Missing first words in transcriptions

Last updated: October 2, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android. The device-list microphone picker is available on Mac and Windows.

If your first words are missing, a dictation disappears, or nothing is typed, test your microphone and check the recording to tell an audio problem from a transcription problem. Missing starts affect both wired and wireless microphones.

Quick checks

  • Pause briefly before speaking. Wait a moment after pressing the hotkey, especially on wireless mics.

  • Use the hotkey correctly. Hold it while speaking and release when you finish, or double-tap to start hands-free, where releasing does nothing and a later press stops and submits. Defaults: Fn + Space on Mac (Ctrl + Opt + Space when Fn is unavailable), Ctrl + Win + Space on Windows.

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

Choose and test a microphone

Mac and Windows

Warning: A Mac's built-in mic cannot work with the lid closed. Flow marks built-in choices “Laptop lid is closed” — including Auto-detect when it uses that mic — and avoids them except as a last resort. If “Your laptop lid is closed” appears, use Select microphone; if lid detection is unavailable, select another connected input manually (it need not be USB or wireless). Windows has no lid-closed handling.

  1. Open Flow Settings → General → Microphone → Change (Change microphone during onboarding).

  2. Select Built-in mic (recommended), a wired USB mic, or your preferred connected microphone instead of Auto-detect (“From computer settings”), which follows your computer's default input. Switching devices restarts the test.

  3. Speak while the picker is open; the live volume bar beside the selected device should move.

  4. Close the picker and dictate a test phrase. If all your words appear, you're done.

Selecting a physical mic gives it priority over all connected entries, including Auto-detect, for future dictations; connecting a higher-ranked mic takes effect next time rather than interrupting a dictation in progress.

Note: Opening the microphone test while you are still dictating — including from a “no audio” notification — ends that dictation, but the recording is kept in your History, where you can recover or retry it. Press Esc (even while another app is in front) or Dismiss on the notification to close the test and stop its recording.

Mobile

iOS and Android use the system default microphone; there is no picker listing individual devices. On iOS, Built-in mic (Flow Settings → Audio) overrides this to use your device mic for all dictations, switching dictation away from a connected accessory. On Android, or as an alternative on iOS, disconnect your wireless device in system Settings → Bluetooth or plug in a wired accessory. Then dictate a test phrase: if all your words appear, you're done.

If Flow cannot hear you

On desktop, use the action for your message, then dictate a test phrase; if text still does not appear, continue with the platform checks below.

Message

Action

Microphone Permission Required (Mac)

Click Grant Permission and allow microphone access.

Microphone access is disabled (Windows)

Click Open Settings and enable access under Privacy & security → Microphone.

No microphone detected

Connect a mic or use Open Sound Settings to select an input.

Selected microphone is unavailable

Click Choose Microphone to select a connected device in Flow.

Microphone unavailable

Close other apps using the mic, then try again.

Microphone error

Reconnect the microphone, then try again.

Is your microphone muted? / We couldn't hear you

Use Select microphone to choose an input.

Unable to access mic

Appears after 8 seconds without access; use Restart App if recording has not resumed.

No audio received / Microphone is not working

Shown after 5 and 15 seconds of silence; use Select microphone or Contact us.

Microphone disconnected

Recording stops; click Insert to insert the text recorded so far.

Check Windows input settings

Flow's Open Sound Settings button opens the classic Sound control panel's Recording tab, not the Settings page below.

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

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

  3. Click Test your microphone and speak; the level meter should move.

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

Grant microphone access on Mac

When a Mac dictation produces no audio, Grant Permission opens the system permission prompt if you have not answered it before. If access was denied or restricted, enable it in System Settings.

iOS permissions or recording failure

The Flow keyboard requires both Full Access and microphone permission; if it produces nothing at all, enable Full Access.

  1. Tap Finish setup for the keyboard's Full Access prompt, or Go to Settings for microphone permission. Separate Enable full access and Enable microphone permission in the Settings app alerts offer Open settings.

  2. Enable the missing permission in Settings.

  3. Dictate a test phrase; if nothing appears, check the error message.

“Can't turn on Flow right now” means another app is using the microphone: close that app, then tap Retry. Keyboard error sheets also offer Retry for recording, network, microphone, permission or processing failures; follow the cause shown.

Check what was recorded on desktop

Important: On enterprise Never Store (Zero Data Retention) plans, audio is never saved, so there is nothing to extract. History disabled reflects your or your organization's retention policy.

Note: Audio older than 14 days cannot be extracted, played or retried, and retrying an empty or errored dictation requires at least 5 seconds of recording. Extraction can fail with “Cannot download audio as it is no longer available (unexpected error)”.

  1. Open the Flow Hub and go to the Home page.

  2. Find your recent dictation in the Activity list.

  3. Open the dictation card's three-dot menu (⋮).

  4. Select Extract audio to download a WAV file, then play it.

If the audio contains the missing words, contact support about transcription. If the recording also lacks them, return to microphone selection and testing.

Still stuck?

Contact support if first words remain missing after testing, the audio contains words absent from the transcript, or a recent recording cannot be extracted. Include your platform, microphone type, what you tried and the audio-test result.

  • Mac and Windows: Hub sidebar → Help → Talk to support, or the same item in the Flow tray or menu-bar icon menu. On Mac, you can also use Cmd+/ or the Help menu.

  • iOS: Menu → Talk to Support → Report an issue.

  • Android: Drawer menu → Report an issue, or Report transcription from the affected transcript.