Fix a microphone that is silent or unavailable

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.

If dictation captures silence, warns that it can't hear you, or loses its microphone, work through your platform below and test a short phrase after each change.

Quick checks

Hardware mute: Look for a mute switch on your headset, keyboard or laptop, and move closer to the microphone to reduce background noise.
Output device: If every microphone is silent — including the built-in one — while permissions and the microphone picker look correct, switch your output device and test again. An output device that cannot start its audio stream, such as an external monitor connected over HDMI or DisplayPort, leaves input uncaptured even though the microphone works. On Mac, open System Settings → Sound → Output and select the built-in speakers.
Test outside Flow: Record a short clip in Voice Memos on Mac/iPhone or Sound Recorder on Windows. Silence or distortion there points to the microphone or system setup, not Flow.

Mac and Windows

1. Allow access

Mac: Microphone Permission Required

Grant Permission prompts for first-time access; otherwise it opens privacy settings, which denied or restricted access can also open automatically.

Click Grant Permission.
Allow the prompt, or enable Flow in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.

Windows: Microphone access is disabled

Both microphone switches must be on.

Click Open Settings.
Enable Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone.

2. Test the input

Open Flow's Settings → General → Microphone → Change. The dialog starts a live test; switching inputs restarts it.
Select your microphone by name. An unusable microphone is dimmed and un-clickable, with the reason shown — for example "Laptop lid is closed" for a built-in microphone.
Speak and watch the level indicator; only the selected microphone shows levels.
Close the dialog, then dictate. If the level never moved, open the accordion below.

Note: Dismissing the dialog any way — closing it, pressing Esc even while another app is in front, or choosing Dismiss on the notification — stops the test and releases the microphone, so your next dictation works normally.

If input stays silent

Watch the input meter in your system sound settings — Mac: System Settings → Sound → Input; Windows: Settings → System → Sound → Input. Select the intended microphone, speak, and raise a low input level without constantly reaching maximum.

Compare a built-in or wired microphone with Bluetooth. A closed MacBook needs an external microphone, a wireless receiver can capture silence when its transmitter is out of range, and AirPods may start slowly and produce more dictation errors.

If no microphone produces levels, change your output device as described in Quick checks, then repeat this test. Releasing the shortcut too quickly can also trigger a no-audio notice; dictate again.

3. Restart Flow

Note: Dismissing the recording bubble can leave dictation running; stop it explicitly to release the microphone.

Restart Flow after changing permission. For "Unable to access mic," use Restart App; otherwise:

Quit Flow from the menu-bar menu on Mac or the system-tray menu on Mac and Windows.
Reopen Flow and dictate. If Flow cancels a start while recovering microphone access, trigger dictation again.

4. Check saved audio

Stop any active dictation.
Play the affected recording in History, if available. After quitting mid-recording, check History on reopening for saved-audio recovery.

Clear speech with missing or wrong text points to transcription: retry the missing text. Missing or silent audio needs the capture checks above. Retry is blocked during dictation or while the same recording is being retried, and missing stored audio produces an audio-unavailable message.

What each desktop warning means

Select microphone and Choose Microphone open Flow's picker; Troubleshoot opens this article in your browser.

Warning	Action
No microphone detected	Opens Sound Settings — Mac Sound → Input, Windows Sound → Recording — not privacy settings.
Selected microphone is unavailable	Choose Microphone → a connected input.
Is your microphone muted? / We couldn't hear you	Check mute and levels; use Select microphone or Troubleshoot.
Microphone unavailable	Close other apps using the microphone; Flow does not identify which app holds it.
Microphone error	Reconnect the microphone; contact support if it recurs.
Microphone disconnected	Insert retries saved audio and pastes recovered text into the focused field.

Unplugging the microphone during dictation stops recording, except during testing. Silence warnings clear when audio returns; "Unable to access mic" clears when access succeeds.

5. Support-guided reset

Warning: Reset only if Flow support advises it. Reset deletes local data — save anything you need first, because only content already synced to your account can return. Dictionary, stats and settings re-sync on restart.

Follow the steps support provides; Flow restarts automatically once the reset is confirmed.

iPhone

Keyboard dictation requires Full Access, which Flow checks first, and microphone permission, which only the main app can request.

Enable Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Flow → Allow Full Access. No restart is needed.
Start dictation in the main Flow app if Flow is missing from microphone settings.
Choose Allow when prompted. If access was denied, enable iOS Settings → Flow → Microphone, then reopen Flow.

Permission alerts can also appear during dictation. After Go to Settings from the keyboard's permission message, you can return straight to the keyboard.

Note: If a dictation ends without any speech, Flow inserts nothing and shows a notice that it didn't hear you — in the app, the keyboard in other apps, and Shortcut or Action Button dictations. Just dictate again.

Capture failure

"Can't turn on Flow right now" means another app is using the microphone.

Warning: Audio that was never captured cannot be recovered; retrying here starts a new recording.

Close the call or other app holding the microphone.
Retry using the offered action, or dismiss the error and tap the mic to start fresh.

If capture repeatedly fails, quit and reopen Flow, and avoid swiping it away immediately after launch.

Captured audio, missing text

Retry saved audio from History (row action or swipe), "Tap to retry," or keyboard Error options when available. Capture and network errors offer only Dismiss there: start fresh for capture errors, and use History for saved audio.

After Flow closes mid-dictation, opening History can automatically retry the latest unfinished, textless recording once it is over two minutes old and nothing is recording.

Calls, Siri or input changes

Connecting or disconnecting an input requires a manual restart. Captured speech is still processed: after an interruption with the keyboard off-screen, check History for the transcript.

Android

After onboarding and overlay access, the bubble stays available without microphone permission, including after you revoke it. Tapping or pressing and holding the bubble then asks for access: Flow shows the Android microphone prompt when Android still allows it, or a "We can't hear you / Go to Settings" sheet when it doesn't — for example after permanent denial, or when the microphone is set to "Ask every time" and a one-time grant has lapsed.

Select Allow Microphone on the "We can't hear you" card, or Go to Settings on the sheet to open Flow's Android app settings.
Grant access in the prompt, or enable the microphone under Permissions in Flow's app settings.
Return to Flow; granting permission clears the card. A full restart may be needed after changing previously denied permissions.

Note: While a one-time ("only this time") grant is active, dictation records normally.

If capture still fails, compare the built-in or wired microphone with Bluetooth, reconnect Bluetooth if needed, and retry after a microphone-read failure.

Still need help?

If capture still fails, contact support — on desktop, use Help → Get in touch → Talk to support. Include your OS, microphone model, the exact message, whether another app records correctly, and what you tried.