Missing first words in transcriptions

Last updated: June 8, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

First few words of your dictation missing or cut off? This is almost always caused by a wireless microphone wake-up delay — wireless mics like AirPods can be slow to start, so anything you say in that window isn't captured. Most users solve this in under 2 minutes.

Quick checks

  • Wait for the Flow Bar. After pressing your dictation hotkey, wait for the white bars to start moving before speaking.

  • Hold the hotkey long enough. Releasing too quickly cancels the dictation. Hold the key while you speak, then release.

  • Check if you're on a wireless mic. Open Flow Settings → General → Microphone. If AirPods or a wireless headset is selected, that's almost certainly the cause — continue to the steps below.

  • Does your mic work in other apps? Record a short clip in Voice Memos (Mac/iOS) or Sound Recorder (Windows). If it's silent there, the problem is system-level, not Flow.

Note: Flow surfaces notifications when something is blocking the mic, each with a direct action button to fix it. Watch for Microphone Permission Required (macOS), Microphone access is disabled (Windows), No microphone detected, or Microphone is in use (another app is holding the mic).

How to fix missing first words

Step 1: Switch to a wired or built-in microphone

Built-in laptop and phone microphones, and wired USB microphones, have no wake-up delay. This is the most reliable fix.

Warning: If you're using your Mac with the lid closed (clamshell mode), the built-in microphone won't work. Use a USB or wireless microphone instead. Flow shows a notification if it detects this.

Mac and Windows

  1. Open Flow Settings → General → Microphone.

  2. Select your built-in microphone or a wired USB microphone. AirPods devices are flagged with a ⚠️ in the list.

  3. Dictate a test phrase. If all words appear, you're done.

iOS and Android

  1. Disconnect your wireless device in system Settings → Bluetooth, or plug in a wired accessory.

  2. Dictate a test phrase. If all words appear, you're done.

Note: On iOS, Flow defaults to the built-in microphone via the Use Built-In Mic toggle in Flow Settings → Audio. Turn this off if you want to use a wireless headset mic. On Android, Flow uses the system default microphone — there is no in-app mic picker.

Note: If you've just plugged in a new mic, Flow prompts you to switch automatically ("[device name] detected — Switch / Don't Switch"). If a previously selected mic is unplugged, Flow notifies you that the Selected microphone is unavailable.

Step 2: Pause briefly before speaking

If you prefer using a wireless mic, give it time to wake up:

  1. Press your dictation hotkey.

  2. Wait for the white bars in the Flow Bar to start moving, then wait a brief moment longer.

  3. Start speaking. Dictate a test phrase — if all words appear, this workaround is working for you.

Tip: Start with a filler word like "so" or "okay." Smart Formatting removes these automatically.

Step 3: Select your microphone explicitly (Mac and Windows)

Auto-detect can add connection delays. Selecting your microphone directly may help:

  1. Open Flow Settings → General → Microphone.

  2. Select your specific microphone from the list instead of Auto-detect. Auto-detect shows the currently active device name in parentheses (e.g., "Auto-detect (MacBook Pro)").

  3. Dictate a test phrase. If all words appear, you're done.

Step 4: Check system audio settings (Windows)

  1. Open Windows Settings → System → Sound → Input.

  2. Confirm your preferred microphone is set as the default input device.

  3. Click Test your microphone to confirm it's working.

  4. Return to Flow and dictate a test phrase. If all words appear, you're done.

Step 5: Verify what was actually recorded

Check whether the issue is with recording or transcription:

  1. Open the Flow Hub (Home page).

  2. Find your recent dictation in the Activity list, click the three-dot menu (⋮) on the dictation card, and select Extract audio.

  3. Play the downloaded audio file to listen. If the audio captures all words but the transcript doesn't, contact support. If the audio is also missing first words, the issue is mic wake-up — return to Step 1.

