Setup Guide

Mac

Follow these five stages in order. Setup is complete when the Flow Hub appears.

1. Download and install

1. Download Flow from wisprflow.ai.

2. Open the downloaded file and drag Wispr Flow into your Applications folder, following the orange arrow.

3. Launch Wispr Flow from Applications. You'll know it's running when the Flow icon appears in your menu bar at the top of the screen.

2. Sign in or create an account

1. Click Sign in via browser. Flow opens your default browser to the login page, where you can sign in with Google, Apple, Microsoft, SSO, or email and password.

2. Return to the desktop app. Your session transfers back automatically and the app moves to the permissions screen. If you wait too long, the attempt times out — click Sign in via browser again.

3. Grant permissions

The permissions screen looks different depending on how you use Flow:

• Dictation: Click Allow on the microphone permission card, then click Allow on the macOS dialog. Next, click Allow on the accessibility permission card. Flow uses accessibility access to insert spoken words into other apps. If you previously dismissed a permission, clicking Allow opens System Settings to the right page.

• Note-taking: A meeting-focused permissions screen shows cards for microphone, accessibility, and system audio. Each card appears in sequence as the previous permission is granted. Click Allow on each card — the system audio card opens System Settings directly. Every permission is required to continue except system audio, which requires a recent version of macOS; on older versions you can proceed without it.

If you denied or skipped a permission, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone (or Accessibility) and turn on Wispr Flow.

The page auto-advances as soon as each permission is granted, and a completion header appears once all permissions are resolved. That's how you know this stage worked.

4. Complete the tutorial

1. Click Continue through the intro screens.

2. Answer the "Tell us about yourself" questions. If you select Other (or Something else), a text field appears — enter a description to continue.

3. Review the Privacy notice.

4. Test your microphone. Speak aloud — the audio bars stay low when you're silent and rise when you speak. Click Change microphone to pick a different one.

   1. If you see No microphone found, click Open Sound Settings and connect a mic.

   2. If you see In use by another app, click Open Sound Settings or Restart Flow.

   3. Flow re-checks automatically, so the error clears once the issue is fixed.

5. Set your keyboard shortcut by pressing the keys you want to use, or click Edit shortcut to change it. On Macs with the Apple fn key, fn is the default; on Macs without it, Flow uses Ctrl+Opt. Other defaults are Cmd+Ctrl+V for Paste Last Transcript and Fn+Space for Hands-free.

6. Select the languages you speak, or leave it on auto-detect.

7. Follow the "Try It Yourself" demos. The gesture — hold or double-tap — appears on screen. Use your shortcut, say something, then release. Text appears in the demo window when it works.

5. Finish setup

1. Configure your privacy preferences.

2. Confirm setup is complete: the Flow Hub appears with a welcome message, recent activity, and stats. New users see their dictation shortcut in the welcome header; after you've been dictating for a while, it becomes a "Welcome back, [Your name]" greeting.

Hold down your shortcut key in any app to start dictating — or double-tap it if onboarding instructed you to use that gesture.

Windows

Follow these five stages in order. Setup is complete when the Flow Hub appears.

1. Download and install

1. Download Flow from wisprflow.ai.

2. Open the installer and follow the on-screen steps.

3. Launch Wispr Flow from the Start menu. You'll know it's running when the Flow icon appears in your system tray, at the right end of the taskbar.

2. Sign in or create an account

1. Click Sign in via browser. Flow opens your default browser to the login page, where you can sign in with Google, Apple, Microsoft, SSO, or email and password.

2. Return to the desktop app. Your session transfers back automatically and the app moves to the permissions screen. If you wait too long, the attempt times out — click Sign in via browser again.

3. Grant permissions

1. Allow microphone access when Windows prompts you. If access is already granted system-wide, Flow skips this step.

2. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and turn on access for Wispr Flow if you dismissed the prompt.

The page auto-advances as soon as the permission is granted. That's how you know this stage worked.

4. Complete the tutorial

1. Click Continue through the intro screens.

2. Answer the "Tell us about yourself" questions. If you select Other (or Something else), a text field appears — enter a description to continue.

3. Review the Privacy notice.

4. Test your microphone. Speak aloud — the audio bars stay low when you're silent and rise when you speak. Click Change microphone to pick a different one.

   1. If you see No microphone found, click Open Sound Settings and connect a mic.

   2. If you see In use by another app, click Open Sound Settings or Restart Flow.

   3. Flow re-checks automatically, so the error clears once the issue is fixed.

5. Set your keyboard shortcut by pressing the keys you want to use, or click Edit shortcut to change it.

6. Select the languages you speak, or leave it on auto-detect.

7. Follow the "Try It Yourself" demos. The gesture — hold or double-tap — appears on screen. Use your shortcut, say something, then release. Text appears in the demo window when it works.

