To dictate in Swedish on a Mac, open System Settings → Keyboard, go to Dictation (Diktering on a Swedish-language Mac), click Edit next to Languages, and select Swedish (Sweden). Start Dictation and pick Swedish from the language shown next to the cursor. Apple lists Swedish for on-device dictation and emoji, but not for automatic punctuation, so you say "punkt" and "komma" yourself. Apple publishes a fully translated Swedish command list.
The steps come from Apple's Dictate messages and documents on Mac for macOS 27 Golden Gate, and its Swedish edition, Diktera meddelanden och dokument på datorn. If your screen differs, search System Settings for "Dictation" or "Diktering".
How do you turn on Swedish dictation?
- Choose Apple menu → System Settings, then click Keyboard (Tangentbord) in the sidebar.
- Go to Dictation (Diktering) and turn it on.
- Click Edit (Redigera) next to Languages (Språk) and select Swedish (Sweden).
- Stay online while the Mac sets the language up. Apple's feature page says on-device dictation "Requires download of speech models."
- 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 Swedish.
If you also write in English, select it too. To switch while dictating, click the language next to the cursor, or press the Globe key (globtangenten) and choose. Apple's guide describes switching by hand and does not describe automatic detection of a language change.
Which Swedish dictation features does Apple list?
From Apple's macOS feature availability page for macOS Golden Gate, checked on 2 October 2026:
| Feature | Swedish (Sweden) |
|---|---|
| Dictation | Yes |
| On-device dictation | Yes |
| Auto-punctuation | Not listed |
| Dictate emoji | Yes |
| More advanced Dictation (Apple Intelligence) | Not listed; Apple lists it for English regions only |
Apple lists one Swedish variant, Sweden. "Not listed" means absent from that feature's list on the day we checked.
Swedish is an unusual mix. You can say "hjärtemoji" (Apple's own example) and get a heart, but commas and full stops are not added for you. Apple's guide says automatic commas, periods and question marks work "in supported languages", and the Swedish edition names the setting Automatiska skiljetecken. If you see that switch on a Swedish-only setup, test whether it does anything before you rely on it.
Because Swedish is on the on-device list, your Mac can process it locally once the speech model is downloaded. Apple's guide says the text below the Dictation switch in Keyboard settings confirms it. Is Mac Dictation private? explains that note.
How do you say punctuation in Swedish?
Apple's Swedish command list, Kommandon för textdiktering på datorn, is fully translated. The entries you will use most:
| Say (Swedish) | Result |
|---|---|
| punkt | . |
| komma | , |
| frågetecken | ? |
| utropstecken | ! |
| kolon | : |
| semikolon | ; |
| citationstecken | ” |
| vänsterparentes / högerparentes | ( ) |
| bindestreck | - |
| streck | – |
| ny rad | new line |
| nytt stycke | new paragraph |
| procenttecken | % |
| eurotecken | € |
Two details from that page. Both quotation commands are "citationstecken", and Apple shows ” as the result of each, so check which marks your Mac inserts. And the currency section lists the dollar, cent, pound, euro and yen signs but no entry for kronor. Write "kr" yourself, or check how your Mac writes amounts you dictate.
The list also has "inga mellanslag på" and "inga mellanslag av" (next phrase without spaces, then back to normal), and "bara versaler" for one word in capitals.
Swedish keyboard, å, ä and ö
Dictation language and keyboard layout are separate settings. Apple's Write in another language on Mac has you add keyboards under Keyboard → Text Input → Edit, and says an added input source's language also joins "your list of Dictation languages (if available)". If you use an English keyboard, the same page describes the accent menu for typing "characters with accent marks", which helps when you fix a word by hand.
Apple's Dictation guide does not say you need a Swedish keyboard active to dictate Swedish, and it does not describe how Dictation handles å, ä and ö. Check them in your test.
What about Danish, Norwegian and Finnish?
If you work across the Nordics, the same page lists Danish (Denmark), Norwegian Bokmål and Finnish (Finland) for Dictation and on-device dictation, and none of them, nor Swedish, for auto-punctuation. So the "say every mark" habit applies across all four. Read the current page for your language, as lists change between macOS releases.
What about other dictation apps?
Apple's Dictation is free and runs Swedish on the device, so test it first.
SuprFlow's requirements page lists 19 languages, including Swedish, and its setup asks you to choose a speech-recognition language. We have not tested accuracy per language and make no accuracy claim for Swedish, including punctuation. 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 Swedish
- 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. For example: "Mötet med Jordan Chen är den 14 maj. Beloppet är 2 750 kronor, inte 2 570."
- Dictate them into Notes with Swedish active, saying "punkt" and "komma".
- Check å, ä and ö, compound words, the name, the figures and "inte".
- Dictate one sentence without saying any punctuation and see what appears.
Questions people ask
How do I use Swedish dictation on a Mac?
Add Swedish (Sweden) under System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → Languages → Edit, start Dictation, and choose Swedish from the language shown next to the cursor.
Why does Mac dictation not add punctuation in Swedish?
Apple does not list Swedish for auto-punctuation. Say each mark, such as "punkt", "komma" and "frågetecken", which are on Apple's Swedish command list.
How do I say a new paragraph in Swedish dictation?
Say "nytt stycke". For a single line break, say "ny rad". Apple's guide says the break appears when you finish dictating.
Does Swedish dictation work offline on a Mac?
Apple lists Swedish (Sweden) for on-device dictation, after a speech model download. The text below the Dictation switch in Keyboard settings confirms how your Mac processes it.
Related guides
- How to use voice to text on a Mac
- Dictate in German on a Mac
- Mac dictation commands and punctuation
- How to test SuprFlow with another language
- Is Mac Dictation private?
- Mac Dictation not working? Causes and fixes