Fix dictation issues without losing your words.

Can’t hear you?

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and enable Talkpad.
2. Check the input device in System Settings → Sound, especially after switching AirPods, docks, or monitors.
3. If Bluetooth audio sounds delayed or inaccurate, try the built-in microphone or a wired headset.

Developer tools and terminals

1. Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Terminal, and iTerm can handle pasted or typed text differently.
2. Click the exact editor, prompt, or terminal line before you dictate. In terminals, wait until the prompt is ready.
3. If text does not appear, use Copy last transcription from the Talkpad menu and paste it manually.

Text did not appear?

1. Open the Talkpad menu and choose Copy last transcription.
2. If Accessibility is off, Talkpad saves the result to your clipboard so you can paste manually.
3. Enable Talkpad in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility for direct insertion.

Never lose a dictation

1. The contract: when Talkpad hears you and transcription completes, the text should be inserted, copied, or available from the menu.
2. If an app blocks insertion, Talkpad keeps the last transcription so you can copy it instead of re-speaking it.
3. Before closing Talkpad after a problem, check Copy last transcription. That is the recovery path.

Connection issue?

1. Talkpad needs internet access for cloud transcription.
2. If you use a VPN, proxy, firewall, or security tool, allow talkpad.ai and api.talkpad.ai.
3. Check https://api.talkpad.ai/health. It should return ok true.

For coding sessions

Developer tools often intercept shortcuts, secure fields, terminal focus, and paste events. Talkpad tries direct insertion first, then gives you a safe recovery path through the last transcription and clipboard fallback.

The recovery promise

Do not re-record immediately. First open Talkpad and copy the last transcription. If Talkpad finished transcribing, your words should still be recoverable even when the target app refused the insert.