Quit and relaunch Wispr Flow

Mac

A normal quit also shuts down Flow's helper, which dictation depends on. Use Activity Monitor only after an unclean shutdown.

1. Press Command + Space, type Activity Monitor, and press Return.

2. Quit all Wispr processes — look for Wispr Flow.

   1. Type Wispr in the search bar at the top right.

   2. Select each process with Wispr in the name.

   3. Click the X (stop) button in the toolbar, then click Force Quit.

3. Relaunch Wispr Flow from Finder → Applications.

Dictate a short phrase. If text appears, Flow restarted successfully. If not, reopen Activity Monitor and confirm every Wispr process ended — helpers can persist after an unclean shutdown.

Windows

Quit Flow and its helper, which dictation depends on, then relaunch.

1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.

2. End all Wispr processes — look for Wispr Flow.

   1. Go to the Processes tab.

   2. Search for Wispr Flow and any related Wispr processes.

   3. Right-click each entry and select End task.

3. Relaunch Wispr Flow from the Start menu.

Dictate a short phrase. If text appears, Flow restarted successfully. If not, recheck Task Manager and confirm every Wispr process ended — helpers can persist after an unclean shutdown.

iOS

Force close Wispr Flow from the app switcher, then reopen it.

1. Open the app switcher: swipe up from the bottom and pause in the middle, or double-press the Home button on devices that have one.

2. Swipe the Wispr Flow card up and off the screen.

3. Reopen Wispr Flow from your home screen.

Dictate a short phrase. If text appears, Flow restarted successfully.

Android

A force stop is usually unnecessary: if Flow's background service is killed unexpectedly, Flow restarts it automatically. Automatic restart does not happen after intentional stops — logging out, denying the overlay permission, or dismissing Flow's relaunch notification. On Android 12+, the OS can block automatic restart while the app is fully in the background; opening the Flow app restores the service.

Accessibility permission has no automatic recovery — re-enable Flow's Accessibility service. Flow re-checks Accessibility after a reboot or app update and restarts its service; if Accessibility is off, Flow posts "Wispr Flow needs attention / Accessibility service was turned off. Tap to re-enable."

If Android reports Accessibility as granted but Flow isn't responding, Flow posts a "Service Unresponsive" notification; tapping it opens Flow's home screen, where a Restart Flow action card reconnects the service. With notifications turned off for Flow (Android 13+) you get a toast instead; with Flow's notification channel blocked, nothing appears — open the app and use the Restart Flow card.

To fully stop Flow, force stop it from system settings:

1. Open Settings → Apps (or Apps and notifications).

2. Find and tap Wispr Flow.

3. Tap Force stop, then confirm.

4. Reopen Wispr Flow from your home screen or app drawer.

Dictate a short phrase. If text appears, Flow restarted successfully.

Flow shows an error notification after repeated crashes. What do I do?

Mac/Windows: Flow retries automatically; if it can't recover, click Restart Flow in the notification. "Flow is having trouble loading" is temporary and auto-dismisses; "Flow is having trouble starting" stays up for about a minute and offers Restart Flow and Contact us.

Only one Flow notification shows at a time, though error notifications can replace an informational one. During onboarding, only critical notifications appear: helper failures, microphone and accessibility permission issues, and mic disconnected.

Flow shows a database or storage error notification. What do I do?

This covers dictionary database errors, general storage errors, and a full disk. Click Restart Flow; Flow cleans up the problem during the restart, and dictations recorded before the error stay in your history. For dictionary errors, previously loaded words stay active until the restart. If storage is full, free up space before relaunching.

Restart Flow restarts immediately with no confirmation, so finish anything in progress first. Contact us opens the in-app Feedback panel in the Flow hub, not your email client.

Will I lose my dictation if I quit or restart Flow while recording?

Mac/Windows: Recorded audio is saved on a graceful quit and appears in your history after relaunch. Processing or Dismissed items show a Recover link (any length, less than 14 days old); Empty or Error items show a Retry link if the recording is at least 5 seconds long and less than 14 days old. Accounts on an enterprise no-storage policy do not have audio saved.

iOS: Force-closing the app ends any in-progress dictation and audio may not be saved. Interrupted or failed dictations that Flow does save appear in your history with a retry or view notification.

"Flow is having trouble loading" or "Flow is having trouble starting" appears on Windows. What do I do?

Antivirus software or security restrictions can prevent Flow's helper from starting. Flow relaunches the helper automatically; the persistent "Flow is having trouble starting" notification appears only after those retries fail. If the error keeps appearing:

1. Quit Wispr Flow completely using Task Manager (see the Windows steps above).

2. Check whether your antivirus is blocking Wispr Flow, and temporarily disable it or add Flow as an exception.

3. Relaunch Wispr Flow.

The Flow Bar on Windows is invisible or unclickable. What do I do?

Flow repairs a stuck or invisible Flow Bar automatically when you start a dictation and when display settings change (launching or exiting a game, switching out of fullscreen, changing resolution or monitor layout), and again shortly after those events. If the bar is still unresponsive after a minute or two, quit and relaunch Flow using the Windows steps above.

After an update, settings or toggles revert or my notification history looks stale. What's happening?

