To dictate in Italian on a Mac, open System Settings → Keyboard, go to Dictation, click Edit next to Languages, and select Italian (Italy) or Italian (Switzerland). Start Dictation and choose Italian from the language shown next to the cursor. Apple lists both regions for on-device dictation and automatic punctuation, and its Italian command list uses Italian words such as "virgola", "punto interrogativo" and "nuovo paragrafo".
The steps come from Apple's Dictate messages and documents on Mac in the Mac User Guide for macOS 27. If your screen differs, search System Settings for "Dictation" and look for a Languages row.
How do you add Italian to Mac Dictation?
- Choose Apple menu → System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar.
- Go to Dictation and turn it on.
- Click Edit next to Languages, select Italian, and pick Italy or Switzerland.
- Keep the Mac online while it sets up. Apple's feature page says on-device dictation "Requires download of speech models."
- In a text field, start Dictation (Microphone key, your shortcut, or Edit → Start Dictation) and confirm the language next to the cursor is Italian.
If you already added an Italian keyboard, Apple's Write in another language on Mac says that language is also added to "your list of Dictation languages (if available)". The keyboard and the dictation language remain separate choices.
Which Italian regions does Mac Dictation support?
From Apple's macOS feature availability page, checked on 1 October 2026:
| Italian region | Dictation | On-device dictation | Auto-punctuation | Dictate emoji | More advanced Dictation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| Switzerland | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
Both regions have every standard Dictation feature. "More advanced Dictation", Apple's newer Apple Intelligence feature, was listed for English regions only when we checked.
On-device means Apple says general dictation can be processed on your Mac. The Dictation guide says the text below the Dictation switch in Keyboard settings confirms it. Is Mac Dictation private? explains what that does and does not cover.
How do you say punctuation in Italian?
Apple's Italian list is Comandi per dettare il testo sul Mac. The Swiss Italian edition uses the same words. The ones you will use most:
| Say (Italian) | Result |
|---|---|
| punto | . |
| virgola | , |
| punto interrogativo | ? |
| punto esclamativo | ! |
| due punti | : |
| punto e virgola | ; |
| puntini di sospensione | … |
| apri virgolette / chiudi virgolette | “ ” |
| parentesi aperta / parentesi tonda chiusa | ( ) |
| nuova riga | new line |
| nuovo paragrafo | new paragraph |
| tutte maiuscole | next word in capitals |
| simbolo dell'euro | € |
| segno di percentuale | % |
With auto-punctuation on, Dictation adds commas, periods and question marks itself, so you will mostly say the less common marks. Note the uneven pair for parentheses: Apple lists "parentesi aperta" to open but "parentesi tonda chiusa" to close.
Which Italian commands need care?
Two quirks of Apple's Italian list are worth testing before you rely on them.
"Trattino" appears twice. Apple lists "trattino" for the dash (–) and again for the hyphen (-). The page gives no separate word to tell them apart, so check which one you get, and type the other if you need it.
The maths commands are everyday words. Apple's Italian list maps "uguale" to =, "maggiore" to >, "minore" to <, "meno" to -, "per" to x and "più" to +. In English the commands are longer phrases such as "plus sign". Apple does not say how Dictation decides between the word and the symbol, so dictate a test sentence such as "per favore, un po' più tardi" and check that you get words, not symbols. If a symbol appears, retype the word.
What about accents like è and é?
Apple's command list has no commands for accented letters. Dictation writes whole words, so è, é, à, ì, ò and ù come with the word it recognizes. Check short words where the accent changes the meaning, such as "e" and "è", or "la" and "là". If a word is ambiguous, Apple says it is underlined in blue; click it and choose an alternative.
To fix a letter by hand, Apple's accent marks page says to press and hold the letter key, such as e, and choose from the menu. That page also suggests the ABC – Extended input source for typing in several Latin-script languages "such as English and Italian".
Can you dictate in Italian and English together?
Yes, by switching. With both languages set up, click the language next to the cursor or press the Globe key and choose. Apple's Dictation guide, checked on 1 October 2026, describes choosing the language yourself and does not describe automatic detection of a language change. Switch for whole English sentences, and check English names inside Italian ones. Mac dictation shortcut covers the Globe key settings.
What about other dictation apps?
Start with Apple's free Dictation: both Italian regions have on-device dictation and auto-punctuation.
SuprFlow's requirements page lists 19 languages, Italian among them, and its setup asks you to choose a speech-recognition language. We have not tested its accuracy per language and make no accuracy claim for Italian. How to test SuprFlow with another language gives a short test. SuprFlow costs $125 once and has no free tier, so try Apple's Dictation with the same test first.
A 10-minute test for your Italian
- Write four made-up sentences: two ordinary, one with an English name, and one with a date, an amount and a negation. For example: "La riunione con Jordan Chen è il 14 maggio. L'importo è di 2.750 euro, non 2.570."
- Dictate them into Notes with Italian active.
- Check è and é, the name, the figures and the "non".
- Dictate a sentence containing "più" and "per" and confirm they stay words.
- Say "apri virgolette" and "chiudi virgolette" around a phrase.
Questions people ask
How do I set Mac dictation to Italian?
Add Italian under System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → Languages → Edit, then choose Italian from the language shown next to the cursor while dictating.
Can Mac dictation turn "più" into a plus sign?
Apple's Italian command list maps "più" to the plus sign and "per" to the multiplication sign, and does not say how Dictation tells the command from the word. Test it, and retype the word if a symbol appears where you meant the word.
Does Italian dictation work offline on a Mac?
Apple lists Italian (Italy) and Italian (Switzerland) under on-device dictation, after a speech model download. Keyboard settings confirm whether your dictation is processed on your Mac.
How do I start a new paragraph in Italian dictation?
Say "nuovo paragrafo". For a single line break, say "nuova riga".
Related guides
- How to use voice to text on a Mac
- Mac dictation commands and punctuation
- Dictate in French on a Mac
- How to test SuprFlow with another language
- Improve Mac dictation accuracy
- Is Mac Dictation private?