# Voice recognition problems > When Cephable does not hear you, hears the wrong thing, or triggers commands you did not say. Source: https://help.cephable.com/docs/troubleshooting/voice-recognition --- Voice controls run from the **Cephable Panel**, the window you use to control Cephable. Every fix on this page starts there. If your words appear in the Panel but nothing happens on screen, Cephable is hearing you fine. Go to [Permissions and access](/docs/troubleshooting/permissions) instead. :::callout type="tip" title="Can't see the Panel?" Press **Alt+P** on Windows or **Option+P** on a Mac. Or use the Cephable icon: right-click it in the system tray at the bottom right of the screen on Windows (it may be hidden under the **^** arrow), or click it in the menu bar at the top right on a Mac. Then choose **Toggle Panel**. ::: ## Where the voice controls are | To do this | Use this | | --- | --- | | Turn the microphone on or off | The **microphone icon** at the top of the Panel. While the microphone is on, the icon has a line through it. | | Pause and resume listening | The **pause** button at the left of the row under the Panel header, or **Alt+X** (**Option+X** on a Mac). The row appears once the microphone is on. | | Switch between commands and dictation | **Command** and **Dictation**, next to the pause button | | See what Cephable heard | The text beside the sound wave. It says **Listening...** until you speak. | | See which App Controls are active | The name after **Uses:** | | Choose a microphone, or start it automatically | In the Cephable Workspace, **Settings → Connection → Microphone Settings** | ![The Cephable Panel with the microphone on, showing the pause button, the Command and Dictation buttons, the sound wave with recognized words beside it, and the App Controls in use](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-panel-voice.png) _With the microphone on: pause, Command and Dictation, what Cephable heard, and the App Controls in use_ ## Nothing is being heard Look at the area just under the Panel header and find what it shows: | What the Panel shows | What it means | What to do | | --- | --- | --- | | No pause button and no **Command** / **Dictation** buttons | The microphone is off | Click the microphone icon at the top of the Panel | | **Checking microphone permissions...** or **Loading Voice Model...** | It is still starting | Wait for **Listening...** to appear | | **Voice paused...** | Listening is paused | Click the play button at the left of that row, or press **Alt+X** (**Option+X** on a Mac) | | **No microphone access** | Cephable cannot use a microphone | Follow [Allow microphone access](#allow-microphone-access) below | | **Listening...**, but your words never appear | It is listening to the wrong microphone, or the microphone is muted | Follow [Choose the right microphone](#choose-the-right-microphone) below | :::callout type="tip" title="Have the microphone start by itself" In the Cephable Workspace, open **Settings → Connection → Microphone Settings** and turn on **Auto Start Microphone**. ::: ### Allow microphone access **No microphone access** means Cephable does not have permission. It also appears when no microphone is connected at all, so check yours is plugged in first. :::tabs labels="Mac, Windows" :::tab :::steps :::step title="Open the microphone privacy settings" Click **Open Settings** under the **No microphone access** message in the Panel. System Settings opens at **Privacy & Security → Microphone**. ::: :::step title="Turn Cephable on" Find **Cephable** in the list and turn its switch on. ::: :::step title="Turn the microphone off and on" Back in the Panel, click the microphone icon to turn it off, then click it again to turn it on. Cephable checks permission each time the microphone starts. If **No microphone access** is still showing, [quit Cephable fully and open it again](/docs/troubleshooting/overview#quit-and-reopen-cephable). ::: ::: ::: :::tab The message in the Panel says **System Settings**, which is the Mac name. On Windows there is no button, so go there yourself: :::steps :::step title="Open the microphone privacy settings" Open **Start → Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone**. ::: :::step title="Turn on both switches" **Microphone access** and **Let desktop apps access your microphone** must both be on. The second one is further down the page and easy to miss. ::: :::step title="Turn the microphone off and on" Back in the Panel, click the microphone icon to turn it off, then click it again to turn it on. Cephable checks permission each time the microphone starts. ::: ::: ::: ::: ### Choose the right microphone If the Panel says **Listening...** but your words never appear, Cephable is probably listening to a different microphone from the one you are speaking into. :::steps :::step title="Check the microphone is not muted" Many headsets and USB microphones have a mute button or switch. Make sure it is off. ::: :::step title="Open Microphone Settings" Click the **gear** icon at the top of the Panel and choose **Advanced Settings**. Or open the Cephable Workspace and choose **Settings** in the sidebar. Then, in the menu on the left, choose **Connection → Microphone Settings**. ::: :::step title="Pick your microphone by name" Open the **Microphone** list and choose the microphone you are using, rather than **System default**. Cephable remembers it and switches back to it whenever it is connected. ::: :::step title="Speak and watch the Panel" Say something. Your words should replace **Listening...** beside the sound wave. ::: ::: ## Other voice problems :::faq :::question title="It hears me but runs the wrong command." :::steps :::step title="Check the right App Controls are active" Look at the name after **Uses:** in the Panel. The command you said may only exist in a different set. Click the name to open the **Control** tab, then choose the right set under **Current Controls**. ::: :::step title="Make the phrase longer and more distinct" Short commands are the least reliable. If two commands sound alike to you, they will to Cephable too, so rename one. See [App Controls](/docs/using-cephable/app-controls). ::: :::step title="Turn off Optimistic Faster Voice Controls" In **Settings → Connection → Microphone Settings**, turn off **Optimistic Faster Voice Controls**. It is faster but less forgiving, and may trigger the wrong command if you do not say it exactly. ::: ::: ::: :::question title="Commands fire when I did not mean them." - **Pause while you talk to other people.** Click the **pause** button in the Panel, or press **Alt+X** (**Option+X** on a Mac). Do the same again to resume. Pausing is quicker to undo than turning the microphone off. - **Rename commands that sound like ordinary speech.** "Next" fires constantly in conversation; "go next" almost never does. - **Turn off Optimistic Faster Voice Controls** in **Settings → Connection → Microphone Settings**. It may trigger if you do not say commands exactly. ::: :::question title="Recognition is slow." Recognition runs on your own computer, so it competes with your other apps for the processor. When Cephable notices, a warning icon appears at the right of the Panel's voice row. Hover over it to read **High latency detected. Consider closing some applications that might be consuming too many resources.** - Close other apps doing video or AI work. - On a laptop, plug in or turn off battery saver, which can slow the processor down. ::: :::question title="Cephable switched my voice language to English." If you use a voice language other than English (US) and Cephable cannot download it, the Panel says it **couldn't load** that language and is using English (US) instead. 1. Click **Continue** to keep using English (US) for now. 2. Check your internet connection. 3. [Quit Cephable fully and open it again](/docs/troubleshooting/overview#quit-and-reopen-cephable). It tries the download again when it starts. Once a language has downloaded, voice controls work offline. ::: :::question title="It works in some apps but not others." That is usually a permissions problem rather than a recognition one. See [Permissions and access](/docs/troubleshooting/permissions). ::: ::: ## Still stuck? [Before you contact support](/docs/troubleshooting/overview#before-you-contact-support) lists what to have ready so we can help on the first reply.