Sprecho asks for the smallest set of permissions that lets it do its one job: hear you, then write what you said into whatever app you are using. On macOS that is two permissions. On Windows it is one.
This article explains what each one does, where to grant it, and the single step people miss.
What Sprecho asks for on macOS
macOS splits the job in two, and dictation needs both halves.
Microphone
This is what records your voice. macOS shows its standard dialog the first time Sprecho tries to listen — click Allow.
If you dismissed it, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and switch Sprecho on.
Without it, nothing is recorded at all: the recording bar appears but no audio level moves.
Accessibility
This is what lets Sprecho type the finished text into the app you are working in. On macOS, Accessibility is the permission that governs one app sending keystrokes and text to another — it is the same permission every text expander, clipboard manager and window manager needs.
macOS never grants it from a dialog alone. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, click the + button, add Sprecho from Applications, and make sure its toggle is on.
Without it, dictation still records and transcribes, but nothing appears in your document.
Restart Sprecho after granting Accessibility. macOS only hands this permission to a freshly launched process, so the running app cannot pick it up mid-session. Quit Sprecho completely and open it again — this is the single most common reason "I granted it and it still does not work".
What Sprecho asks for on Windows
Windows asks for the microphone and nothing else.
If you missed the prompt, open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone, turn on Microphone access, and check that Let desktop apps access your microphone is on as well. That second switch is separate, and turning on only the first one is a common cause of silent recordings.
There is no Accessibility equivalent on Windows. Text insertion works through the normal Windows input path, so nothing extra needs to be approved.
Where to check what has been granted
The Sprecho onboarding shows both permissions with a green check when they are in place, and offers a Restart Now button once you have granted them. You can return to that screen any time from the app if you are unsure.
Symptom table
| What you see | What it usually is |
|---|---|
| Recording bar appears, no audio level | Microphone permission is off, or the wrong input device is selected |
| Recording works, no text appears | Accessibility is off (macOS), or Sprecho was not restarted after granting it |
| It worked yesterday, not today | A macOS update reset the Accessibility entry — remove Sprecho from the list and add it again |
| Text lands in the wrong window | The target app lost focus while you were speaking. Click into it first |
| Windows records but nothing arrives in a remote session | Switch Settings → General → Paste keystroke to Shift+Insert or Automatic |
Privacy: what these permissions do not do
The microphone is opened only while you hold the dictation key and released when you let go. Accessibility is used to place text at your cursor and to read the name of the app you are dictating into, so formatting can match an email versus a chat message.
Speech recognition and formatting run on Sprecho's servers in Germany, so the app needs to be online while you dictate. What is kept afterwards is entirely under your control — see What Sprecho stores and where.
Next: Your first dictation.