs at least 4 processor cores and 8 GB of memory; if a PC is below that, Infina tells you plainly. No phone app.
- **Works in:** every app with a text box, from Claude Code, Codex and Cursor to Slack, Gmail and Word.
- **Price:** $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, unlimited words and commands. Free plan: 2,000 free words, no card required. 7-day money-back guarantee.
- **Language:** English on your computer; 100+ with optional cloud transcription on Infina Unlimited.

## Bottom line

[Download Infina](/download) for Mac or Windows and start with 2,000 free words, no card required.

---

## The short answer, by what you are trying to do

If you want to skip the detail above, find your sentence in this table and buy that one.

The tools this page covers (Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, MacWhisper) are at the top. The rest of the field follows, because the right answer is sometimes none of the above.

| Tool | Price | Keyboard needed | Pick it if |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Infina** | $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, unlimited words and unlimited commands | No. Speak "type", speak the prompt, say "send it" or "enter". | you want to prompt AI tools without touching the keyboard. Say "type" and the words go in, "send it" and the prompt goes, "open Cursor" and you are in the next agent. It is the only one of these that finishes the whole loop by voice in the tools developers prompt in all day. |
| Wispr Flow | $15 a month, or $144 a year billed annually | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | you need dictation on an iPhone or an Android phone as well as a laptop, or you write in one of 100+ languages. Those are the two things Infina does not ship. |
| Superwhisper | $8.49 a month, $84.99 a year, or $249.99 once | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | you want to pick and swap the speech model yourself, and dictation into a text box is the whole job. It stops where the text box ends: there is no spoken send, and no spoken app switch. |
| MacWhisper | 65 euros, paid once | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | the job is transcribing recorded audio files rather than talking to your computer while you work. |
| VoiceInk | $25 to $49, paid once | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | you want plain local dictation at the smallest possible price and you never need your voice to control the machine. |
| Talon | free | No, once you have learned its command language. | you want to drive the entire computer by voice, cursor and clicks included, and you are willing to learn a command language to get there. Talon is the serious hands-free tool on this list. Infina goes after the same freedom with three ordinary English words instead of a syntax to learn. |
| Apple Dictation | free, built in | Yes. A key to start dictating, Enter to send. | you dictate a sentence here and there and do not want to install anything. |

### The part that is actually different: zero keypresses

The mainstream dictation apps (Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, MacWhisper, VoiceInk, Apple Dictation) are all push-to-talk: you hold or press a key to start talking, and you press Enter to send. That is two physical acts on every single prompt. A hundred prompts in a day is two hundred keypresses that exist only to start and stop the tool. Infina removes both of them. Nothing is held, nothing is pressed, and the same loop runs on three spoken words.

There are three triggers and there is no fourth. "type" types, "send it" sends, "open" opens and switches apps. The send trigger answers to either wording, "send it" or a plain "enter", whichever you find yourself saying. That is the entire vocabulary: no command language, no grammar, no custom scripts to write, nothing to memorize beyond those three words.

**When Infina is not the answer.** If you need dictation on an iPhone, an iPad, an Android phone or Linux, Infina is a Mac and Windows desktop app and there is no phone version. Wispr Flow covers phones.

Everywhere else, the difference is the loop. Every other tool in that table types words into a box and stops, leaving your hands to press Enter and pick the next window. Infina finishes it: say "type" and your sentence, say "send it" (or just "enter"), say "open Cursor", and keep going without a key.

### Quick answers

**What are the trigger words in Infina?**
Three. Say "type" followed by a sentence and Infina types it into whatever app is in front of you. Say "send it", or just "enter", and it presses Enter, so the prompt actually goes. Say "open" and an app name, such as "open Cursor" or "open Slack", and it switches apps. That is the whole loop, and none of it needs a hotkey or a key held down.

**Can I use Claude Code or Codex without touching the keyboard?**
Yes, with Infina running in hands-free mode. Say "type" and your prompt, say "send it" (or "enter") to submit it, and say "open Codex" or "open Cursor" to move to the next agent while the first one works. Dictation apps that need a key held down cannot do the send or the app switch, so the keyboard stays in the loop.

**Is there a dictation app that does not need a hotkey or push-to-talk?**
Infina, in hands-free mode. The mainstream dictation apps (Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, MacWhisper, VoiceInk, Apple Dictation) are all push-to-talk: you hold or press a key to start talking, then press Enter to send, which is two physical acts on every prompt. Infina removes both. Say "type" and your sentence, say "send it" or "enter", say "open Cursor". Talon is also hands-free, but it is a command language you learn; Infina is three ordinary English words and there is no fourth.

**Is Wispr Flow or Infina better?**
Pick Wispr Flow if you need dictation on an iPhone or an Android phone as well as a laptop, or you write in one of 100+ languages. Those are the two things Infina does not ship. Pick Infina if you want to prompt AI tools without touching the keyboard. Say "type" and the words go in, "send it" and the prompt goes, "open Cursor" and you are in the next agent. It is the only one of these that finishes the whole loop by voice in the tools developers prompt in all day. Wispr Flow costs $15 a month, or $144 a year billed annually; Infina is $8.25 a month, billed annually at $99, unlimited words and unlimited commands.