Hermes isn’t transcribing
Symptoms: You press your hotkey but nothing happens, or the Hermes bar appears but no text is recognized.Check microphone permission
- Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
- Make sure Hermes is listed and enabled
- If not listed, re-open Hermes and grant permission when prompted
Check your microphone
- Open System Settings → Sound → Input
- Speak and watch the input level meter
- Make sure your microphone is working and selected
Check hotkey
- Make sure you’re pressing the correct hotkey
- Try pressing and holding (not just tapping)
- Check Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts to verify your hotkey
Permissions guide
Detailed permission troubleshooting.
Text isn’t appearing in apps
Symptoms: Hermes transcribes your speech, but the text doesn’t appear where your cursor is.Check Accessibility permission
- Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
- Make sure Hermes is listed and enabled
- If it’s there but not working, remove it and add it again
Check cursor focus
- Make sure your cursor is in a text field
- Click in the text field before dictating
- Some apps or fields may not support text insertion
Try a different app
Test in a simple app like TextEdit or Notes. If it works there, the issue is with the specific app you were trying.Hotkey not working
Symptoms: Pressing your hotkey doesn’t start dictation.Check Input Monitoring permission
- Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring
- Make sure Hermes is listed and enabled
Check for conflicts
Another app may be using the same hotkey. Try a different key combination in Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts.Restart Hermes
Quit Hermes completely (⌘Q) and reopen it.Hotkey troubleshooting
Keyboard shortcuts settings.
AI formatting isn’t working
Symptoms: Text appears but isn’t formatted—no punctuation, capitalization, or filler word removal.Check if AI formatting is enabled
- Go to Settings → AI Formatting
- Make sure Enable AI Formatting is on
Check your plan
AI formatting may be limited or unavailable on the Free plan. Check your plan status in Settings → Account.Check internet connection
AI formatting requires an internet connection (unless using Local AI). Make sure you’re online.Hermes is slow
Symptoms: Long delay between speaking and text appearing.Check internet connection
Cloud AI formatting requires internet. A slow connection causes delays.Try Local AI
Enable Local AI in Settings → AI Formatting for on-device processing. It’s slower than cloud but works offline.Close other apps
Hermes uses your Mac’s resources. Closing resource-intensive apps may help.Check CPU usage
Open Activity Monitor and look for high CPU usage. If Hermes is using too much, try restarting it.Filler words aren’t being removed
Symptoms: “Um”, “uh”, “like” appear in your text.Enable filler word removal
- Go to Settings → Dictation
- Enable Remove Filler Words
Wrong language detected
Symptoms: Hermes transcribes in the wrong language.Set your language
- Go to Settings → Dictation
- Select your correct language, or use Auto for automatic detection
Sync isn’t working
Symptoms: Changes don’t appear on other devices.Check Cloud Sync
- Go to Settings → Privacy
- Make sure Cloud Sync is enabled
- Make sure Privacy Mode is off
Check your account
- Make sure you’re signed in
- Check that you’re using the same account on all devices
Force sync
- Go to Settings → Account
- Look for a Sync Now option
Still having issues?
If these solutions don’t help:- Restart Hermes — Quit completely and reopen
- Restart your Mac — Clears system-level issues
- Update Hermes — Make sure you’re on the latest version
- Contact support — Get in touch