# Dictation or meetings record silence > If NoteOwl says Didn't catch anything or Microphone unavailable, turn on Microphone for NoteOwl in System Settings, check your input, then reopen NoteOwl. Source: https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/troubleshooting/microphone-not-working · Last updated 2026-09-27 · Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0 If NoteOwl records silence, it almost always can't hear your microphone: the macOS **Microphone** permission is off, or your Mac is listening to a different input. Turn on NoteOwl in **System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone**, check the input in **System Settings → Sound**, then quit and reopen NoteOwl. ## Why does NoteOwl record silence? Because macOS gives an app silence, not an error, when it can't use the microphone. The same happens when your Mac is listening to a muted or unused microphone. NoteOwl checks the permission before it listens, and tells you when the sound it gets is silent. If NoteOwl hears no sound at all in the first few seconds of a dictation, it stops listening rather than recording silence, and says what went wrong in the NoteOwl panel at the top of the screen. ## What does NoteOwl show when it can't hear you? The NoteOwl panel says what it found. Match what you see: | NoteOwl says | What it means | What to do | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Microphone access is off. Enable NoteOwl in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone, then try again.** | The Microphone permission is off | Turn it on (below) | | **Allow microphone access to dictate…** | macOS is asking for the permission for the first time | Allow NoteOwl in the macOS prompt | | **Couldn't access the microphone.** | NoteOwl couldn't open your Mac's input | Check the input device, then quit and reopen NoteOwl | | **Didn't catch anything — try again.**, with **No speech detected** or **Microphone unavailable** at the top | No words came through: the input was silent, muted or not the one you're speaking into | Check the permission and the input device | | **Meeting capture needs Screen Recording & Microphone access.** | A meeting couldn't open your microphone or your Mac's audio, so it didn't start | Turn on **Microphone** and **Screen & System Audio Recording**, then reopen NoteOwl | To see where the permission stands, open NoteOwl's **Settings** and click **General**. Under **Privacy & Access**, **Microphone** says **Granted** when it's on. ## Turn on the Microphone permission 1. Open **System Settings** from the Apple menu. 2. Click **Privacy & Security**, then **Microphone**. 3. Turn on **NoteOwl**. If it's already on, turn it off and on again. 4. Quit NoteOwl: click its menu bar icon and choose **Quit NoteOwl**. 5. Open NoteOwl again, click into a text field and tap **fn**. Your words appear in the NoteOwl panel as you speak. If NoteOwl isn't in the **Microphone** list, it hasn't asked yet. Tap **fn** once, or click **Grant** beside **Microphone** in NoteOwl's **Settings → General**, and allow NoteOwl when macOS asks. If NoteOwl's settings say **Restricted by policy**, your Mac is managed, for example by your employer, and only the people who manage it can turn the microphone on for NoteOwl. ## Check which microphone your Mac is using NoteOwl listens through your Mac's current input, the same one other apps use. If that's a headset you've put away, a muted microphone or a display with no microphone, NoteOwl hears silence. * **Choose the input.** Open **System Settings → Sound** and, under **Input**, click the microphone you speak into. Speak and watch the input level move. * **Check it isn't muted.** Some headsets and microphones have a mute switch or button. * **Change it before you start.** Choose the input before you begin a dictation or meeting, not during one. ## What if my side of a meeting is silent? Look at the **You** row while the meeting records. Open **Meeting Scribe** and find the **Capture** section: **You** (**Microphone**) should say **Recorded** and a time. If it says **No audio on this channel** or **Stalled at** and a time, your microphone isn't reaching NoteOwl. **Recorded** means sound is arriving from your Mac's input, not that it's the right microphone. If **You** says **Recorded** but your words are missing from the transcript, the input may be muted or not the microphone you're speaking into. Stop the meeting, fix the permission or the input, and start a new meeting. The first meeting keeps what it recorded. If it's the other people who are missing, see [a meeting is missing other people's voices](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/troubleshooting/meeting-missing-other-voices). ## Still not working? Email support@noteowl.ai with your macOS version, the microphone you're using, and what the NoteOwl panel said. ## Common questions ### Why does NoteOwl say Didn't catch anything? NoteOwl heard no words. Usually the microphone gave NoteOwl silence, because the Microphone permission is off or your Mac is listening to a different or muted input. Check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, then the input in System Settings → Sound. ### Can I choose which microphone NoteOwl uses? Not in NoteOwl itself. NoteOwl listens through your Mac's current input, which you choose in System Settings → Sound, under Input. Choose the microphone there before you start a dictation or a meeting. ### Do I need to quit and reopen NoteOwl after turning on Microphone? Usually not, but it's the quickest way to be sure. If NoteOwl still hears nothing after you turn on its Microphone permission, quit NoteOwl from its menu bar icon with Quit NoteOwl, open it again and try once more. ## Related - [macOS permissions NoteOwl asks for, and why](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/reference/permissions): The macOS permissions NoteOwl asks for, from Microphone and Input Monitoring to Screen Recording and Calendar, what each is for, and how to turn it on. - [A meeting is missing other people's voices](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/troubleshooting/meeting-missing-other-voices): If a NoteOwl meeting has your words but not the other people's, check the Others channel, Screen & System Audio Recording, and where the call is playing. - [The fn key doesn't start dictation](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/troubleshooting/fn-key-not-working): If fn does nothing but NoteOwl's ⌥ shortcuts still work, turn on Input Monitoring for NoteOwl in System Settings, then quit and reopen NoteOwl. - [Dictation hears you but no text appears](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/troubleshooting/dictation-not-typing): If NoteOwl hears your dictation but no words appear, turn on Accessibility and click into a text field first. Every dictation is also kept in Dictations.