Which microphone to dictate with

Automatic, to start with

Saywind starts on Automatic (recommended), which uses the input chosen in System Settings › Sound. When that’s AirPods or another Bluetooth headset, it uses your Mac’s own microphone instead, so the headset keeps its full sound. On a Mac without a built-in microphone, or a Mac laptop with its lid closed, it always follows System Settings › Sound.

Built-in, wired and USB

While you’re at your Mac and can dictate, Saywind keeps these microphones ready but muted between dictations, so your first word isn’t lost. A wireless headset with a USB receiver counts as USB.

Bluetooth headsets

They work, but a Bluetooth microphone has to wake up for each dictation, which adds a short wait. If you dictate through one often, Saywind may suggest your Mac’s own microphone, with a “Use Mac microphone” button to switch.

Choosing one yourself

Open Saywind’s Settings › General › Microphone and pick one from the list. iPhone microphones and virtual inputs aren’t offered.

If Saywind hears nothing

If your microphone sends nothing at all, Saywind shows “No audio detected”, even while you’re still talking, with a button to choose another microphone. To keep the same one, check it’s switched on and not muted, and that its input volume is up in System Settings › Sound. Help has other fixes.

Tips for any microphone

Keep it uncovered, speak at your normal volume, and in a noisy or echoey room, try a headset microphone. Apple gives the same advice for its own Dictation (macOS 27, read 2 November 2026). Apple’s other checks are in our guide, When dictation on your Mac doesn’t work.

Saywind hears nothing until you hold the key.