Connect and choose a microphone for Flow

Last updated: September 22, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android. Mac and Windows have a microphone picker; iPhone has a built-in-mic preference, and Android uses system audio routing.

Connect your headset, USB microphone or Bluetooth device, confirm your computer or phone can hear it, then choose the input Flow uses for dictation. A microphone change applies when the next dictation starts. For meeting recording, see Notetaker audio troubleshooting.

Connect and test the device

  1. Plug in a wired or USB microphone, or pair a Bluetooth device in your system's Bluetooth settings.

  2. Check the headset, microphone or keyboard for a hardware mute switch.

  3. Record a short clip in another app — Voice Memos on Mac/iPhone, Sound Recorder on Windows. If that recording is silent too, fix the hardware or system input before continuing.

Select the microphone on desktop

Open the picker by right-clicking the Flow Bar, or go to Settings → General → Microphone → Change.

Option

When to use it

Auto-detect

Let Flow pick the device; on Windows, first confirm the intended mic in Settings → System → Sound → Input.

Built-in mic on Mac

Use the Mac's own microphone while wearing headphones; a closed MacBook needs an external mic.

A device name

Choose a particular connected headset or microphone.

Show other devices

Reveal virtual or loopback inputs such as BlackHole, Krisp, NVIDIA Broadcast or ZoomAudioDevice.

Flow shortens some device names, so a label may differ from your system's name; on Mac, Mic in use in the submenu shows the active input. Dictate a short phrase to confirm the device works. When you connect a new physical microphone, a prompt can offer Switch or Don't switch — check the selection before your next dictation; a restart is not normally needed.

Set microphone ranking on Mac

Choose Edit Ranking in the picker and drag physical microphones into your preferred order; Auto-detect uses the highest-ranked available mic. Disconnected devices appear greyed out — use the trash icon to Forget one. Virtual microphones are selected directly instead of ranked.

Note: Ranking identifies microphones by device name, so a device that reports a different name after reconnecting may be treated as new. Opening Settings or the Hub merges duplicate entries for one microphone, keeping the higher rank and the connected device, which can change the automatic selection; two distinct connected microphones stay separate. If two devices share a generic name and one is unplugged, it may lose its rank and return at the bottom.

Use a microphone on iPhone

  1. Pair your Bluetooth device in iPhone Settings → Bluetooth, if needed.

  2. Open Flow Settings → Audio.

  3. Leave Use Built-In Mic on to record through the iPhone while still hearing audio through Bluetooth headphones; turn it off to use the connected Bluetooth microphone.

  4. Test a short dictation.

iPhone has no individual-device picker, and the Flow keyboard needs both microphone permission and Full Access. Calls, Siri and Bluetooth connection changes can interrupt a dictation — check the result and start again once the microphone is free. If recording does not start, follow microphone troubleshooting.

Use a microphone on Android

Connect your wired headset or pair Bluetooth in Android Settings, then test a dictation in Flow. Android supplies the active input and Flow has no in-app picker, so if the wrong mic is used, change system routing or disconnect the unwanted device and try again.

Virtual inputs need explicit selection

Select a virtual or loopback microphone under Show other devices only when you intend to route audio through it; these devices are excluded from automatic selection, the ranking editor and new-microphone switch prompts. An unintended virtual input can capture silence or audio other than your voice.

If a selected virtual device disconnects, Flow falls back to your ranked physical microphone. Collapsing Show other devices while a virtual input is selected returns the selection to Auto-detect.

If the microphone disconnects or is blocked

  • Selected microphone is unavailable: choose a connected microphone from the picker.

  • Microphone disconnected during dictation: choose Insert when offered to retry the last transcription, then paste the recovered text.

  • Another Windows app holds the mic: open Sound Control Panel → Recording → the microphone's Properties → Advanced and turn off Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device.

  • No microphone detected: use Refresh devices or Open Sound Settings. For permission or access errors, follow the message's Settings, Troubleshoot or Restart action; on Mac, Flow rechecks when you return to the app, so restart Flow if the error persists.

  • First words are missing on Bluetooth: AirPods and similar devices can take time to start — compare with a built-in or wired mic. Flow may show an AirPods warning offering Switch microphone or Don't show again.

Tip: For microphone-position advice and the desktop Microphone Quiz, see the discreet microphone guide.

Still stuck?

If the microphone works in other apps but not in Flow, contact support with:

  • Your operating system, microphone model and connection type

  • The input selected in Flow and the exact error message

  • The steps you have already tried