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# The microphone picks up nothing (dictation or capture)

You start a **voice dictation** or an **in-person session capture** and nothing is picked up: the sound wave stays flat, or the transcript comes back empty (**No speech detected in the recording**). In almost every case the cause is **outside Klarity**: a permission denied to the browser or the system, or the wrong microphone selected. This article walks through the checks, in order, by browser and by system.

# First reflexes (all systems)

1. **Accept the browser's permission prompt.** On first launch, your browser shows a small window asking for microphone access: click **Allow**. If you refused it (even in the past), Klarity shows **Allow microphone access** with the steps to re-enable it.
2. **Close other apps using the microphone.** An ongoing video call (Meet, Zoom, Teams), a recorder or another tab can monopolize the mic: Klarity then reports **Microphone already in use**. Close the app concerned, then click **Retry**.
3. **Check which microphone is used.** If several devices exist (built-in mic, Bluetooth headset, USB mic), the browser may have picked a different one from the one you're speaking into. Select the right one in the system settings (see below) or in the browser's permission prompt.
4. **Speak and watch the wave.** In the dictation panel as in the capture panel, the sound wave must **move when you speak**. If it stays flat, no sound is reaching the browser: continue with the checks below.

|| Many headsets and microphones have a **physical mute switch or button** (on the cable, on the earcup). Make sure it isn't on — it's a frequent cause, invisible on the software side.

# Check by browser

## Google Chrome

1. Click the **icon on the left of the address bar** (padlock or site-settings buttons).
2. Set **Microphone** to **Allow**.
3. Reload the page, then start the dictation or capture again.

If the option doesn't show: open Chrome's **Settings** › **Privacy and security** › **Site settings** › **Microphone**, check that the Klarity site isn't in the blocked list, and that the **right microphone** is selected in the dropdown at the top of that page.

## Mozilla Firefox

1. Click the **permissions icon** on the left of the address bar (a crossed-out microphone means it's blocked).
2. Remove the block (the cross next to "Use the microphone"), reload the page and try again: Firefox asks for permission again.
3. In Firefox's permission prompt, **pick the right microphone** in the dropdown before clicking **Allow**.

For a global check: Firefox **Settings** › **Privacy & Security** › **Permissions** section › **Microphone** › **Settings…**, then check the Klarity site's status.

## Safari (on Mac)

1. Open the **Safari** menu › **Settings…** › **Websites** tab › **Microphone**.
2. For the Klarity site, choose **Allow**.
3. Reload the page. Safari may ask again each session: click **Allow**.

| Safari is only suited **on Mac**. On Windows, use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

# Check by system

Even with the browser allowed, the **system** can still block its microphone access. It's the most frequent cause of a flat wave when everything looks authorized.

## On Windows

1. Open **Settings** › **Privacy & security** › **Microphone**.
2. Turn on **Microphone access**, then check that access is allowed for apps — including **desktop apps** (the category Chrome and Firefox depend on).
3. In **Settings** › **System** › **Sound**, **Input** section: select the right microphone and speak — the volume meter must react. If it doesn't move, the problem is hardware (connection, mute, driver), not the browser.

## On Mac

1. Open **System Settings** › **Privacy & Security** › **Microphone**.
2. Check that your browser (Chrome, Firefox or Safari) is **ticked** in the list. If you just enabled it, **quit and relaunch the browser** for the change to take effect.
3. In **System Settings** › **Sound** › **Input** tab: select the right microphone and speak — the **input level** must animate. If it stays still, the problem is hardware, not the browser.

| To split hardware from browser in one minute: record a few seconds with the system's recording app (**Sound Recorder** on Windows, **Voice Memos** on Mac). If nothing is captured there either, the cause is the microphone or the system — not the browser, not Klarity.

# Understanding Klarity's messages

- **Allow microphone access** — the browser blocks the microphone for the site: follow the steps shown (icon on the left of the address bar › Microphone › Allow › **Retry**).
- **No microphone detected** — the system sees no input device: plug in or reconnect your microphone, check it's selected in the system, then retry.
- **Microphone already in use** — another application holds the mic: the permission is fine, close the other app (video call, recorder) then **Retry**.
- **Insecure connection** — dictation and capture require an **HTTPS** connection: start again from the site's secure address.
- **No speech detected in the recording** — the capture did happen, but the sound was empty or inaudible: wrong microphone selected, physical mute, or voice too far away. Try again after the checks above, speaking close to the microphone.

| 💡 **Tip:** before a **first real session capture**, do a 30-second dry run with a dictation: you validate the permission, the right microphone and the sound level in one go — without risking a real session.

# Related articles
- Taking session notes
- Capturing a session
- My session wasn't recorded