Why is nothing typed when I dictate?
The app almost always says why in a short message; here is every cause it reports, in the order you are likely to hit them, and the one case with no message.
Almost every time this happens, Dictate Safe already told you why. Look for a short message in the app window right after you let go of the dictation key, and match it against the list below.
#You see a message
Couldn't type into your app (Accessibility permission not granted yet.). Grant Accessibility in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.Why: On a Mac, the Accessibility permission was never granted, or macOS switched it off after an update.
Fix: Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, find Dictate Safe in the list, and turn it on. If it is already on, turn it off and back on. Windows has no such permission, and never shows this message.
Couldn't type into your app (…). Click into the text box and try again.Why: Windows did not accept the keystrokes. The field may have lost focus, or its window closed, before the text arrived.
Fix: Click into the text field you want, then dictate again. The words from the attempt that failed are in History.
No microphone foundWhy: Your computer reports no audio input at all, often after a headset or USB microphone was unplugged.
Fix: Plug the microphone back in, or pick another one under Settings → General → Microphone. The list updates on its own as devices come and go, so there is nothing to restart.
Failed to open micWhy: Another application already has exclusive use of the microphone. Video call software is the usual cause.
Fix: Close the other application, or leave its call, then try again.
#Nothing was typed, and there was no message
This happens when you dictate with nothing to type into, such as after clicking the desktop background or a button. Dictate Safe checks whether the place you clicked can receive text, and when it is confident it cannot, it does not guess. A small window opens instead, headed “Nowhere to type this, so here’s what you said”, with Copy and Create Note.
Your words are safe either way. The popup closes on its own after a few seconds, but the dictation is already in History, and Copy Last Transcript in the menu bar menu copies it at any time.
If your key combination does nothing, not even the popup, another program may be holding it. Open Settings → General and look at the Shortcut row: if Windows refused your choice, it says so, and names the combination in use. Pick a different one if you like. The floating icon starts a dictation either way.
#Check the basics
- Open Settings → About and check the Permissions card shows Microphone, and on a Mac Accessibility, as granted.
- Confirm a speech model is installed on the AI Models page.
- Click into an ordinary text field, such as a browser’s address bar.
- Hold your dictation key, say a short sentence, and let go.
Text appears where you clicked.
The check for somewhere to type is a best guess based on what the operating system reports about the focused element. A few applications report themselves incorrectly, which can either show the popup when typing would have worked, or type where you expected the popup. Neither loses your words.