Troubleshooting

Nothing happens when I press the shortcut

Another program may be using Ctrl + Space: some keyboard layouts and input methods use it to switch language. Choose a different shortcut in Settings › General.

It doesn’t hear me

1. Let Windows share the microphone. In Windows, open Settings › Privacy & security › Microphone and turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone.
2. In Spectrum Dicta, choose the right device in Settings › Audio › Microphone.

The Dictation screen tells you where things stand: Microphone ready, Microphone blocked or No microphone.

The text doesn’t appear where I’m writing

• Make sure the cursor is in a text field when you stop dictating.
• Some apps don’t accept the default way of pasting. In Settings › Output › Paste Method, try Clipboard (Ctrl+Shift+V), Clipboard (Shift+Insert) or Direct.
• If the app you’re writing in runs as administrator, Windows doesn’t let other programs type into it.

Nothing is lost: your latest transcriptions are kept in History, so you can copy them from there.

My remote provider doesn’t work

When you press Activate in Models, Spectrum Dicta tests the connection before switching. If the test fails, nothing changes: the engine you were using stays active. Then check that:

• the key belongs to the provider you selected and was copied whole;
• your account with the provider has credit or an active plan;
• you’re online. Remote engines need an internet connection; local models don’t.

Transcription is slow

• Choose a lighter model in Models. The app marks the ones it recommends.
• The first dictation after a pause can take longer while the model loads into memory. To keep it ready, set Settings › Application › Unload Model to Never. It uses more memory.
• Remote engines run on the provider’s servers, not on your computer.

Windows warns me when I install

Windows asks you to confirm before it runs some installers downloaded from the internet, and ours is one of them. Choose More info, then Run anyway. Download Spectrum Dicta only from spectrumdicta.com.

Still stuck?

Email us. Tell us what happened and which version you have; you’ll find it in Settings › About.