Stenowise is slow

Applies to: Windows, macOS, Linux

If a dictation takes longer than usual, the indicator at the edge of the screen also shows “this is taking a bit longer”. Usually one of the following points is the cause.

The connection is weak

Stenowise needs a stable internet connection. With a weak or fluctuating connection, a dictation takes longer. This happens, for example, on a mobile hotspot, on a congested Wi-Fi network, or far from the router.

Check the following:

Do other pages in your browser also load slowly?
Are other devices on the same network slow too?
Switch to a cable or to a different network.

The dictation is long

Long dictations take longer than short ones. Split very long dictations into several shorter ones.

Dictate without text cleanup

With the Dictate raw shortcut, Stenowise pastes the text without text cleanup. By default, this is Ctrl + Space on Windows and Linux, and Option + Space on macOS. To switch text cleanup off permanently, go to Settings › Privacy. The raw version can contain mishearings. For details, see Why is the raw version there?

Recognise on this device

If your connection stays weak, Stenowise can also recognise on your computer. Under Settings › Privacy, choose “On this device” under Recognition. For this, you download a recognition tier once, as described in Download, switch and delete recognition tiers. How fast recognition is then depends on your computer.

It stays slow

Report the problem under Support › Report a problem and include the time of the dictation.

Last updated 28 September 2026