5. Finish setup

1. Configure your privacy preferences.

2. Confirm setup is complete: the Flow Hub appears with a welcome message, recent activity, and stats. New users see their dictation shortcut in the welcome header; after you've been dictating for a while, it becomes a "Welcome back, [Your name]" greeting.

Hold down your shortcut key in any app to start dictating — or double-tap it if onboarding instructed you to use that gesture.

iOS

Follow these four stages in order. Setup is complete when you return to the main screen.

1. Download and install

1. Open the App Store and search for Wispr Flow.

2. Tap Get to install the app.

3. Tap the Wispr Flow icon on your Home Screen to open it.

New installs open with one of two intros, chosen automatically the first time you launch the app:

• Classic intro: Flow's branded intro screens, leading straight into sign-in.

• Updated intro: An opening screen with the Flow logo and headline, followed by a short demo video. When the video finishes, a Get Started button appears with swipeable cards highlighting what Flow can do. If you have Reduce Motion turned on, or the video is slow to load, Get Started appears right away.

2. Sign in or create an account

1. Sign in with Google or Apple, or tap More Options to use Microsoft, SSO, or email and password.

2. Create an account if you're new — enter your email, a password of at least 6 characters, and your full name.

3. Complete the CAPTCHA and verify your email. CAPTCHA also appears for Forgot Password and Resend Verification.

4. Tap the verification link in your email. iOS signs you in automatically — you don't need to return to the app manually.

3. Enable the Flow Keyboard

1. Watch the on-screen walkthrough, then tap Go to Settings to open your keyboard settings.

2. Enable Wispr Flow and turn on Allow Full Access. The Flow Keyboard appears in your list of keyboards when it's added correctly.

4. Complete the tutorial

1. Tap Next through the keyboard walkthrough cards: Flow in Apps, Tap to Speak, and Check to Complete.

2. Practice dictating. Grant microphone access when prompted, tap the mic on the Flow Keyboard, speak, then tap the checkmark. A "Congrats! You've experienced the magic of Flow" message confirms it worked.

3. Answer the "Which of these do you resonate with?" question. If you select Other (or Something else), a text field appears — enter a description to continue.

4. Configure your privacy preferences.

5. Select the languages you speak. If you already chose languages on another device, Flow skips this step and applies them automatically.

6. Allow or skip push notifications. Setup is complete when you return to the main screen.

Flow is ready to use. Switch to the Flow Keyboard in any app and tap the microphone to dictate.

Android

Follow these four stages in order. Setup is complete when you return to the main screen.

1. Download and install

1. Open the Google Play Store and search for Wispr Flow.

2. Tap Install to download the app.

3. Tap the Wispr Flow icon on your Home Screen to open it.

2. Sign in or create an account

1. Sign in with Google, Apple, Microsoft, SSO, or email and password.

2. Create an account if you're new — enter your email, your full name, and a password of 6–72 characters, then confirm the password. The password can't match your name.

3. Verify your email. If the message doesn't arrive, tap Resend verification email on the verification screen.

3. Grant permissions

1. Allow Wispr Flow to appear over other apps when prompted (overlay access).

2. Tap Agree on the legal consent screen, then tap Open settings and turn on Wispr Flow in System Settings.

3. Allow Flow to keep running in the background when prompted. You can skip this step.

4. Complete the tutorial

1. Tap Give it a try! to begin onboarding.

2. View the intro screens about how Flow works.

3. Select the languages you speak.

4. Practice dictating by tapping the Flow Bubble and speaking when you see the "Say something!" prompt. Your words appear as text when it works.

5. Practice press-and-hold dictation in the push-to-talk tutorial.

6. Configure your privacy preferences.

7. Allow or skip push notifications. Setup is complete when you return to the main screen.

Flow is ready to use. The Flow Bubble appears when you tap into any text field.

Get Flow on your phone

Already using Flow on desktop? Open Help → Try mobile app in the desktop app, then scan the QR code or text yourself the download link.

Referred by a friend

If someone referred you, a 1-Month Free Trial badge appears on the Flow Pro onboarding page, along with a message like "{Name} gifted you a month of unlimited access to Flow. No strings attached. No credit card required." The referrer's name appears in the description, not next to the badge.

Promotional offers

If you signed up through a promotional offer — for example, from a partner or publication — a Promotional Offer badge appears with a personalized message like "You've unlocked Flow Pro!" If your promo has no personalized source message, you'll see the generic "You have a promotional offer."

Your extended trial begins when you upgrade.

Sign-in showed a blank screen or failed silently on iOS

On iOS, signing in with Apple, Google, SSO, or email could leave you on a blank screen with no error message — especially when switching to another app to retrieve a one-time password. This was fixed in a recent update. To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the App Store.

