Dictation starts but nothing is recorded: cancelled dictation and hold-don't-tap notifications (Mac, Windows)
Last updated: September 25, 2026
Available on: Mac, Windows
If dictation stops immediately, no text appears, or Flow says “Dictation cancelled” or “Don't tap,” retry by holding only your dictation shortcut through the whole phrase.
How to retry
Use your configured dictation shortcut. The defaults are Fn on Mac and Ctrl + Win on Windows; Mac setup can substitute Ctrl + Opt when Fn is unavailable.
Select a text box.
Release every key.
Press and hold only your dictation shortcut, then pause briefly.
Speak while holding the shortcut for the entire phrase.
Release the shortcut when you finish.
If your text appears, dictation is working. Otherwise, match your message below or try the recovery options.
Note: You can retry immediately after a cancelled start. If a previous dictation is still starting, finishing, or processing, Flow shows a processing notice; wait for it to finish before retrying.
What each message means
These messages appear near the Flow bar and replace {shortcut} with your configured dictation shortcut.
Dictation cancelled
“Another key was pressed while starting. Hold only {shortcut} to dictate.”
During the first second of push-to-talk, holding a Flow shortcut plus an extra key cancels dictation if the combination matches no Flow action. Extra keys pressed later, and hands-free dictations, are exempt. If the combination matches another Flow shortcut, that action runs instead; the Dismiss shortcut—Escape by default—still works with other keys held.
Don't tap. Hold down {shortcut}.
“Hold down {shortcut} while speaking, release to see text.”
Releasing push-to-talk less than half a second (500 ms) after starting counts as a tap and cancels the attempt. Releasing before the microphone is ready can trigger the same reminder.
If no message appeared
No message does not rule out either cause: both disappear after about 6 seconds, and “Dictation cancelled” plays no sound.
Repeat attempts: The hold reminder appears at most once an hour; “Dictation cancelled” appears at most once every 60 seconds.
Notification settings: Muting Tips and suggestions hides both explanations, not the cancellation itself; previously dismissed messages can also be skipped.
App state: These Flow-bar messages are unavailable before onboarding finishes and while the Instruct chat panel is open.
Flow can also ignore a shortcut without any message if it incorrectly treats a released key as still held.
Other recovery options
Use hands-free instead of holding
Hands-free recording continues after you release the keys.
Double-tap your push-to-talk shortcut to start hands-free.
Press the shortcut again, or use the stop button, when you finish.
Pressing again within half a second of starting hands-free cancels that attempt and can show the hold reminder.
The dedicated Hands-free mode shortcut defaults to Fn + Space on Mac or Ctrl + Win + Space on Windows; the Mac fallback is Ctrl + Opt + Space. Removing this optional shortcut persists after restarting, and double-tapping push-to-talk still works.
Change a conflicting shortcut
Change your shortcut if it clashes with a system or app shortcut you use.
Warning: Flow warns of conflicts if your Hands-free mode shortcut is part of your Push to talk shortcut; choose a different combination.
Open Flow Settings → General.
Click Change beside Shortcuts.
Choose a new shortcut in the Push to talk row.
Repeat the retry steps above with your new shortcut.
If text appears, the new shortcut works.
Each action supports up to 4 shortcuts, so you can add an alternative instead of replacing one. Mouse buttons are supported. On Windows, Caps Lock can be set on its own for Push to talk or Hands-free mode, and Flow clears the Caps Lock toggle so dictating never leaves your typing in uppercase; all other single keys are rejected, and Caps Lock alone is not available on Mac. Reserved combinations show “This shortcut is not allowed: {keyString}”.
Recover a cancelled dictation
Cancelled starts are not transcribed or pasted.
Warning: Cancelled audio shorter than half a second is not saved and cannot be recovered; dictate again. Audio of at least half a second is saved in History and can be retried there.
After cancelling with Escape or Cancel, use Undo on “Transcript cancelled” to retry and paste the last text; the pill lasts about 3 seconds. While eligible—at most 3 times total and once per day—a larger card offers Undo and Open History for about 8 seconds; otherwise, Flow uses the small pill.
Text was recorded but not pasted
“Select a textbox first, then dictate” means text was produced without a focused text box. The card includes your transcript and Copy and lasts about 8 seconds. Text is copied automatically only once the card appears; if the card cannot appear, your clipboard is not overwritten. If there is no usable text, nothing is copied and Flow shows a paste-failed message instead.
Select a text box.
Paste the copied transcript.
Your dictated text should now appear in the text box.
Still stuck?
Contact support if:
Nothing is recorded when you hold only your Flow shortcut.
You see a different message and its offered recovery action does not resolve it.
Include your platform, keyboard or device, dictation shortcut, exact message, and the steps you tried.