How to use dictation on a Mac
By petersindex, who makes Inkbie · Updated 4 October 2026 · macOS 27
Short answer: turn on Dictation in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation. Then click where you want the words, press the Microphone key or your Dictation shortcut, talk, and press it again (or Escape) to stop.
Step by step
- 1Turn on DictationChoose Apple menu, System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar. Go to Dictation, turn it on, and click Enable.
- 2Click where the words should goAny text field: a document, an email, a message, the search box.
- 3Start dictatingPress the Microphone key if your keyboard has one, press your Dictation shortcut, or choose Edit, Start Dictation. Pressing and holding the Microphone key opens Siri instead, so press and let go.
- 4TalkIn supported languages, Dictation adds commas, full stops and question marks for you. You can also say the punctuation, like “exclamation mark”, say “new line” or “new paragraph”, or name an emoji, like “heart emoji”.
- 5StopPress Escape, the Microphone key or your Dictation shortcut. Dictation also stops by itself when it hears no speech for 30 seconds.
- 6Fix a wordWords Dictation wasn't sure about are underlined in blue. Click one to pick an alternative.
Make it yours
- Change the shortcut
- In Keyboard settings, go to Dictation and click the Shortcut pop-up menu. Choose one, or choose Customize and press the keys you want. The default depends on your Mac.
- Change the language
- Go to Dictation, click Edit next to Languages, and pick a language and region.
- Choose a microphone
- Go to Dictation and use the pop-up menu next to Microphone source.
- Add your own words
- Dictation has no word list of its own. Voice Control, a separate accessibility feature, lets you add custom vocabulary.
A faster way: hold to talk
Inkbie is free voice typing for Mac. Hold fn, talk for as long as you hold it, let go and your words are typed wherever your cursor is. It runs on your Mac, works offline after one download, and learns your names and jargon. No account, no word limit.
Questions
- What is the dictation shortcut on a Mac?
- It depends on your Mac. Many keyboards have a Microphone key in the top row. You can see or change the shortcut in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, using the Shortcut pop-up menu.
- Why does dictation keep stopping on my Mac?
- Dictation stops by itself when it hears no speech for 30 seconds. Apple says there's no limit on how long you can dictate as long as you keep talking.
- Is dictation on Mac free?
- Yes. It's built into macOS. Inkbie's voice typing is free too, and it doesn't stop on silence: it listens for as long as you hold the key.
- Does Mac dictation work offline?
- It can. Apple says you can check in Keyboard settings whether your voice is processed on your device rather than sent to its servers, and its troubleshooting page notes you may need an internet connection. Inkbie always runs on your Mac and works offline after one download.
- Can Mac dictation learn my words?
- Not Dictation itself. Voice Control has custom vocabulary. Inkbie has a word list, so names and jargon come out spelled your way.