Use Flow with multiple languages

Last updated: September 18, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Flow supports dictation in 100+ languages. Select the languages you speak to switch between them across dictations, or choose a regional variant for the spelling you want.

Note: These settings control dictation. On Mac and Windows, Notetaker detects meeting languages automatically; see Use Notetaker with multiple languages.

Choose languages and variants

Flow detects one language per dictation, not per word. Selecting languages narrows what Flow can choose from; selecting just one tells Flow to use that language. Auto-detect on Mac, Windows, and iOS lets Flow choose from all supported languages.

Variants affect spelling or script when Flow recognizes the corresponding language.

Choice

Output

English - British

Uses UK spelling in English text, such as “colour” and “centre”.

English - Canadian (Mac and Windows only)

Uses Canadian spelling in English text.

German - Swiss (Deutsch)

Uses “ss” instead of ß in German text (“Straße” → “Strasse”); standard German preserves ß.

Chinese - Simplified / Chinese - Traditional

Chinese output uses Simplified characters unless Chinese - Traditional is selected.

Hinglish

Writes Hindi in Latin letters and formats English normally.

Cantonese (粵語)

A distinct language option that can be selected alongside either Chinese variant.

Select Hinglish explicitly for mixed Hindi-English dictation; selecting Hindi and English alone does not request Latin-script Hindi.

Choosing an option removes other selections in the same group:

  • English and English - British, plus English - Canadian on Mac and Windows.

  • Hindi and Hinglish.

  • Chinese - Traditional and Chinese - Simplified.

  • German and German - Swiss.

How to set your languages

On Mac, Windows, and iOS, saved changes apply to your next dictation without restarting, not to one already underway.

Mac and Windows

At least one language or Auto-detect must be selected.

  1. Open Settings in the Wispr Flow app.

  2. Go to General → Dictation Languages.

  3. Select your languages, or enable Auto-detect.

  4. Click Save and close to apply your choices.

Turn off Auto-detect to use search and individual language choices. Turning it back off before closing the dialog restores your previous selections.

Searching “hindi” or “romanized” also finds Hinglish on desktop.

iOS

Each tap saves immediately; there is no save step.

  1. Open Settings in Wispr Flow.

  2. Tap Set language under general.

  3. Select your languages or Auto-detect; use the search field to filter the list.

  4. Close the language sheet.

Choosing Auto-detect replaces your language selections; choosing a language removes Auto-detect. Removing every language restores Auto-detect.

Android

Android has no Auto-detect entry; at least one language is required to save.

  1. Open Settings in Wispr Flow.

  2. Tap Languages.

  3. Tap Add more to open Select language(s).

  4. Select your languages; use Search languages to filter the list.

  5. Tap Done to return to Languages.

  6. Tap Save to apply your choices to later dictations.

Done does not save your changes; they remain a draft until you tap Save.

Switch from the Flow Bar on desktop

With two or more saved languages, the Flow Bar language picker lets you narrow the active set on that device only. It is hidden during Notetaker meetings and appears only briefly during dictation.

  1. Open the language picker using its caret.

  2. Select the languages to use for your next dictation.

Enable all restores all saved languages; Add more opens language settings. At least one active language must remain. The Flow Bar’s right-click menu does not switch languages.

If Flow uses the wrong language

With Chinese and English selected, English words can appear in Chinese characters or vice versa.

  1. Select only the intended language using the setup steps above, instead of Auto-detect on desktop or iOS.

  2. Start a new dictation in that language.

If the output language is correct, continue dictating. Otherwise, see Flow is transcribing in the wrong language or contact support.

FAQs

Where do my initial language choices come from?

On Mac, Windows, and iOS, onboarding pre-fills languages from system settings, falling back to English if none match. On iOS, this happens only before a selection has been saved, preserving system preference order and the first option in each conflicting variant group. Reopening the picker does not re-detect languages.

How do saved languages sync?

On Mac and Windows, saved selections refresh at sign-in and hourly while online; simultaneous changes on different devices can overwrite one another. On iOS, a saved, nonempty selection from another device applies only if no local selection exists and the app recognizes at least one language or Auto-detect. iOS uses languages in the order you chose them.

Why did my Hinglish dictation end in Devanagari?

If formatting cannot finish, a Hinglish dictation can end with unformatted transcript text that is fully, partly, or not converted to Latin letters. Words that remain in Devanagari are kept rather than removed. Contact support if this recurs.

Still need help?

Contact support if:

  • A new dictation still uses the wrong language after you select only the intended language.

  • Saved language choices disappear after restarting the app.

In the desktop app, open ? (Help) → Talk to support. Include your platform, device, selected languages, steps tried, and an example of what you said versus what Flow transcribed.