Missing first words in transcriptions

Last updated: April 30, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

First few words of your dictation missing or cut off? This is almost always caused by Bluetooth microphone wake-up delay — the mic takes a moment to connect when Flow starts recording, so anything you say in that window isn't captured. Most users solve this in under 2 minutes.

Quick checks

  • Wait for the Flow Bar. After pressing your dictation hotkey, wait for the white bars to start moving before speaking.

  • Hold the hotkey long enough. Releasing within about half a second cancels the dictation. Hold the key while you speak, then release.

  • Check if you're on Bluetooth. Open Flow Settings → General → Microphone. If AirPods or a wireless headset is selected, that's almost certainly the cause — continue to the steps below.

  • Check for a service incident. If you see an orange or red banner on the Flow home page, the slowness is not caused by your microphone. Click View status in the banner for details.

  • Does your mic work in other apps? Record a short clip in Voice Memos (Mac/iOS) or Sound Recorder (Windows). If it's silent there, the problem is system-level, not Flow.

How to fix missing first words

Step 1: Switch to a wired or built-in microphone

Built-in laptop and phone microphones, and wired USB microphones, have no wake-up delay. This is the most reliable fix.

Warning: If you're using your Mac with the lid closed (clamshell mode), the built-in microphone won't work. Use a USB or Bluetooth microphone instead. Flow shows a notification if it detects this.

Mac and Windows

  1. Open Flow Settings → General → Microphone.

  2. Select your built-in microphone or a wired USB microphone. AirPods devices are flagged with a ⚠️ in the list.

  3. Dictate a test phrase. If all words appear, you're done.

Note: If AirPods is your system default device, it may override other microphones when connected. Selecting a specific non-Bluetooth microphone in Flow avoids this.

iOS and Android

  1. Disconnect your Bluetooth device in system Settings → Bluetooth, or plug in a wired accessory.

  2. Dictate a test phrase. If all words appear, you're done.

Note: On iOS, Flow defaults to the built-in microphone via the Use Built-In Mic toggle in Flow Settings → Audio. Turn this off if you want to use a Bluetooth headset mic. On Android, Flow uses the system default microphone — there is no in-app mic picker.

Step 2: Pause briefly before speaking

If you prefer using Bluetooth, give the microphone time to wake up:

  1. Press your dictation hotkey.

  2. Wait for the white bars in the Flow Bar to start moving, then wait an additional half-second.

  3. Start speaking.

Dictate a test phrase. If all words appear, this workaround is working for you.

Tip: Start with a filler word like "so" or "okay." Smart Formatting removes these automatically.

Step 3: Select your microphone explicitly (Mac and Windows)

Auto-detect can add connection delays. Selecting your microphone directly may help:

  1. Open Flow Settings → General → Microphone.

  2. Select your specific microphone from the list instead of Auto-detect.

  3. Dictate a test phrase. If all words appear, you're done.

Note: Auto-detect shows the currently active device name in parentheses (e.g., "Auto-detect (MacBook Pro)").

Step 4: Check system audio settings (Windows)

  1. Open Windows Settings → System → Sound → Input.

  2. Confirm your preferred microphone is set as the default input device.

  3. Click Test your microphone to confirm it's working.

  4. Return to Flow and dictate a test phrase. If all words appear, you're done.

Step 5: Verify what was actually recorded

Check whether the issue is with recording or transcription:

  1. Open the Flow Hub (Home page).

  2. Find your recent dictation in the Activity list, click the three-dot menu (⋮) on the dictation card, and select Download audio.

  3. Play the downloaded file to listen.

If the audio captures all words but the transcript doesn't, contact support. If the audio is also missing first words, the issue is mic wake-up — return to Step 1.

Note: Audio downloads as a WAV file. Download audio is greyed out for recordings older than 14 days.

Microphone comparison

Microphone type

Wake-up delay

Reliability

Recommendation

Built-in (laptop/phone)

None

Excellent

Best for reliability

Wired USB

None

Excellent

Great alternative

Wired headset (3.5mm)

None

Excellent

Good option

AirPods / Bluetooth earbuds

Variable

Variable

Pause before speaking

Bluetooth headset

Variable

Variable

Pause before speaking

Virtual microphones

N/A

Varies

Not recommended

Note: Your built-in microphone is labeled Built-in mic (recommended) in the selection list. Virtual microphones (e.g., from audio routing software) are hidden unless set as your system's default input device.

Common issues

Microphone slow to activate after canceling and quickly retrying dictation (Mac and Windows)

If pressing your hotkey, canceling, and pressing again caused each retry to take progressively longer (up to 8 seconds) before the microphone activated — and the mic indicator light stayed on briefly after canceling — this was a bug that has been fixed. Update Flow to the latest version to resolve it.

Text missing or not inserted when dictating multiple times in a row

This was caused by a timing issue when starting a new dictation immediately after finishing one, fixed in version 1.3.1. Update Flow to the latest version to resolve it.

Bugs fixed in recent updates

The following issues were resolved in recent versions. Update Flow to the latest version to fix them:

  • Improved text insertion reliability by preventing empty or null transcription results from being pasted during dictation.

FAQs

How do I check the live volume indicator?

Open Flow Settings → General → Microphone → Change. A live volume indicator bar appears next to your selected device. Speak and verify the bar responds — this confirms Flow is receiving audio from that microphone.

Why am I seeing an orange or red banner on the Flow home page?

An orange banner means Wispr Flow is experiencing degraded performance in your region. A red banner means there is an active service outage. In either case, the slowness is not caused by your microphone or device. Click View status in the banner to see incident details. Performance returns to normal automatically once the incident is resolved.

My dictation produced no audio on macOS — what happened?

If Flow detects that a dictation longer than 3 seconds captured no audio, it automatically reinitializes the audio system. The current dictation may produce no text, but the next one should work normally. This can happen due to device changes, mute state changes, or other audio interruptions. If it happens often, select your microphone explicitly (Step 3).

Still need help?

If you've tried these steps and first words are still missing, reach out to our support team:

  • Mac: Click Help in the menu bar → Talk to support, or press Cmd+/.

  • Windows: Click Help in the app sidebar → Talk to support.

  • iOS: Menu → Talk to Support.

  • Android: Drawer menu → Report an issue.

Include your microphone type and what you've already tried. If audio playback contains words the transcript is missing, mention that specifically. Most mic issues are resolved in one reply.