> Yomates Help Center - all pages: https://yomates.ai/llms.txt

# Voice and dictation

> What to do when dictation says there is no sound from your microphone, or that it didn't catch what you said.

Click a problem to see what to do.

::: details Dictation says there is no sound

You hold ⌃⌥ (Ctrl and Alt on Windows) to dictate, and Yomates says **No sound from** followed by a microphone's name.

**Why:** Yomates listens to your computer's default input device. If that is a microphone you aren't speaking into, such as AirPods left in their case, it hears silence.

**What to do:**

1. Open your computer's sound settings.
2. Choose the microphone you use as the input.
3. Hold ⌃⌥ again and speak.

:::

::: details Dictation says "Didn't catch that."

After you dictate, Yomates shows **Didn't catch that.** instead of sending your words.

**Why:** it heard sound but no words.

**What to do:** what it heard stays in the message box. Correct it there and send it, or hold ⌃⌥ and speak again.

:::

For how dictation works, see [Dictate instead of typing](/docs/dictation).