Wispr Flow not typing: recover text and find the cause

When Wispr Flow finishes recording but nothing appears, check whether Flow has a transcript. Existing text points you toward insertion; missing text means you still need to check recording and transcription. Repeating the entire dictation before checking can waste work you could recover.

This guide organizes Wispr's support instructions, checked directly on September 11, 2026. It is not a report of faults reproduced on our own devices. For product scope and limitations, see the Wispr Flow review.

Find which step failed

Use a short, harmless sentence in an empty document: “This is a microphone and paste check.” Keep that document focused until processing finishes.

• No input level or audible speech: check the selected microphone, mute and recording permission first.
• Audio exists but no transcript appears: check the error message, connection and any available transcription Retry option.
• A transcript exists but the target field is empty: recover the text, then test focus, permissions and paste behavior.
• Text appears but has wrong words: this is a recognition problem. Use the dictionary setup guide for recurring terminology errors.

An empty transcript alone does not prove the microphone is broken. Read the associated error and, where available, listen to the recording. These observations help choose a branch; they do not identify a unique cause by themselves.

Recover an existing transcript first

Wispr's current text insertion guide documents Paste last transcript on desktop:

• Mac: Ctrl+Cmd+V, or the Flow menu bar menu → Paste last transcript.
• Windows: Shift+Alt+Z, or the Flow system tray menu → Paste last transcript.

Use the menu if you have customized the shortcut. Paste into an empty document first and confirm the text is the transcript you expected before moving it to a message or coding prompt.

The current paste guide says a failed desktop paste leaves dictated text on the clipboard, allowing Cmd+V or Ctrl+V. Another Wispr IDE guide warns clipboard restoration can make that unreliable in some circumstances. Prefer the dedicated transcript command if ordinary paste produces old clipboard contents; neither route is a guarantee that every failed recording has recoverable text.

Do not use Scratchpad as a synonym for transcript history. The current paste guide describes it as a separate editor and says it does not display your last transcript. Desktop history is in the Hub Home page, and transcript history is local to each device.

If the microphone is silent

Follow the checks in Wispr's microphone troubleshooting guide, beginning with the simplest observation:

1. Check any hardware mute switch. Open system sound input settings and speak while watching the input meter.
2. Make a short recording in another app, such as Voice Memos on Mac or Sound Recorder on Windows. Silence there points toward a device or system issue rather than only Flow.
3. On desktop, open Flow's menu bar or system tray menu → Settings → General → Microphone → Change. Select the intended physical microphone by name.
4. On Mac, check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. On Windows, check Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone, including desktop app access.
5. Restart Flow after permission changes and repeat the same short sentence.

If you were using Bluetooth, try the built-in or a wired microphone as a separate diagnostic condition. A successful switch narrows the investigation; it does not establish that all Bluetooth microphones are unsuitable. Avoid choosing a virtual or loopback input unless you know it is receiving the speech you want to capture.

If audio exists but transcription fails

Flow requires an internet connection, as described in its accuracy and limitations documentation. Record the actual error: a network error, a busy service and an empty recording are different symptoms.

When history offers Retry for the failed recording, try that before dictating everything again. If audio capture never started, there may be no audio to retry. A moving input meter is useful evidence that the microphone sees a signal, but it does not prove the transcription request succeeded.

Keep the error wording and time in your log. Avoid repeatedly changing language, microphone and shortcuts while a transcription error remains unresolved.

If the transcript exists but insertion fails

On Mac, check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility for Flow. Test insertion in Notes, then in the original app. If only one app fails, restart that app and check its text field or clipboard restrictions. Keep the cursor in the intended field until Flow finishes; switching windows can change where the text lands.

On Windows, test in Notepad. If that works, compare the target application's paste command and Flow shortcut. The current support path is Flow Settings → General → Shortcuts → Change. Choose a combination that does not conflict with your editor, input method or another shortcut utility. Do not assume one suggested combination is free on every machine.

Some terminals use a paste command different from ordinary text fields. Recover into a document first rather than testing an unreviewed transcript as a shell command. For dictation in an IDE's chat input, use the Cursor prompt workflow.

Mobile and remote desktops need different checks

On iOS, the paste guide says Flow inserts through its keyboard. Select the Flow Keyboard, check Allow Full Access under Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Wispr Flow, and grant microphone access when prompted. Keep the keyboard visible until text arrives. Test in Notes if the target app blocks third-party keyboards.

On Android, use the Flow Bubble's Paste or copy button when available. Tap an ordinary text field so the keyboard is visible, then check the app's notices for overlay or accessibility access. Wispr documents limitations in sensitive and specialized fields. Use an empty note for diagnosis; it also warns that inserting at the start or middle of an existing draft can replace text in some apps.

In a remote desktop, first test Flow in a local document. Manual transfer into the remote session depends on clipboard sharing and the remote environment's restrictions. A local success does not establish that the remote session accepts clipboard input.

Save a useful failure report

Download the dictation troubleshooting worksheet. Record the platform, Flow version, microphone, target app, exact error, whether audio and transcript exist, and the result of each change. Remove private text before sharing it.

If neither normal insertion nor Paste last transcript works across several ordinary apps after checking permissions and restarting, use the support contact linked from Wispr's paste guide. Include the short reproduction and the worksheet observations.

Wispr's mic documentation also lists Reset & restart, but says it deletes local history. It is not part of the routine steps above: preserve any needed transcripts and understand that consequence before considering a reset. A useful report of what failed is preferable to losing the evidence while trying unrelated fixes.

Once recording works, use the microphone comparison method to compare the inputs you own under the same conditions.

If Krisp is part of your audio setup, check its physical and virtual device routing with the Krisp setup guide before repeating the dictation test.