Dictation starts but nothing is recorded: cancelled dictation and hold-don't-tap notifications (Mac, Windows)

Last updated: November 4, 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

Note: In messages, {shortcut} stands for your push-to-talk shortcut. You can retry immediately after a cancelled start. If “Flow was processing your last transcript” appears, wait for it to finish or use Cancel or your Dismiss shortcut first; that notice applies while the previous dictation is stopping, processing, or retrying, not while one is starting.

  1. Select a text box.

  2. Release every key.

  3. Press and hold only your dictation shortcut, then pause briefly.

  4. Speak while holding the shortcut for the entire phrase.

  5. Release the shortcut when you finish.

If your text appears, dictation is working. Otherwise, match your message below or try the recovery options.

What each message means

Dictation cancelled

“Another key was pressed while starting. Hold only {shortcut} to dictate.” During the first second of push-to-talk, an extra key cancels dictation only if the combination matches no Flow action; a matching Flow shortcut runs instead. Extra keys pressed later and hands-free dictations are exempt. The Dismiss shortcut — Escape by default — still works with other keys held; on Mac, Escape dismisses Flow rather than reaching the app in front during dictation.

Note: On Mac, a built-in fn shortcut — fn with an arrow key, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Backspace, or F1–F12 — still cancels a dictation started in the last second, but no message is shown.

Don't tap. Hold down {shortcut}.

“Hold down {shortcut} while speaking, release to see text.” Releasing within half a second starts a further half-second wait before cancellation, which leaves room for the hands-free alternative below. Releasing before the microphone is ready also cancels, even after a longer hold. This reminder appears at most twice a day and stops once your account has dictated more than 50,000 words in total.

Is your microphone muted?

This card means a finished dictation lasted at least half a second but captured no audio; nothing is transcribed or pasted. “We didn't pick up any audio from {micLabel}” names the selected device, or says “your microphone” if none is selected. Select microphone opens the picker; Troubleshoot offers microphone help. An attempt that captures no audio and lasts under half a second can show the hold reminder instead.

  1. Check the mute switch on your headset or keyboard.

  2. Raise your input volume.

  3. Select a different microphone in Flow Settings → General.

Retry the steps above after each check; stop if text appears.

If no message appeared

A message can be missing for several reasons:

  • Notification settings: Turning off Suggestions in Settings → System → Notifications hides both explanations, not the cancellation itself, and previously dismissed messages can be skipped. Critical microphone-failure and permission alerts cannot be muted this way.

  • App state: Both messages are unavailable before setup finishes, and all Flow-bar messages are withheld while Instruct chat is open.

  • Stuck key: Flow can ignore a shortcut without any message if it treats a released key as still held — release every key and press again. Flow also recovers from this on its own, though not always immediately while recording or starting up.

Other recovery options

Use hands-free instead of holding

Hands-free recording continues after you release the keys.

  1. Double-tap your push-to-talk shortcut within half a second of the original start.

  2. Speak your phrase.

  3. Press the shortcut again, or use the Flow bar's stop button, when finished.

A third press within that initial half-second cancels silently. With the dedicated Hands-free mode shortcut, a second press within half a second of starting cancels and can show the hold reminder.

If text appears after stopping, dictation worked; otherwise, contact support below.

Change a conflicting shortcut

Change your shortcut if it clashes with a system or app shortcut you use.

Important: Flow warns of conflicts if your Hands-free mode shortcut is part of your Push to talk shortcut; choose a different combination.

  1. Open Flow Settings → General.

  2. Click Change beside Shortcuts.

  3. Choose a new shortcut in the Push to talk row — for example Ctrl + Win. Reserved combinations show “This shortcut is not allowed: {keyString}”.

  4. Repeat the retry steps above. If text appears, the new shortcut works.

Each binding allows at most 3 keys, normally including a modifier or supported mouse button; left and right versions of the same modifier cannot be combined. Middle click and auxiliary buttons work; left and right click do not. On Windows, your push-to-talk shortcut may be Caps Lock, which then starts dictation instead of turning on all caps.

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 can be retried from History for up to 14 days, unless your organization's policy prevents audio storage; older History records are removed.

Only cancellations with Escape or Cancel offer recovery messages: “Transcript cancelled” includes Undo, and “You can recover your cancelled transcript” adds Open History. Undo retries and pastes the most recent History item, which may not be the cancelled one; Open History opens the page without retrying. To recover a specific item:

  1. Stop any active dictation; otherwise, Flow shows “Cannot retry while dictating.”

  2. Open History.

  3. Open the cancelled item's options.

  4. Click Retry transcript.

Check the History item for recovered text. If the retry runs out of time or another dictation interrupts it, no text is pasted.

Text was recorded but not pasted

“Select a textbox first, then dictate” means text was produced without a focused text box. The card shows your transcript with Copy. Text is copied automatically only if this card appears; otherwise your clipboard is unchanged. Copy or your Copy last transcript shortcut places the transcript on your clipboard and closes the card.

  1. Select a text box.

  2. Paste the copied transcript. Your dictated text appears in the text box.

The card is withheld before setup finishes, while Instruct chat is open, or when the Flow bar is unavailable. With no usable text, nothing is copied and Flow shows “Click a textbox and use {shortcut} to paste”, naming your paste-last-text shortcut.

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.