What to do if the app doesn't start up after signing in and clicking "Open Wispr Flow"

Windows

The most common cause on Windows is having multiple Flow installations conflicting with each other. Follow these steps in order.

1. Close Flow completely by right-clicking the Flow icon in your system tray and selecting Quit.

2. Open Start → Settings → Apps → Installed apps (Windows 11) or Start → Settings → Apps → Apps & features (Windows 10).

3. Search for Flow or Wispr Flow and check for more than one entry — for example, one listed as a desktop app and one from the Microsoft Store. If you see only one entry, skip to step 5.

4. Uninstall every Flow entry. Click the ⋯ menu (or right-click each entry), select Uninstall, and confirm. Search for "Flow" again — you should see no results.

5. Download the Windows installer (.exe) from wisprflow.ai/downloads, run it, and follow the prompts. Flow appears in your Start menu and system tray when installation completes.

6. Open Flow from the Start menu, click Sign in via browser, complete sign-in in the browser, then click Open Wispr Flow when prompted. The Flow desktop app launches and shows the main interface — if you see it, the issue is resolved.

Mac

If Flow won't start on Mac, reinstalling resolves most cases.

1. Quit Flow by right-clicking the Flow icon in your menu bar and selecting Quit.

2. Drag the Wispr Flow app from your Applications folder to the Trash, then empty the Trash.

3. Download the latest installer from wisprflow.ai/downloads.

4. Open the downloaded file and drag Wispr Flow into your Applications folder.

5. Open Wispr Flow from Applications, click Sign in via browser, complete sign-in, then click Open Wispr Flow when prompted. The Flow desktop app launches and shows the main interface — if you see it, the issue is resolved.

iOS

Update and force-quit first. If Flow still won't start, reinstall.

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the App Store.

2. Force-quit Flow by swiping up from the bottom of the screen and swiping the Flow card away.

3. Reopen Flow and complete sign-in. If Flow opens to the main interface, you're done.

4. Reinstall if Flow still won't start: delete the app, reinstall it from the App Store, and sign in again.

Android

Update and force-stop first. If Flow still won't start, reinstall from the Play Store.

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the Play Store.

2. Force-stop Flow under Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Force stop.

3. Reopen Flow and complete sign-in. If Flow opens to the main interface, you're done.

Flow closes in the background on Android (Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, Realme, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, OnePlus, Transsion, Samsung)

On these devices, the system battery manager can shut down Flow in the background and silently disable its accessibility permission. Flow now detects when this happens and sends a notification ("Wispr Flow needs attention") that takes you to the correct settings screen with one tap. Flow also walks you through both the autostart and battery-exemption permissions during setup.

1. Update Wispr Flow to Android version 1.8.5 or later from the Play Store.

2. Open Flow's settings and follow the device-specific battery and autostart prompts.

3. Restart Flow. If the bubble appears and stays visible after locking and unlocking your phone, the issue is resolved.

"Helper Loading Error" notification appears on startup (Windows)

This was caused by antivirus software or restricted installation environments (such as the Microsoft Store version) blocking a background component Flow needs to run. Flow now automatically retries in the background and recovers on its own in many cases. If the notification persists:

1. Whitelist Wispr Flow in your antivirus software. Open your security app, find the exceptions or exclusions list, and add Wispr Flow.

2. Reinstall Flow from wisprflow.ai/downloads if you installed from the Microsoft Store. Follow the Windows steps above.

3. Restart Flow and check whether the notification appears again.

Bugs fixed in recent updates

The following startup issues have been fixed in recent versions. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version and restart to resolve any of these:

• Slow or frozen startup on iOS: A performance issue caused the app to take significantly longer to launch and frequently appear unresponsive during startup. Fixed (was present in iOS versions 1.46–1.48).

• Flow Bubble stopped working after signing out and back in on Android: The Flow Bubble could fail to restart after signing back in — including in cases involving display overlay permission, Android 12+ background restrictions, or signing out and back in quickly. Fixed in Android version 1.7.2.

• App crashed or failed to launch on Windows: Some users experienced crashes where the app would fail to launch or quit unexpectedly shortly after opening. Fixed.

• Clicking "Open Wispr Flow" appeared to do nothing: Certain links did not have a specific destination in the app, so Flow would open but not navigate anywhere visible. Fixed — Flow now navigates to the appropriate screen.

• Dictation history could be wiped after updating: If your Flow data folder had been moved during a previous app migration, the local database file could end up marked as read-only. Flow now attempts to automatically repair read-only database files. If repair fails, a notification is shown and Flow may reset the database and restart as a last resort. Fixed in version 1.4.822.

• "Launch app at login" didn't work on Windows: Even when enabled in settings, Flow did not automatically launch at Windows startup. Fixed — the setting now works correctly and persists after app updates.

• Subscription status appeared inactive or missing: Subscription status was sometimes not detected correctly at startup, leaving it unset for the entire session. Fixed in version 1.47.1.

• Crash when opening a window during startup: The app attempted to display windows before initialization completed. Fixed — the app now waits until fully initialized before displaying windows.

The desktop app doesn't log in after I sign in via browser

Keep the Flow desktop app open and in the foreground while completing sign-in. If it still doesn't respond, close and reopen the app, click Sign in via browser again, and make sure you're on the latest version.

Why does Flow show a blank white screen on startup?

A blank white screen usually indicates corrupted app data. If updating to the latest version doesn't resolve it, follow the reinstallation steps for your platform above.

Can I sign in with Google, Apple, Microsoft, or SSO on the desktop app?

Yes. When you click Sign in via browser, the browser opens the Wispr Flow login page, which offers the available sign-in methods. Providers may vary.

What does the "Flow hit a snag" error screen mean?

This screen appears when Flow encounters an unexpected crash. Your data is safe. Click Restart Flow to recover. If the crash keeps happening, update to the latest version and contact support using the button on the error screen.