Troubleshooting
The handful of things that trip people up, and how to fix each one in a minute.
3 min read
Most problems come down to one of four things. Work through the section that matches what you are seeing.
Text is not being inserted
This is almost always Accessibility on Mac. Open System Settings, Privacy and Security, Accessibility, and make sure wispa is allowed, then restart wispa once. wispa always tries to paste, so if inserting is blocked your text is still on the clipboard and you can paste it with ⌘V.
The mic is not picking up
Check that wispa has microphone permission, and that the right input device is selected in Settings. If the level meter in the pill does not move while you speak, pick a different microphone or make sure it is not muted in your system settings.
Transcription fails or nothing happens
You need an active model. If you see a no model banner, open Models and download or activate one, or add a cloud key and pick a cloud provider in your mode. A cloud model also needs an internet connection.
A warning on first launch
On Mac the app is signed and notarized, so a normal double-click opens it. On Windows, SmartScreen may warn once, choose More info, then Run anyway. See Installing wispa for the full steps.
FAQ
Questions and answers
wispa typed nothing but my clipboard changed. Why?
Insertion was blocked, usually by missing Accessibility permission on Mac. Grant it, restart wispa once, and paste the current clipboard in the meantime.
Where are the logs?
wispa writes a log file in its application support folder. It records whether Accessibility is granted, which is the first thing to check when inserting fails.
The mic indicator stays on after I stop. Is that normal?
wispa stops using the mic when a recording ends. The system may keep a recently-used indicator visible for a short while, which is a platform behaviour, not a recording.
Nothing happens when I press the hotkey.
Another app may have claimed the same shortcut. Reassign wispa's hotkey in Settings, or check that wispa is still running in the menu bar or tray.