If something does not work

The hotkey does nothing

Most often another app registered the same combination first — macOS gives it to whoever asked earlier. Pick a different one in Settings, on the tab the action belongs to: Dictation, Recording or Translation.

If the combination is free and still nothing happens, check the menu bar: a missing permission puts a warning there. And if the feature is paid and not unlocked, the dictation panel says so rather than staying quiet.

The text is recognised but does not land anywhere

That is Accessibility. It is the permission that lets VerbaIDE type into another app’s field; without it, speech is recognised with nowhere to put it. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

Some fields — a few in browsers and older apps — do not accept typed text the ordinary way. Try “paste the last one” from the menu.

The model will not download

The main speech model comes from our CDN; Hugging Face is the fallback source and hosts additional models. Translation dictionaries also come from the CDN. A corporate proxy or VPN blocking these addresses can stop downloads. Settings → Downloads shows what failed and lets you retry.

A download that was interrupted resumes rather than starting over.

Translation is unavailable

Open My languages and check that the language you need is downloaded; use Add language if it is missing. Downloads → How It Works shows the translation directions and files. Only ru/uk→en is bundled; other directions, including the reverse, need downloads.

If the dictionary is there and translation still refuses, the pair may be going through Apple’s translation, which sometimes reports itself ready and then fails. Reopening the app clears that state.

Dictation starts late with Bluetooth headphones

Opening a Bluetooth headset microphone can switch it to headset mode, adding about a second before recording starts. Try choosing the Mac’s built-in microphone in dictation settings.

Smart Keyboard does not fix anything

Check, in this order:

• The switch. Settings → Smart Keyboard → «Turn on Smart Keyboard» must be on; while it is off, the rest of the section is grey.
• Accessibility. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility: VerbaIDE must be on. Smart Keyboard uses this permission to listen to keys and type corrections; without it, it does not start listening.
• The app you type in. Terminals, code editors, remote desktops and password managers are excluded by default — Settings → Smart Keyboard → «Don’t fix in these apps».
• The layout. A layout ticked in «Don’t fix while this layout is on» pauses it, and a pair whose layout is not installed stays grey.
• Secure input. While a password field (or an app like a password manager) holds secure input, macOS hides keys from every app; Smart Keyboard settings say so. It resumes by itself once you leave that field.
• Another layout switcher. If Punto Switcher, Caramba Switcher or a similar app is running, Settings names it. Two fixers on one word get in each other’s way — turn one off.
• The word itself. A word you added to «Words to leave alone» in Settings is never touched, and a word the macOS dictionary knows is never treated as a typo.

Nothing above helped

Write to [email protected]. Say what you pressed, what you expected and what happened instead — and, if you can, whether the menu bar was showing a warning at the time.