To dictate in Indonesian on a Mac, open System Settings → Keyboard, go to Dictation (Dikte on an Indonesian-language Mac), click Edit next to Languages, and select Indonesian. Start Dictation and pick Indonesian from the language shown next to the cursor. Indonesian has the basic Dictation feature only: Apple does not list it for on-device dictation, automatic punctuation or emoji, so you say "titik" and "koma" yourself. English (Indonesia), a separate option, gets all of those.
The steps come from Apple's Dictate messages and documents on Mac for macOS 27 Golden Gate, and its Indonesian edition, Mendiktekan pesan dan dokumen di Mac. If your screen differs, search System Settings for "Dictation" or "Dikte".
How do you turn on Indonesian dictation?
- Choose Apple menu → System Settings, then click Keyboard (Papan Ketik) in the sidebar.
- Go to Dictation (Dikte) and turn it on.
- Click Edit next to Languages (Bahasa) and select Indonesian. Add English (Indonesia) too if you also dictate in English.
- Stay online while the Mac sets the language up, and read the note below the Dictation switch (see below).
- In a text field, start Dictation with the Microphone key, your Dictation shortcut, or Edit → Start Dictation, and check that the language next to the cursor is Indonesian.
Switch between Indonesian and English by clicking the language next to the cursor, or press the Globe key (tombol Globe) and choose. Apple's guide describes switching by hand and does not describe automatic detection of a language change.
Which Indonesian dictation features does Apple list?
From Apple's macOS feature availability page for macOS Golden Gate, checked on 2 October 2026:
| Feature | Indonesian | English (Indonesia) |
|---|---|---|
| Dictation | Yes | Yes |
| On-device dictation | Not listed | Yes |
| Auto-punctuation | Not listed | Yes |
| Dictate emoji | Not listed | Yes |
| More advanced Dictation (Apple Intelligence) | Not listed | Not listed |
Apple lists Indonesian without a region, as a single entry. "Not listed" means absent from that feature's list on the day we checked. Apple's "More advanced Dictation" list covers other English regions but not English (Indonesia).
What that means in practice:
- Say every punctuation mark. Apple's guide says automatic commas, periods and question marks work "in supported languages". Indonesian is not on that list, even though the Indonesian edition names the switch Tanda baca otomatis.
- Check where your Indonesian dictation is processed. Apple's guide says the text below the Dictation switch in Keyboard settings tells you whether general dictation is processed on your Mac or sent to Siri servers. Read it before dictating anything confidential. Is Mac Dictation private? explains the difference.
- English (Indonesia) gets more. If you write some messages in English, that variant is listed for on-device dictation, auto-punctuation and emoji.
How do you say punctuation in Indonesian?
Apple's Indonesian command list, Perintah untuk mendikte teks di Mac, is translated. The entries you will use most:
| Say (Indonesian) | Result |
|---|---|
| titik | . |
| koma | , |
| tanda tanya | ? |
| tanda seru | ! |
| titik dua | : |
| titik koma | ; |
| elipsis | … |
| kutipan / kutipan tutup | “ ” |
| kurung buka / kurung tutup | ( ) |
| baris baru | new line |
| paragraf baru | new paragraph |
| tanda persen | % |
| tanda dolar | $ |
Three details from that page:
- "dan" is listed as the ampersand command. Apple's typography section maps "dan" to &. "Dan" is also the everyday word for "and", and Apple does not say how Dictation tells the two apart. Dictate a few sentences with "dan" in them and check for stray & signs.
- "tanda hubung" appears twice, once for the dash (–) and once for the hyphen (-). Check which one you get.
- No rupiah sign. The currency section lists the dollar, cent, pound, euro and yen signs. Write "Rp" yourself, or check how your Mac writes amounts you dictate.
The list also has "tidak ada spasi nyala" and "tidak ada spasi mati" (next phrase without spaces, then back to normal).
Indonesian keyboard and English (Indonesia)
Indonesian uses the Latin alphabet, so a standard Latin keyboard works for corrections. Apple's Write in another language on Mac explains adding input sources under Keyboard → Text Input → Edit and says an input source's language joins "your list of Dictation languages (if available)". Apple's feature page lists Indonesian under keyboard language support and Multilingual Typing, which are typing features, not Dictation.
If you mix Indonesian and English in one message, Apple's Dictation guide offers manual switching only. Pick the language of most of the passage and switch for longer stretches in the other.
What can you do if Indonesian dictation is not enough?
Apple's Dictation is free and is still the first thing to try for Indonesian.
If on-device processing matters to you, look at dictation apps that list Indonesian. SuprFlow's requirements page lists 19 languages, including Indonesian, and its setup asks you to choose a speech-recognition language. We have not tested accuracy per language and make no accuracy claim for Indonesian or for mixed Indonesian-English speech. How to test SuprFlow with another language gives a short test. SuprFlow costs $125 once and has no free tier.
A 10-minute test for your Indonesian
- Write four made-up sentences: two ordinary, one with an English product or person name, and one with a date, an amount and a negation. Use "dan" at least twice. For example: "Rapat dengan Jordan Chen dan tim keuangan pada 14 Mei. Jumlahnya Rp2.750.000, bukan Rp2.570.000."
- Dictate them into Notes with Indonesian active, saying "titik" and "koma".
- Check every "dan", the name, the figures and "bukan".
- Dictate one English sentence with English (Indonesia) active and compare the punctuation.
Questions people ask
How do I use Indonesian voice typing on a Mac?
Add Indonesian under System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → Languages → Edit, start Dictation, and choose Indonesian from the language shown next to the cursor.
Why does Mac dictation not add punctuation in Indonesian?
Apple does not list Indonesian for auto-punctuation. Say "titik" for a full stop and "koma" for a comma, both from Apple's Indonesian command list.
Does Indonesian dictation work offline on a Mac?
Apple does not list Indonesian for on-device dictation. The text below the Dictation switch in Keyboard settings tells you how your Mac processes it.
What is English (Indonesia) in Mac dictation?
It is English with Indonesia as the region, a separate choice in the Dictation language list. Apple lists it for on-device dictation, auto-punctuation and emoji, unlike Indonesian.
Related guides
- How to use voice to text on a Mac
- Dictate in Hindi on a Mac
- Mac dictation commands and punctuation
- How to test SuprFlow with another language
- Is Mac Dictation private?
- Offline voice to text on a Mac