Note: Extract audio is greyed out for recordings older than 14 days. It is also unavailable on enterprise Never Store (Zero Data Retention) plans, because audio is never saved. If audio is unavailable for any other reason, you'll see an Audio unavailable for download message.

Microphone comparison

Microphone type

Wake-up delay

Reliability

Recommendation

Built-in (laptop/phone)

None

Excellent

Best for reliability

Wired USB

None

Excellent

Great alternative

Wired headset (3.5mm)

None

Excellent

Good option

AirPods / wireless earbuds

Variable

Variable

Pause before speaking

Wireless headset

Variable

Variable

Pause before speaking

Virtual microphones

N/A

Varies

Hidden unless set as system default

Note: Your built-in microphone is labeled Built-in mic (recommended) in the selection list.

Common issues

Bugs fixed in recent updates — update Flow to resolve

The following issues were fixed in recent Wispr Flow updates. Update to the latest version to resolve them:

  • First dictation after opening the app failed or cut off words (iOS): The very first dictation after launching Flow on iOS could fail silently or miss opening words while the microphone finished starting up.

  • Dictation failed on the first one or two attempts after a cold start (iOS): Starting dictation from the keyboard, the action button, or quick-note shortcuts right after a cold start could fail with an error on the first attempt or two before succeeding.

  • iOS keyboard showed an "Audio was silent" warning when no speech was detected: When a dictation captured no speech, the iOS keyboard displayed a warning message. The keyboard now simply returns to the microphone state without showing a warning.

  • Microphone slow to activate after canceling and quickly retrying dictation (Mac and Windows): Pressing the hotkey, canceling, and pressing again caused subsequent dictations to behave erratically or fail to start cleanly.

  • Text missing when dictating multiple times in a row: A timing issue when starting a new dictation immediately after finishing one caused text to be dropped.

  • Empty transcription results pasted during dictation: Text insertion was occasionally producing empty results.

My dictation cut off — did my mic drop?

On desktop, a single dictation has a maximum duration. You'll see a warning shortly before the limit, and the dictation will hard-stop at the maximum. If your dictation ended unexpectedly after a long session, it wasn't your mic — it hit the duration limit. For longer captures, break the dictation into multiple sessions.

FAQs

How do I check the live volume indicator?

Open Flow Settings → General → Microphone → Change. In the microphone list that opens, a live volume bar appears next to the currently selected device. Speak and watch it respond to confirm Flow is receiving audio.

How do hands-free mode and triple-tap cancel work?

Double-tap your dictation hotkey to enter hands-free mode (Flow keeps recording until you press again). If you immediately press a third time while still in the double-tap window, the dictation is cancelled. To cancel a normal dictation, press Esc or release the hotkey before speaking.

My dictation produced no audio on macOS — what happened?

Occasionally a dictation may capture no audio — for example if the mic was briefly unavailable. That dictation may produce no text, but the next one should work normally. If it keeps happening, select your microphone explicitly (Step 3) or check the troubleshooting notifications Flow shows you.

On iOS, I spoke but nothing was typed and no error appeared — what happened?

If the iOS keyboard detects that no speech was captured, it quietly resets back to the microphone — no warning is shown. This usually means the mic didn't catch your voice. Try speaking a little louder, waiting a moment after the keyboard appears before speaking, or switching to the built-in microphone in Flow Settings → Audio.

Why don't I see my virtual microphone in the list?

Virtual microphones (e.g., from audio routing software) are hidden from Flow's list unless they appear as your system default. Set the virtual mic as the system default to make it selectable.

Still stuck?

If you've tried these steps and first words are still missing, reach out to our support team:

  • Mac: Click Help in the menu bar → Talk to support, press Cmd+/, or use the Help button in the app sidebar → Talk to support.

  • Windows: Click Help in the app sidebar → Talk to support.

  • iOS: Menu → Talk to Support.

  • Android: Drawer menu → Report an issue.

Include your microphone type and what you've already tried. If audio playback contains words the transcript is missing, mention that specifically. Most mic issues are resolved in one reply.