2. Relaunch the app and sign in again. If sign-in fails, you'll now see an error message explaining what went wrong.

Couldn't get past the permissions step during Mac onboarding

Flow didn't properly verify permission state during onboarding, so you could get stuck even after granting access. This was fixed in a recent update. To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Check which permission is highlighted in the error, then open System Settings → Privacy & Security and re-enable it.

3. Return to the Flow onboarding screen. The error clears and you can continue.

Onboarding steps were repeated after reinstalling or signing in on a new device

After reinstalling Flow on desktop or signing into a new iOS device, steps you had already completed — including attribution, privacy consent, and language preferences — could appear again instead of being skipped. This was fixed in a recent update. To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Sign in. Completed steps are now skipped automatically, and you'll be offered the speedy onboarding flow.

Synced languages from another device weren't used for dictation on iOS

When signing into Flow on iOS with languages already selected on another device, the language step was correctly skipped — but iOS still used the device's default languages for dictation. This was fixed in a recent update. To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the App Store.

2. Relaunch the app. Your synced languages now apply automatically and appear in Settings → Languages.

Microphone test bars were always fully filled, even during silence

The audio bars in the microphone test could appear fully filled whether you were speaking or silent. This affected both the visualizer on the onboarding microphone test page and the volume indicator in the Settings mic picker. This was fixed in a recent update. To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Relaunch the app. The bars now stay low during silence and rise when you speak.

Setup got stuck in a loop and never completed

A bug in the onboarding flow could cause setup to loop indefinitely. This was fixed in a recent update. To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Relaunch the app. You can now complete setup normally.

Dictated text came out all lowercase on Windows

Flow on Windows incorrectly lowercased dictated text during onboarding and within the app. This was fixed in a recent update. To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Relaunch the app. Dictated text now keeps proper capitalization.

"Start at login" wasn't working on Windows

The Start at login setting could stop working after an app update. This was fixed in a recent update. To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Relaunch the app. Toggling Start at login now works, and the setting stays active after future updates.

Bugs fixed in recent desktop updates

Several onboarding display and input bugs were fixed in recent desktop updates, including:

• Pressing Enter on a focused Allow or Continue button on the permissions screen triggered the action twice during dictation onboarding

• The bottom of the last input field on some onboarding screens was clipped, hiding the cursor or the field border

To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Relaunch the app.

Bugs fixed in recent Android updates

Several crashes and bugs were fixed in recent Android updates, including:

• The "Next" button appearing mid-screen and content not scrolling on foldables and in landscape orientation

• A crash when deleting a transcript from the home screen

• A crash while navigating between screens

• A crash on certain onboarding screens with scrollable content

• An error affecting how dictated words were processed

• A conflict when the same word appeared in both your personal dictionary and your team's dictionary

To resolve:

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the Google Play Store.

2. Relaunch the app.

I'm getting an "email already registered" error

Your email is already linked to a different sign-in method, such as Google or Apple. Flow detects which provider you used and prompts you to sign in with it.

I didn't receive the verification email

Check your spam or trash folder for an email from support@wisprflow.ai. If it's not there, request a new verification email from the sign-in screen.

The microphone test isn't detecting my voice

If an error message appears on the microphone test page, follow the on-screen button it gives you — for example, opening Sound Settings or switching microphones. If there's no error but the bars still don't respond, select a different microphone from the dropdown. AirPods and Bluetooth microphones may show 1–2 bars during silence, which is normal.

Can I set up writing style personalization later?

Yes. Open Settings and look for the writing style options. Writing styles are available only when English is your selected language.

Can I change my language settings later?

Yes. Add or remove languages anytime in Flow's settings. On desktop, you can also leave it on auto-detect and Flow recognizes the language you're speaking.

My onboarding looks different from what's described here

Onboarding varies by how you use Flow and, on iOS, by which intro your install received — see the iOS section above. The core steps (language, shortcut, microphone test, privacy preferences) are the same for everyone, but layout, demos, and some prompts differ.

I'm setting up Flow as a meeting notetaker — why does the permissions screen look different?

On Mac, the note-taking permissions step adds a system audio card so Flow can listen while you record a meeting. See the Mac section above for the full sequence.

Why is Privacy Mode locked on for me?

Privacy Mode is locked on if your organization's IT admin has enforced zero data retention, or if you've signed the HIPAA Business Associate Agreement. It can't be toggled off.

Can I combine a discount code with a promotional offer?

No. Only one promo code can be active at a time. If you apply a second code, you'll see the error "You already have an active promo applied."

What is the Wispr QWERTY keyboard on iOS?

It's a full keyboard layout built into the Flow Keyboard on iOS. If it's available for your account, turn on Show full QWERTY keyboard under Settings → General. When it's off, tapping the keyboard switch key takes you to your system keyboard instead.