This page covers the most common problems you may encounter and what to do about each one.
Model and transcription problems
« The requested model and dtype combination does not work on this computer »
The selected model, device, and dtype combination could not be loaded on your machine. This can happen because of available RAM or VRAM, backend limitations, device support for the chosen dtype, or OS and hardware differences.
Try in this order:
- Switch dtype to auto.
- Try a smaller model (for example, Whisper Small).
- Switch from GPU to CPU.
- If still failing, try a quantized dtype such as int8 or q8.
Model loading takes a long time
This is expected when a model is downloading for the first time, when the model is large, when the machine has limited memory, or when the chosen dtype is heavy.
- Try a smaller model or a quantized dtype.
- Switch to CPU if GPU loading is unstable.
- Once a model is cached locally, subsequent loads are faster.
The queue does not start
- Check that the file is actually in the queue (click « Transcribe » on the file card first).
- Check that the Load Whisper Model window was completed, not just dismissed.
- Check that the file is not already locked by an active transcription.
Transcription produces poor quality text
- Try a larger model (Whisper Large Turbo is the recommended starting point).
- If using an aggressive quantized dtype, switch to a less aggressive one or try auto.
- Make sure the correct language is set on the media file. This matters most with Parakeet v3, where automatic language detection can lower accuracy.
- Audio quality matters — recordings with heavy background noise or very quiet speech will produce weaker results regardless of model.
Editing and saving problems
My edits are not saving
- Check whether autosave is enabled in Settings. If it is off, you must click the Save icon manually after each editing session.
- If you edited through the segment popup, make sure you clicked « Save Segment » before clicking the Save icon in the toolbar.
- Check whether you dismissed an unsaved-changes warning without saving when navigating away.
Editing is blocked or disabled
The editor is locked while transcription or speaker processing is running. Wait for the queue to finish, then try again. If it stays locked after processing completes, navigate back to the project and reopen the transcript.
Notes do not show my latest changes
- Check whether autosave is enabled.
- Check whether you clicked the Save icon before navigating away.
- If you dismissed an unsaved-changes warning without saving, the changes were discarded.
Import and export problems
Import fails or does nothing
- Make sure you have a media transcript open. The Import button is intended for open media transcripts.
- Check that the file type is supported (.srt, .vtt, .txt, .doc, .html, .json).
- Check that the file has usable content and is not empty or corrupted.
- Make sure transcription is not currently running on the file.
Word or WebVTT export is unavailable
Exports to .txt, .srt and .json are free. Word (.doc) and WebVTT (.vtt) exports require a subscription: if they are unavailable, check that your subscription is active in Settings.
Speaker recognition problems
Speaker Recognition is blocked or greyed out
- The file must be fully transcribed before Speaker Recognition can run.
- Check that transcription is not still running in the queue.
- Check that there is enough transcript content to analyse.
Speaker labels are inconsistent after running Speaker Recognition
- Manually label at least 3 segments per speaker before running, which gives the tool more signal to work with.
- Use « Change all speakers » in the segment popup to apply a consistent name to every segment with the same label at once.
- For very noisy recordings or recordings with many speakers, expect to do more manual correction.
Search problems
Search shows no results
- Check whether a speaker filter is excluding results, and clear it.
- Make sure you are searching the correct project or file.
- Click « Reset » or « Reset Search » to clear all active filters and start fresh.
Storage and data problems
Reordered files, notes, or projects are not sticking
This is almost always caused by storing active project data inside a cloud-synced folder (iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive desktop sync, or a network-mounted folder). The sync tool is overwriting the JSON state files the app just wrote.
Move your Transcriptions Folder to a normal local disk path in Settings > Storage, then use Export Project for backups.
Missing changes, duplicate state, or JSON read/write failures
Same cause as above — a live sync tool is interfering with the app’s local JSON files. Move storage to a local folder. See Settings > Storage to change the Transcriptions Folder location.
I accidentally deleted a transcript or project
Deletions are permanent. The app asks for confirmation before deleting a project or media file. If you did not have a backup, the data cannot be recovered. Going forward, use Export Project and transcript exports regularly as point-in-time backups.
Performance problems
Transcription is very slow
Try this in order:
- Use a smaller model (Whisper Small instead of Large Turbo).
- Return dtype to auto.
- Switch between CPU and GPU — whichever you are not currently using.
- Lower graph optimizations in Settings if model loading is unstable.
- Disable the waveform in Settings if you do not need it.
- Turn off word-level timestamps unless you specifically need them.
The app feels sluggish while editing a long transcript
- Disable the waveform panel if it is open.
- Use single-column layout (toggle in the toolbar or in Settings > Display).
- Close any other heavy browser tabs or applications running alongside the app.
Subscription problems
I hit the device limit
Open Settings and use « Reset all devices ». This sends a reset link to your registered email. The link expires in 2 hours. After resetting, re-register your email on the device you want to use.
Subscription features are locked even though I have a subscription
- Open Settings and check the Subscription section. If the status is not showing as active, try entering your email and clicking « Register Email » again.
- Make sure you are using the same email address you used when purchasing.
- Check your spam folder for the verification code if it has not arrived.
- If the device was previously unlinked, re-register it.