LoQuillIf dictation is not working, first identify the stage that fails. Does the app finish setup? Does it hear you? Does processing complete? Does the finished text appear in the intended app?
Those are different problems. Checking them in order is more useful than repeatedly reinstalling the app or changing every permission at once.
Before the first dictation
Confirm that the Mac meets the published requirements: Apple Silicon M1 or newer and macOS 15 or later. Open the installed copy in Applications, complete activation and finish the required model downloads while connected to the internet.
If setup is still downloading or preparing a model, wait for the ready state or follow the displayed error. A download percentage is not the same as completed readiness. If a download fails, record the specific message before retrying.
Microphone permission is missing
LoQuill needs permission to capture your speech. Follow the Microphone step in setup. If permission was previously denied, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Microphone, and check the LoQuill entry.
Allow access to the installed app. If macOS or LoQuill asks you to reopen it after changing access, do so before testing again.
If recording begins but you get no useful speech, confirm that the microphone you intend to use is available. A connected headset or external microphone can change the input you expect. Try a short sentence in a quiet environment before investigating cleanup.
Accessibility permission is missing
Accessibility access supports the system-wide text insertion workflow. Follow the app's permission prompt or open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility, and check LoQuill.
Keep this separate from microphone access. Hearing speech does not prove the app can place text into another application's field.
If LoQuill is still running from the installer image, move it into Applications and reopen it there before granting access. The app's setup specifically checks this situation because permission can attach to the wrong copy.
The key does nothing or another tool starts
Confirm the configured hold-to-talk key in LoQuill. The public starting workflow uses Fn, but your saved shortcut may differ.
Another dictation app may also be listening for that key. Quit the competing dictation tool for the test and retry. LoQuill's onboarding help explicitly calls out this conflict; it does not mean the other app must be permanently removed.
After changing settings, test one short take. Avoid making several simultaneous changes, because that makes it harder to know which one mattered.
Speech is processed, but text does not appear
Place the cursor in a normal editable text field before starting the take. Try a simple local document first, then test the app where you normally write.
If insertion works in the simple document and fails in another destination, note the destination app and version, whether it is a browser-based editor, and the exact field involved. Do not repeatedly trigger insertion if text might already have arrived; review the destination to avoid duplicate content.
Some fields have different access rules or are not suitable for dictation. A failure in one field does not automatically establish that recognition or local cleanup failed.
Offline use fails
Reconnect long enough to finish activation and required downloads. Confirm that the models are ready, then test again in a local document with every network connection disconnected.
If the destination app needs internet to save or send, separate that from LoQuill's processing. A failure to submit a web form is not the same as a failure to transcribe speech.
Recognition works, but the wording is wrong
Read the result against what you intended. Check names, dates, numbers, negation and certainty. Try a shorter sentence and make the correction explicit. Use the keyboard for a difficult spelling if that is the fastest reliable fix.
Capture a small, non-sensitive example for support. Do not include a private conversation or document just because it happened to reveal the problem.
What to send support
Include the app version, Mac chip and memory, macOS version, intended microphone, configured shortcut, destination app and the stage that failed. Describe whether the test was online or offline and copy the displayed error where appropriate.
A report such as “processing finished, but text did not appear in this editor” is easier to act on than “dictation is broken.”
Contact LoQuill: https://loquill.app/contact