# "No sound from your microphone" or empty notes

Source: https://help.contextli.com/articles/no-sound-from-your-microphone

This means Contextli is listening to a microphone that sends no sound. Pick the mic you actually talk into in **Settings > General > Microphone**, and make sure Contextli is allowed to use the microphone.

## 1. Pick the right microphone

1. Open **Settings > General**.
2. Under **Recording**, open the **Microphone** list.
3. Choose your actual mic (headset, webcam, USB mic) instead of **System Default**. You will see **Microphone updated**.
4. Try a short dictation again.

![Settings, General tab: recording mode, keyboard shortcut, microphone and transcription language](https://cdn.kamaan.io/kamaan/sites/6ae9f572170cd8d9857a277c/images/contextli-settings-general-recording.webp)

If you plug in a new headset or switch between headsets, check this setting again.

## 2. Allow microphone access

- **Mac**: open **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone** and turn on **Contextli**.
- **Windows**: open Windows **Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone** and make sure microphone access and desktop app access are on.

## 3. Check the mic itself

Make sure the mic is not muted (a hardware switch or a mute key) and that it works in another app.

## What the messages in Notes mean

- **No audio was captured. Check your microphone.**: the mic sent nothing. Fix the steps above.
- **Audio saved / No speech detected. Recording saved for retry.**: audio was recorded but no words were found, for example a very short or quiet recording.
- **Recording was interrupted. Click retry to transcribe.** or **Transcription failed. Click retry to try again.**: the audio is saved. Click **Retranscribe** on the note.

Empty or failed dictations do not use credits.

## Related articles

- [Dictation is slow or cuts off my first words](/articles/dictation-is-slow-or-cuts-off-the-start)
- [Grant microphone and Accessibility permissions on Mac](/articles/grant-microphone-and-accessibility-permissions-on-mac)
- [Find, copy and retranscribe your notes](/articles/find-and-manage-your-notes)