# Mic or hotkey not working. Dimmy Help.

> Mic or hotkey not working. Step-by-step help for Dimmy, the native voice dictation app for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Source: https://dimmy.app/help/mic-and-hotkey/

[← Back to Help center](https://dimmy.app/help/)

Troubleshooting

# Mic or hotkey not working

Check OS permissions first. Then check hotkey conflicts. The pill tells you which one of the two is failing.

## If the pill stays idle when you press the hotkey

1. Open Settings → Shortcut. Press your hotkey while looking at the page. If the page doesn't react, another app is intercepting the hotkey.
2. Look for system-wide shortcuts that match (Windows: Settings → Keyboard. macOS: System Settings → Keyboard → Shortcuts).
3. Look for app-level shortcuts that match (e.g. some games grab Win + Alt for in-game overlays).
4. Change Dimmy's hotkey to a different combo: see [Change your hotkey](https://dimmy.app/help/hotkey-change/).

## If the pill goes red right after recording starts

That's a microphone error. Hover the pill to see the exact reason.

1. Check the microphone permission in your OS settings (see [Permissions](https://dimmy.app/help/permissions/)).
2. Check that the selected microphone is the right one in Settings → Audio. Some laptops default to a HDMI mic when a monitor is plugged in.
3. Test the microphone outside Dimmy: macOS QuickTime → New Audio Recording, Windows Voice Recorder, Linux gnome-sound-recorder.
4. If the test mic works elsewhere but not in Dimmy, restart Dimmy. The audio device list is cached at launch.

image · placeholder

Pill in error state with hover tooltip showing the reason

## If recording works but transcription is empty

See [Empty, wrong, or slow transcription](https://dimmy.app/help/transcription-issues/).

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## In this category

[ TroubleshootingEmpty, wrong, or slow transcriptionThree different problems, three checks: silence in the audio, wrong language detected, model or provider mismatch.](https://dimmy.app/help/transcription-issues/) [ TroubleshootingInstall warnings: macOS Gatekeeper, Windows SmartScreen, Linux AppImageThe OS may warn the first time you run Dimmy. These warnings are expected for indie apps. Here's how to bypass them safely.](https://dimmy.app/help/install-issues/)

Last updated: 2026-05-22

On this page

1. [01 If the pill stays idle when you press the hotkey](#if-the-pill-stays-idle-when-you-press-the-hotkey)
2. [02 If the pill goes red right after recording starts](#if-the-pill-goes-red-right-after-recording-starts)
3. [03 If recording works but transcription is empty](#if-recording-works-but-transcription-is-empty)