How to dictate on a Mac, with a commands cheat sheet

Dictation is built into every Mac and it's free. You turn it on once. Every step on this page follows Apple's Dictation guide for macOS 27, checked October 16, 2026. Menu names can differ a little on older versions of macOS.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
2. Go to Dictation and turn it on. If a message appears, click Enable.
3. If you're asked about improving Siri and Dictation, click Share Audio Recordings or Not Now. You can change it later in Privacy & Security, under Analytics & Improvements.
4. Under Languages, click Edit and check the language you speak is selected.
5. Under Microphone source, pick the microphone you use, or leave it on Automatic.

The text under Dictation tells you whether your dictation is processed on your Mac or sent to Apple, which also tells you whether it needs a connection.

1. Click where the text should go, so there's a blinking cursor.
2. Press and release the Microphone key in the row of function keys, if your keyboard has one. Or press your Dictation shortcut, or choose Edit > Start Dictation in the menu bar.
3. Speak when the cursor is highlighted and pulsing, or after you hear the tone.
4. To stop, press Escape, the Microphone key or your shortcut again.

• Press and hold the Microphone key and you get Siri instead, if Siri is on.
• There's no time limit. Dictation stops by itself after 30 seconds without speech.
• On a Mac with Apple silicon you can keep typing while you dictate. The cursor stops pulsing while you type and picks up again when you stop.
• Words Dictation isn't sure about are underlined in blue. Click one to pick another, or type or dictate the right one.

On keyboards that have it, the Microphone key in the function row starts Dictation. Otherwise you pick a shortcut, and you can change it any time:

1. Open System Settings > Keyboard and go to Dictation.
2. Click the Shortcut pop-up menu. Pick one from the list, such as pressing Fn twice, or choose Customize and press your own keys.
3. Check the nearby setting for what pressing the Fn (or Globe) key does. Apple says choosing a Dictation shortcut can change it, so make sure the two agree.

If the shortcut does nothing, our guide to fixing Mac dictation starts with exactly this.

Say these while you dictate and Dictation types the symbol or does the thing. They come from Apple's Commands for dictating text on Mac, which says they're always available while you dictate. In supported languages, Dictation also puts in commas, periods and question marks by itself; you can turn that off in Dictation settings.

Apple's page has a few more, for maths signs, currency, emoticons and the copyright and trademark signs. One catch: when Voice Control is on, you dictate with Voice Control and standard Dictation isn't available, so this list is for standard Dictation.

Apple Dictation types anywhere you can type: Pages, Notes, Mail, Messages, Word, and Google Docs in your browser. Click into the document and start it the same way. Two apps also have a voice button of their own:

• Word: Microsoft's Dictate is on the Home tab, or press Option-F1 on a Mac. Microsoft says it needs a Microsoft 365 sign-in and a reliable internet connection.
• Google Docs: choose Tools > Voice typing, then click the microphone. Google's help page says it works in Chrome, Edge and Safari, and its voice commands are English only.

Both checked October 16, 2026. For chat apps, see how to dictate in Slack, and for code editors and Terminal, voice coding on a Mac.

To dictate in more than one language, add each under Languages in Dictation settings, then switch while you dictate by clicking the language next to the cursor, or with the Globe key. If you want to speak your language and get English, see speak any language, type in English.

Apple documents no word list for standard Dictation, so a name or product term can come out wrong every time. Our guide to adding words to Mac dictation covers what you can do about it.

We make Koi, a Mac app whose dictation doesn't use Apple's speech service. It runs Whisper, OpenAI's open speech model, on your Mac.

1. Install Koi and sign in with your email or Google.
2. Allow Accessibility when Koi asks, which is what lets it type into other apps, and the microphone when macOS asks.
3. Pick a plan. Pro starts with a free trial; Lifetime is paid once.
4. Click where the text should go in any app, tap Fn + ⌥ once and talk. Words appear while you speak.
5. Tap the keys again to stop, or just go quiet and it stops by itself.

Koi's dictation listens for three commands of its own, each said as a sentence on its own, after a pause. Said inside a sentence, like “a new line of credit”, they stay words.

It also takes out the ums and stammers, on the Mac, and works out which of 57 languages you're speaking by itself. It keeps a list of your own words, and the names on your screen come out spelled right. The speech model runs on your Mac, so dictation never goes online.

The catches: Koi is Mac only (macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel), it needs an account and a paid plan, and Apple Dictation is free. Pro is $20 a month, or $192 a year, after a 3-day free trial that needs a card. Lifetime is paid once: $59 for the first 25 buyers, rising to $199. More on the dictation page, or see how the two compare with other apps in our list of the best dictation apps for Mac and Apple Dictation alternatives.