Mac dictation: the complete guide to voice to text on a Mac

Mac dictation is the free voice to text built into macOS. Turn it on in System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation, click where you want the words, press the Microphone key or Fn-D, and speak; the text appears at the cursor in almost any app. Speech to text, voice typing and talk to text are other names for the same thing. This guide maps everything else, from Voice Control and Siri to privacy, choosing a separate app, and why dictation gets words wrong, with a link to the detailed page for each. Steps follow Apple's Mac User Guide for macOS 27; if your screen differs, search System Settings for "Dictation".

Publisher note: SuprFlow publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Competitor details come from each company's own pages, checked on 1 October 2026. Prices and features change; confirm before you buy.

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What is dictation?

Dictation turns your live speech into text at the cursor. What is dictation software? explains the category, and Dictation vs transcription vs voice typing separates three jobs people mix up: dictation types live speech in any app, voice typing is the same idea limited to one place such as Google Docs, and transcription turns an existing recording into a document. Two newer terms are worth knowing: AI dictation usually adds a language model that cleans up the words after recognition, and push-to-talk dictation records only while you hold a key.

The free tools already on your Mac

Dictation. Apple's Dictation guide says you can dictate text of any length, that Dictation stops when no speech is detected for 30 seconds, and that it adds commas, periods and question marks automatically in supported languages. Start it with the Microphone key, the shortcut, or Edit → Start Dictation. See How to use voice to text on a Mac, the commands list, the shortcut guide and dictation by Mac model, which explains why a Mac mini or Mac Studio needs an external microphone.

Voice Control. An accessibility feature that listens while it is on and lets you open apps, click, scroll, correct text and dictate. You cannot run it and standard Dictation at once. See Voice Control vs Dictation, the Voice Control commands list and how to turn it on or off.

Siri. An assistant that acts on requests rather than typing what you say. On keyboards with a Microphone key, a quick press starts Dictation and a press and hold starts Siri. See Siri vs Dictation.

Apple Intelligence Dictation. Apple's newsroom post of 14 September 2026 says Dictation now handles "capitalization, punctuation, and formatting as they speak" on Macs with M3 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory, on macOS 27, in English. See Apple Intelligence dictation on Mac for the requirements and a 10-minute test.

Recordings. Voice Memos and Notes can transcribe audio on recent macOS versions. See Transcribe a voice memo and voice journaling.

Fixing problems

Most failures are one of five things: Dictation is off, Voice Control is on, the shortcut is not the key you press, the wrong microphone is selected, or the language needs a download or a connection. The troubleshooting hub routes each symptom to its fix. The most-read fixes are Mac Dictation not working, Voice Control not working and turning Dictation off.

Privacy: where does your voice go?

Apple's Siri, Dictation & Privacy notice says your device will indicate in Keyboard settings if audio and transcripts are processed on the device; otherwise they are sent to and processed on Apple's servers, but not stored unless you opt in to Improve Siri and Dictation. So the answer depends on your Mac, language and settings. Is Mac Dictation private? explains the screen to check.

For any app, On-device speech recognition explained covers what "local" means: the model runs on your Mac's chips, but the app may still download models, check licences, fetch updates or send usage data. Does on-device mean no internet? and voice to text without internet cover offline use.

Choosing a dictation app

Start with the free tool and switch only for a reason: a personal dictionary for names, hold-to-talk on one key, automatic cleanup on a Mac that does not get Apple's newer Dictation, cross-device use, or file transcription.

• Mac dictation apps compared: 13 apps by where speech is processed, price and platforms, with links to every pricing, safety and versus page.
• Best dictation app for Mac, best free and best offline: organised by need, not ranked.
• Apps with no subscription and free vs paid: what you are paying for.
• Pricing pages such as Wispr Flow, Superwhisper and MacWhisper, each with a three-year cost.
• Apple Dictation alternatives: when staying is the right call.

SuprFlow is one option: a $125 one-time menu-bar app for Apple Silicon Macs on macOS 14 or later that recognises speech on the Mac with a downloaded model, with local cleanup of punctuation, capitalization and numbers by default. It has no free tier, no file transcription and no voice commands for controlling the Mac. Comparing it with Apple Dictation shows when the free tool is enough.

Dictating in your apps, languages and work

• Dictate in every Mac app: which apps have their own voice button, which send audio instead of text, and which keys to watch.
• Mac dictation languages: what Apple lists for 18 languages, from on-device support to auto-punctuation.
• Dictation by profession: the rule or risk that matters for lawyers, clinicians, teachers, auditors and many other kinds of work.

Accuracy and microphones

Fix the sound before blaming the software. Improve Mac dictation accuracy covers microphone choice, input level, language and room noise. Best microphone for dictation gives a 5-minute test with the mics you own, and Bluetooth microphones explains why a headset can sound worse. How to dictate better covers speaking in whole phrases and editing at the end.

Is it worth it? The best-known study, by Ruan and colleagues, found speech about three times faster than a phone keyboard for short phrases on an iPhone; it did not measure a desktop keyboard. Is dictation faster than typing? gives a 10-minute test, and word error rate explained shows how to measure accuracy on your own voice.

Speech models

Third-party apps run speech models you may see named in settings. OpenAI's Whisper comes in six sizes, from tiny to large and turbo. Start with how speech recognition works, then Whisper model sizes, large-v3 vs turbo, Parakeet vs Whisper, What is WhisperKit?, Whisper vs faster-whisper vs WhisperX, best speech to text models and running Whisper on a Mac. If the names confuse you, Whisper vs Whisper Flow vs Wispr Flow untangles them.

Questions people ask

How do I turn on dictation on a Mac?

Choose Apple menu → System Settings → Keyboard, go to Dictation, and turn it on. Then click in a text field and press the Microphone key or Fn-D.

Is Mac dictation free?

Yes. Dictation, Voice Control and Siri are built into macOS at no cost. Paid apps add features such as personal dictionaries, hold-to-talk keys or file transcription.

Does Mac dictation work offline?

For some languages on some Macs. The text below the Dictation switch in Keyboard settings tells you whether your dictation is processed on the device. If it is not, Dictation needs an internet connection.

What is the difference between Dictation and Voice Control?

Dictation types what you say after you press a key. Voice Control listens while it is on and controls the whole Mac, including dictation. You cannot use both at once.

Why does Mac dictation stop after a pause?

Apple says Dictation stops when no speech is detected for 30 seconds. Start it again, or see why Dictation keeps stopping.

Related guides

• How to use voice to text on a Mac
• Mac dictation troubleshooting hub
• Mac dictation apps compared
• Dictate in every Mac app
• Mac dictation languages
• Dictation by profession

Sources

• Apple — Dictate messages and documents on Mac
• Apple — Mac keyboard shortcuts
• Apple — Siri, Dictation & Privacy
• Apple Newsroom — Siri AI, a profoundly more capable and personal assistant, is here
• Apple — Use Voice Control commands to interact with your Mac
• Ruan et al. — Comparing Speech and Keyboard Text Entry for Short Messages in Two Languages on Touchscreen Phones
• OpenAI — whisper GitHub repository and README