Troubleshooting

Text is not inserted

macOS

Dictāta needs Accessibility permission to insert text.

Open System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Accessibility, find Dictāta, and make sure it is enabled.

If it is already enabled, toggle it off and on, then restart Dictāta.

Windows

Try restarting Dictāta.

In Outlook, Word and other Microsoft Office apps, start and stop dictation with Ctrl+Space or a double-tap of AltGr. Office treats a tap of the left Alt key as a request to show its ribbon shortcuts (letters on the menu), and the text then goes to the ribbon instead of your document. If the letters appear, click back into the document.

If the issue persists, try running the app as administrator: right-click the Dictāta icon and select Run as administrator.

Microphone permission prompt never appeared

macOS

Open System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Microphone, find Dictāta, and manually enable it.

If Dictāta is not in the list, try starting a recording once. This triggers the permission request.

Windows

Open Settings -> Privacy -> Microphone, find Dictāta, and make sure access is enabled.

If Dictāta is not in the list, try starting a recording once to trigger the permission prompt.

Floating button disappeared

Open the menu bar icon on macOS or the system tray icon on Windows and click Show Floating Button.

If the button is off-screen, click Reset button to default position instead.

Transcription failed

Open the main app window and check History.

Failed transcriptions show an error indicator with a regenerate option. Click regenerate to retry with the saved audio.

App is unresponsive

macOS

Click the Dictāta icon in the menu bar and select Restart Dictāta.

You can also quit the app with Command+Q or from the Dock, then reopen it from Applications.

Windows

Right-click the Dictāta icon in the system tray and select Restart Dictāta.

You can also select Exit and reopen the app from the Start menu or desktop shortcut.

Your session and history are not affected by a restart.

Ask does not start or edits text instead of showing a reply

On Mac, press Control+Option together and release; on Windows, double-tap Ctrl or press Ctrl+Alt+C. Use the configured values in Settings → Interface if you changed them or disabled double-tap. Finish the recording with your usual dictation shortcut.

A direct rewrite instruction can replace selected text. To review a draft first, ask to show it in the Ask window. See Ask Dictāta.

Ask did nothing after I asked to translate or rewrite

With selected text, a change request ("translate this", "rewrite this") replaces the selection. On a web page, in a PDF or in a received message, the text cannot be replaced, so the result seems to disappear. End your request with "and show it in a window" to see the result in the Ask window. The lost result is still in History and in Ask's recent conversations. See Window or replace.

The beginning of my speech is missing

Wait for the recording cue before speaking. If audio capture appears stuck or an earlier action has not finished, cancel it or restart Dictāta, then try again. Keep the desktop app updated for audio-start and session-reliability fixes. Do not repeatedly start new recordings while diagnosing a microphone problem.

The wrong language is detected

Choose a small set of languages you actually use in Settings → Basic → Expected languages. Leave unrelated languages out. For a name or technical word, use Glossary; for output in another language, use Translation. See Supported languages.

Saved changes or history seem to be missing

1. Confirm you are signed into the same account on the same computer. History and Ask Memory are separate for each account; another account's empty list is expected.
2. Update Dictāta to include the fixes for Memory, Glossary, and Commands edits being lost after a restart.
3. Memory saves automatically; Glossary and Commands edits use their Save buttons. Check the intended page after saving.
4. If you moved computers or cleared local app data, use a backup you previously exported. These lists move between devices only with Sync across devices turned on.

Memory only affects Ask requests, not regular dictation. See Memory and History.