How do you add a dictation language on a Mac?

You add a dictation language on a Mac in Keyboard settings, under Dictation. Click Edit next to Languages, then select the language and region you speak. The language is then on your list, and you can dictate in it. Apple's steps below are the ones on its current Mac Help page for Dictation, which we checked on October 17, 2026.

Add the language under Dictation in Keyboard settings

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings ¹, then click Keyboard in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down ².
2. Under Dictation, click Edit next to Languages, then select a language and region ³.
3. Confirm that the language and region now appear in the Languages list.

Dictation has to be turned on for these steps to apply. Apple's page says so in the instructions for the Dictation area ⁴. If you cannot see the Languages list, turn Dictation on first and then look again.

Switch between languages with the language label or the Globe key

Once two or more languages are set up, you change language while you dictate. Click the language label next to the cursor, or press the Globe key and choose the language you want ⁵. Apple marks the Globe key option as "if available", so on a keyboard without a Globe key, the language label is the way to switch.

Apple describes this as switching between the languages you have set up. It does not describe recognizing two languages inside one sentence ⁶. For a quick way to switch, read how to switch dictation languages quickly.

Not every language is on the list, and some need a download

Apple says Dictation is not available in all languages or regions, and that features may vary ⁷. Look for your own language and region in the list you see in Keyboard settings, rather than relying on the language alone.

Apple also lists 48 language and regional variants for on-device Dictation ⁸, and its page says that this on-device list requires a download of speech models ⁹. If a language you added on the on-device list does not work yet, check that its download has finished.

It depends: when adding a language is not enough

• Your language is missing from the list. Adding a language cannot create support the Mac does not have. The question on why dictation is not available in the current language explains the messages you may see, and how to dictate in a language your device does not support covers the options.
• You mix two languages in one sentence. The Mac switches languages but does not describe mixing them, so read the guide on multilingual dictation before you rely on it for mixed speech.
• The wrong language comes out. Check the language label next to the cursor before you speak. A wrong language is easier to catch before the words appear. The question on Mac dictation in multiple languages covers this case in more detail.
• You speak a regional variant. Each region is its own entry in the list, so pick the one closest to the way you speak, not just the language.

What to do

1. Open Keyboard settings, go to Dictation, and add each language you use, with its region, before you need it.
2. Turn Dictation on if it is off, and confirm that each language appears in the Languages list.
3. Click the language label next to the cursor, or press the Globe key, and dictate one short sentence with a name in it.
4. If the words come out in another language or as nonsense, go back to the list and confirm that you picked the right region.

For the same steps on every other device, read how to change the dictation language on any device. The wider subject of languages and accents is in our overview of dictation languages, accents and voice translation. If you use Android instead, the matching question is how to change the voice typing language on Android.