superwhisper says No voice found, or gets stuck processing: how to fix it
By Ryleigh Newman · Published
No voice found means the recording had no detectable speech in it, and superwhisper's docs say the problem is almost always the audio input, not the model. Check which microphone is active in the top-right of any settings pane, confirm the Microphone permission, and play the recording back from History. If a dictation hangs at processing instead, check your connection and whether the model finished downloading.
I built YapToText, a different dictation app for the Mac, so read what I say about superwhisper with that in mind. Every fact about superwhisper here comes from its own docs, read on October 10, 2026.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
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Fix No voice found
- Check the active microphone. It is shown in the top-right of every settings pane. If it is a disconnected headset or a muted external microphone, switch it there or choose Use system default.
- Confirm the permission. On a Mac, System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone, with superwhisper enabled. On Windows, Settings, Privacy & security, Microphone.
- Watch the waveform. Start a recording and talk. If it does not move, audio is not reaching the app. Try the built-in microphone to rule out a Bluetooth problem.
- Play the recording back. Open the dictation in History. A silent recording means the input was wrong or muted. If you can hear yourself clearly, report the recording from History.
One exception: when a mode records system audio, the waveform stays still by design. Also check that Automatically increase microphone volume is on in Settings, Sound. It raises the input volume when a recording starts, and it only works with the system default device.
Fix stuck processing
- Check your connection. Cloud models need internet. Try a local model to confirm.
- Check the model finished downloading. A local model that is still downloading cannot transcribe. Look in Settings, Models library.
- Restart superwhisper. Then retry the dictation from History. The audio is already saved.
- Report it. Turn on Error logging in Settings, Configuration, reproduce it once, and report the recording from History.
When it keeps choosing the wrong microphone
Use system default follows whatever macOS has selected, and that changes when a Bluetooth headset connects. In the microphone list you can star a microphone to make it a priority device, or exclude one you never use, such as a virtual microphone. superwhisper's docs also note that a Bluetooth headset's microphone often lowers audio quality, which is a Bluetooth limit: select the built-in microphone and keep listening through the headset.
The same failure in YapToText, and what it does about it
Every dictation app fails this way when the wrong microphone is live. YapToText, my free Mac app, shows its input in Settings, General, Microphone and in the Input picker of the menu bar panel, and if the chosen microphone is unplugged it falls back to the system default. It also keeps the half second before your key press, so a first word spoken early is not clipped. The recording of each dictation is in History, so you can hear what the microphone actually caught.
The microphone guide covers which microphone helps most, and the superwhisper troubleshooting page has the other failures.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
The short version
- No voice found. The microphone, almost always. Check which one is active.
- Permission. Privacy & Security, Microphone.
- Proof. Play the recording in History.
- Stuck processing. Connection, model download, restart, retry from History.
If these steps stop matching the app, open an issue on GitHub. Every one gets read.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
Related
Sources
- https://superwhisper.com/docs/common-issues/no-voice-found (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://superwhisper.com/docs/common-issues/microphone-and-system-audio (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-10)
Questions
What does No voice found mean in superwhisper?
The recording had no detectable speech. Its docs say the cause is almost always the audio input, such as the wrong or a muted microphone.
Why is superwhisper not recording my voice?
Check the active microphone in the top-right of the settings pane, the Microphone permission, and whether the waveform moves when you talk.
Why is superwhisper stuck on processing?
A cloud model without internet, or a local model that has not finished downloading. Restart the app and retry from History.
Is my dictation lost when superwhisper fails?
No. The audio is saved, and you can retry the dictation from History.