A full disk or a security tool blocking file writes stops Flow saving settings to disk — see Limitations and notes. Free up disk space, confirm no security software is blocking Wispr Flow's access to its data folder, then restart Flow to let it save your settings.

My microphone is not detected after relaunch. How do I fix it?

Flow shows different notifications depending on the mic issue:

• "No microphone detected" — "Flow couldn't find a microphone. Connect one or check that an input device is selected in Sound Settings." Button: Open Sound Settings.

• "Microphone unavailable" — "Flow couldn't access your microphone. Another app may be using it, or the audio driver may be stuck. Close other apps that use your mic, then try again." Button: Troubleshoot.

• "Selected microphone is unavailable" — Button: Choose Microphone.

• "Microphone disconnected" — Button: Insert (inserts text recorded up to that point).

• "Unable to access mic" — Button: Restart App.

• macOS only — "Your laptop lid is closed" — Button: Select microphone.

• Windows only — "Microphone access is disabled" (Windows privacy settings) — Button: Open Settings.

iOS: Go to Settings → Wispr Flow and enable Microphone, or tap Go to Settings when prompted in the app.

When a new microphone is connected, Flow's notification offers Switch and Don't switch. "Microphone not readable" and access errors include a Troubleshoot link to the microphone help article.

The Flow Keyboard on iOS shows an audio capture error. What do I do?

Another app (such as a phone call) is holding the microphone, or you swiped away right after opening the app. No audio was recorded. Tap Retry to start a new dictation; the error also clears once recording restarts. It appears in the main app and in the keyboard switchback window. If it keeps appearing, follow the iOS quit-and-relaunch steps above.

Transcriptions keep failing or timing out. What's wrong?

Check your internet connection and try another network, then quit, relaunch, and try a shorter test dictation.

Mac/Windows: Flow does not fail immediately, so expect a short delay before any error appears. Notifications you may see:

• "Is your internet connected?" — "Your audio will be saved for retry if the transcription fails." (no buttons)

• "Something's not right" — "Transcript failed to load. You can always recover it from History." Buttons: Retry and Open History.

• "We couldn't hear you" — "We didn't pick up any speech from your {mic} microphone." Buttons: Select microphone and Troubleshoot.

• "No audio received" and the escalated "Microphone is not working" — shown during dictation when no audio signal is detected.

Android: A dictation that takes too long to process moves to a failed-to-transcribe state.

The "press enter" voice command isn't working. Why?

The first time you say "press enter", Flow shows a prompt with Enable and Disable buttons instead of pressing Enter. Click Enable, then dictate "press enter" again. The trigger phrase must appear at the end of your sentence and is case-insensitive.

On iOS, my dictation stopped without any error. What happened?

If a dictation is interrupted — for example by an incoming phone call or Siri — Flow saves the transcript to your history and posts "Your dictation was interrupted / Tap to view your transcript." Tapping it opens your history and copies the transcript.

If a dictation fails outright, Flow posts "Your dictation is saved" (or "Your {length} dictation is saved") with the body "Tap to retry"; tapping it retries that dictation automatically.

Both notifications require notification permission. Close other apps to free up system resources and try again.

My dictation stopped after a long session. What happened?

Mac/Windows: Sessions cap at 20 minutes, with a warning about a minute before the limit. The end notification reads "Transcription session ended. Flow supports up to 20 minutes per session." and includes a "Recover text" button. All session audio is preserved and transcribed normally.

iOS: Sessions cap at 5 minutes. If the cap is reached while you're not in a text field, a notification points you to the transcript in your history.

Android: There is no per-session limit.

Flow still freezes or won't open after relaunch. What should I try next?

Update Wispr Flow to the latest version. If the issue persists, restart your device, then relaunch Wispr Flow. If it still won't open, uninstall and reinstall using the latest installer or app store version.

Flow restarted by itself to apply an update. Is that normal?

Yes. Flow holds automatic updates until you step away, based on whether any Flow window (hub, notepad, or scratchpad) is focused and whether you've had recent keyboard or mouse activity. Active dictation and in-progress meeting recordings always block an update restart.

After an extended stretch of continuous activity with no natural break, Flow shows an Update ready dialog instead of restarting silently. Later defers the update until you step away again; Restart now first checks that no dictation or recording is in progress.

I see an unexpected notification or error state after relaunch. What do these mean?

• "Audio system failed to load" — "Please restart Flow to continue using dictation." Buttons: Restart Flow / Contact us.

• "Flow was processing your last transcript" — offers Cancel if you start a new dictation too soon after relaunch.

• "Transcript cancelled" — offers Undo. A detailed variant offers Undo and Open History (shown at most 3 times a day).

• "There was an error updating Flow" — Buttons: Restart Flow / Contact us.

• "You have been signed out" and "Failed to sign in" — sign back in to continue.

• "Accessibility Permission Required" — "Flow needs accessibility access to work properly." Button: Open Settings.

Flow was updated or reinstalled while it was running. Do I need to relaunch?

Yes. On Mac, if the app is updated or reinstalled while it is already running — for example by an MDM tool pushing a new version, a PKG reinstall, or an update installed from another macOS user account — Flow continues running on the version it started from. Quit and relaunch Flow to switch to the newly installed version.