docs / use pomvox

Troubleshooting

Get back to your train of thought.

Nothing is recorded

Check that Pomvox is running, the right microphone is selected, and microphone access is on in System Settings. Confirm your shortcut in Pomvox settings.

Text does not appear

Click a writable text field before dictating. Check the Accessibility permission for Pomvox, and reopen the app if you changed it.

First use takes time

Wait for the model download and preparation to finish. Keep an internet connection during first setup; after that, dictation runs offline.

Cleanup is slow or unexpected

Try with cleanup turned off to tell transcription apart from cleanup. Check available memory. When you report a problem, include your macOS version, Mac model and steps to reproduce, and leave out sensitive transcripts.

Dictionary corrections do not work

Open Dictionary and check whether you added a Word (a cleanup spelling hint) or a Fixup (a literal replacement). Words need cleanup; fixups also work with cleanup off. Follow the Dictionary guide to add and preview a rule.

For a fixup, check that its toggle is on, the misheard form was added with Return, and you chose Add rule or Save. Paste a non-sensitive example into Try it. Matches ignore case but respect word boundaries; a different phrase needs its own form. If several rules overlap, temporarily turn off the others to identify the one changing your text. Narrow an over-broad form and preview again before a new dictation.

If the page says dictionary.toml could not be read, in-app edits are paused to protect that file. Preserve a copy before correcting a hand edit, then choose Reload. If you are unsure how to repair it, report the error message without sharing the file or private transcripts. A successful preview alone does not establish that a change was saved or applied during dictation.