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Troubleshooting

QuickSay Isn’t Typing in My App

Symptom: You dictate, the overlay shows success, but no text appears.

Cause: QuickSay inserts text via the clipboard. Some applications block clipboard access or don’t respond to paste commands in certain contexts.

Solutions:

  • Make sure the target text field is focused (click on it) before dictating.
  • Try a different application to confirm QuickSay is working. Notepad is a reliable test.
  • Some elevated (admin) applications block clipboard access from non-admin processes. Try running QuickSay as administrator.
  • If the app uses a custom text input (e.g., some Electron apps), try pressing Ctrl+V manually after dictating.

Audio Quality Is Poor

Symptom: Transcriptions are inaccurate or missing words.

Solutions:

  • Check your microphone in Windows Settings > Sound > Input. Ensure the correct device is selected and the input level is adequate.
  • Move closer to the microphone or reduce background noise.
  • In QuickSay settings, try switching the Recording Quality preset. Higher quality captures more detail but produces larger files.
  • External USB microphones generally outperform built-in laptop mics.
  • Avoid Bluetooth microphones if possible — they often use a lower-quality audio codec.

Groq API Errors

Symptom: QuickSay shows an API error after dictating.

Common causes and fixes:

ErrorCauseFix
401 UnauthorizedInvalid or missing API keyCheck your API key in QuickSay settings
429 Too Many RequestsFree tier rate limit exceededWait a few minutes, or upgrade your Groq plan
500 / 503Groq server issueCheck Groq status and try again later

The Groq free tier allows approximately 8 hours of transcription per day. If you consistently hit limits, consider a paid plan or spreading usage across the day.

High Latency

Symptom: There’s a long delay between speaking and text appearing.

Solutions:

  • Check your internet connection. QuickSay requires a stable connection to Groq’s API.
  • Large audio clips take longer to process. Keep individual recordings under 30 seconds for best performance.
  • Groq servers occasionally experience higher load. Check Groq status.
  • If you’re on a VPN, try disconnecting — VPNs add latency to API calls.

Text Appears Garbled or in the Wrong Language

Symptom: The transcribed text is nonsensical or in a language you didn’t speak.

Solutions:

  • If you have Auto-detect enabled, try setting your language explicitly in QuickSay settings.
  • Ensure your microphone isn’t picking up background conversations or audio from speakers.
  • Low-quality audio can confuse language detection. See the audio quality section above.
  • If the issue persists with a specific phrase, add it to your custom dictionary.

QuickSay Won’t Start

Symptom: The application doesn’t appear in the system tray after launch.

Solutions:

  • Check if QuickSay is already running in the system tray (it may be in the overflow area — click the ^ arrow).
  • Restart the application from the Start menu or installation directory.
  • Check the QuickSay log file at %APPDATA%\QuickSay\log.txt for error details.
  • Ensure your Windows version is 10 or later (64-bit).