Glossary
Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is the free, built-in feature that types what you say into any text field on a Mac. Apple also calls it Mac Dictation, macOS Dictation or keyboard dictation.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called Mac Dictation, macOS Dictation, Keyboard Dictation.
Apple Dictation is the speech-to-text feature built into macOS. You turn it on in Keyboard settings, then speak while the cursor is in a text field, and the words appear as you say them. It works in any text field where you can type.
You start Apple Dictation with a key or a menu
On a Mac, you start Dictation in one of three ways: press the Microphone key if your keyboard has one, press the Dictation keyboard shortcut, or choose Edit > Start Dictation 1.
Apple Dictation stops on its own after 30 seconds of silence
Dictation stops automatically when it detects no speech for 30 seconds 2, so a pause in your speech can end the session. You can also stop it yourself with the same key or shortcut you used to start it.
Example: writing an email by voice
Suppose you are writing an email in Mail. You press the Microphone key, say "Thanks for your note I will send the draft Friday," and the sentence appears with a comma and period. In supported languages, Dictation adds commas, periods and question marks for you 3, so you do not have to say the marks aloud.
Apple says general dictation stays on your Mac
For general text, Apple says voice input and transcripts are processed on your Mac and not sent to Siri servers. You can check this under the Dictation setting in Keyboard settings 4.
Why it matters for typing
Apple Dictation is most useful for drafting: you can get a first version of a message or document down quickly, then correct it with the keyboard. Each correction you dictate has to be spoken aloud, so precise edits are often faster by keyboard. Our guide how to use dictation on a Mac covers the workflow, and the shortcut guide explains how to change how it starts.
Related terms
- Voice Control (Apple): Apple's hands-free feature. When it is on, it does the dictating and standard Dictation is not available.
- Enhanced Dictation: an older option that let Dictation work offline on some macOS versions.
- Dictation: the general term for speaking so that software writes your words.
- Automatic punctuation: how supported languages receive their commas and periods without a spoken command.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Mac Dictation: How to Dictate and Control a Mac by VoiceThe topic this term belongs to
- Accessibility permission (macOS)Accessibility permission is a macOS setting that lets a specific app read and control other apps through the system's accessibility features. macOS keeps it under Privacy & Security, and an app gets no access until you allow it there.
- Apple IntelligenceApple Intelligence is the name Apple gives to its AI features across its devices. Its on-device models can improve Dictation on newer Macs, and Apple says apps can use the same models.
- Apple siliconApple silicon is the family of chips Apple designs for its own computers, starting with certain Macs in late 2020. Each chip puts several computer components on one piece of silicon, which Apple calls a system on a chip.
- Enhanced DictationEnhanced Dictation was a Mac option, available from OS X Mavericks, that lets you dictate without an internet connection after a download. Apple's help for macOS Mojave describes it, but Apple's later Dictation pages do not mention it.
- Globe key (Fn key)The Globe key, also called the Fn key or function key, is a modifier on Apple keyboards. In Keyboard settings you choose what a press does, such as switching input source, starting Dictation or doing nothing.
- Improve Siri & DictationImprove Siri & Dictation is the Mac setting that controls whether Apple may store and review audio from your Siri and Dictation requests. When you first turn on Dictation, the same choice is labeled Share Audio Recordings.
- Microphone key (dictation key)The Microphone key is a key on some Mac keyboards that starts Apple Dictation when you press and release it. Pressing and holding it activates Siri instead, if Siri is turned on.
- Neural EngineThe Apple Neural Engine (ANE) is a block of hardware inside Apple's chips that runs machine learning models efficiently. Speech models can run on it, and Apple uses it for on-device machine learning inference.
- SiriSiri is Apple's built-in voice assistant. You speak a request and it answers or carries out an action, while Dictation types what you say into a text field instead.
- Speech framework (Apple)The Speech framework is Apple's developer toolkit for turning audio into text inside an app. It includes the older SFSpeechRecognizer class and the newer SpeechAnalyzer, which Apple says transcribes entirely on the device once its models are downloaded.
- Voice Control (Apple)Voice Control is Apple's feature for controlling a Mac with spoken commands, including opening apps, clicking items and editing text. When it is on, it also handles dictation, so standard macOS Dictation is not available.
- VoiceOverVoiceOver is the screen reader built into macOS, which speaks what is on the screen so you can use the Mac without seeing it. It does the reverse of dictation: it reads text aloud rather than writing your speech.
Pages that use this term
- Mac Dictation: How to Dictate and Control a Mac by VoiceTopic
- How to Turn On Voice Typing on Every DeviceGuide
- Mac Dictation Shortcut: Keys and Custom HotkeysGuide
- Dictation in Mac Apps: Word, Pages, Notes, Mail, TerminalGuide
- Dictation vs Voice Control vs Siri on a MacGuide
- How do you change the dictation shortcut on a Mac?Question
- How do you dictate an email in Mac Mail?Question
- How do you dictate in Outlook on a Mac?Question
- How do you dictate in Pages on a Mac?Question
- How do you dictate in PowerPoint on a Mac?Question
- How do you use Mac dictation with Claude Code?Question
- What is the Dictate shortcut in Word on a Mac?Question
- What is VoiceOver on a Mac?Question
- Where is the dictation key on a Mac keyboard?Question
- Why is my dictation language not showing on iPhone?Question
- Why is the dictation shortcut not working on my Mac?Question
- Accessibility permission (macOS)Glossary
- Enhanced DictationGlossary
- Globe key (Fn key)Glossary
- Microphone key (dictation key)Glossary
- Voice Control (Apple)Glossary
- VoiceOverGlossary