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Accessibility Permission

Symptom​

TalkWriter cannot paste text, detect your active application, or respond to the Fn hotkey. You may see a notification asking you to grant Accessibility access.

Quick Fix​

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, toggle TalkWriter off and back on.

Step-by-Step Diagnostic​

✅ Step 1: Grant Accessibility Permission​

  1. Open System Settings (click the Apple menu → System Settings)
  2. Go to Privacy & Security in the left sidebar
  3. Click Accessibility
  4. Look for TalkWriter in the list
  5. If it is not there, click the + button at the bottom
  6. Navigate to Applications → TalkWriter and click Open
  7. Make sure the toggle next to TalkWriter is on

✅ Step 2: Toggle Off and On​

If TalkWriter is already in the list but not working:

  1. Turn the toggle off
  2. Wait 3 seconds
  3. Turn the toggle on
  4. Test TalkWriter

✅ Step 3: Remove and Re-Add (Full Reset)​

If toggling does not help:

  1. In the Accessibility list, select TalkWriter
  2. Click the − (minus) button to remove it
  3. Quit TalkWriter completely (right-click the menu bar icon → Quit)
  4. Reopen TalkWriter from your Applications folder
  5. TalkWriter will prompt you to grant Accessibility access
  6. Click Open System Settings when prompted
  7. Click the + button and add TalkWriter
  8. Make sure the toggle is on
  9. Test dictation

✅ Step 4: Reset All Accessibility Permissions (Nuclear Option)​

If nothing else works, reset the entire Accessibility database:

  1. Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal)
  2. Type the following command and press Enter: 
    tccutil reset Accessibility
  3. This removes all Accessibility permissions for all apps
  4. Restart your Mac
  5. Open TalkWriter — it will prompt you to grant access again
  6. Grant the permission and test

Warning: This resets Accessibility for all apps, not just TalkWriter. Other apps (like screen recorders or automation tools) will also need to be re-authorized.

✅ Step 5: Check for macOS Updates​

Some macOS updates reset Accessibility permissions. If you recently updated macOS:

  1. Open System Settings → General → Software Update
  2. Install any pending updates
  3. After updating, re-check Accessibility permissions for TalkWriter

Still Not Working?​

  • Make sure you are running macOS 13 (Ventura) or later
  • Try the Reinstalling guide for a clean start
  • Contact support@talkwriter.ai with your macOS version and TalkWriter version

FAQ​

Why does macOS keep asking for Accessibility permission? macOS sometimes resets permissions after system updates or if the app binary changes. This is a macOS security feature, not a TalkWriter bug.

Is Accessibility permission safe to grant? Yes. TalkWriter uses Accessibility to simulate keyboard paste (Cmd+V) and detect which app is in focus. It does not read your screen content or keystrokes.

Do I need to grant Input Monitoring too? TalkWriter may also request Input Monitoring permission for the Fn hotkey. Grant this separately under Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring.