Microphone Issues

If Swifly isn't picking up your voice or your microphone isn't detected, work through the steps below in order.

1. Check your microphone settings. In Swifly's Settings, select a specific microphone instead of "Built-in mic" or "Auto-Detect," then save and close. Restart the app so the change takes effect.
2. Verify microphone permissions. On Windows, go to Start → Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone, and make sure microphone access is on and Swifly is allowed. On Mac, check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. If Swifly shows a "Microphone access is denied" message, use its Open settings button to jump straight to the right screen.
3. Test your microphone. Confirm it isn't muted and raise the input volume in your system's sound settings.
4. Check that dictation triggers. Press and hold the default hotkey — fn on Mac, Left Alt on Windows — to see if Swifly detects your voice. If nothing happens, confirm the hotkey hasn't been changed in Settings. If no text appears after you speak, check Recent Activity in the app to see whether audio was recorded at all.
5. Restart or reset the app. Quit and reopen Swifly. If the issue persists, open Settings → System and use Reset app (this clears your local dictation history and app data).
6. Check your internet connection. Make sure your connection is stable, and temporarily disable any VPN, firewall, or proxy that might be blocking the app.

Swifly also shows targeted messages when it detects a specific microphone problem, each with its own quick-fix button: "No microphone found," "Microphone level very low," "No audio detected," "Still no audio," and "Microphone in use" (when another app is holding the device). If you see one of these, follow its button rather than the general steps above.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, open the app, click Report an issue in the sidebar, and include what you tried and what you noticed.