Can AI dictation run entirely on your own computer?

Yes, for the speech recognizer. Many AI dictation tools can turn your voice into text entirely on your own computer, once the speech model is downloaded. The second step, the language model that removes filler words and adds punctuation, is the harder part. It can also run locally, but only in some apps and with some setups. Check each app before you dictate private text.

The speech recognizer can run entirely on your computer

Every dictation product needs a recognizer, the neural network that turns sound into words. Recognizers can run on the device. Apple says transcription with its SpeechAnalyzer API is entirely on the device, although the language models must first be downloaded ¹. That describes a developer interface, so it shows what apps built on it can do, not which dictation key on your Mac uses it.

Open-source tools follow the same pattern. The HEX README says you download a local speech model during setup, and that ordinary dictation does not require a cloud transcription service ². Superwhisper's Free plan uses local Whisper models, and the company says nothing dictated leaves the device ³.

Local processing has a hardware cost. The large Whisper model in whisper.cpp needs about 3.9 GB of memory, according to the project's estimate ⁴. Memory use can vary with your settings, so treat that figure as a planning estimate, not a guarantee.

The cleanup step can run locally too, if the tool allows it

The cleanup pass is a language model, and language models can run on your computer. Ollama is one tool for doing that. Its FAQ says that cloud-hosted models process your prompts and responses to provide the service, and that the service does not store or log that content ⁵. A model you run yourself does not go through that service, which is the point of running one.

Apple's on-device model is small enough to run on its own chips. Apple's 2025 update describes a compact model of approximately 3 billion parameters, optimized to run efficiently on Apple silicon ⁶. That post does not say which dictation features use it, so it does not settle whether a given dictation key works offline.

Check the cleanup step separately from the recognizer. A tool can transcribe locally and still send the text to a server for editing. The question on which AI models dictation apps use explains how to find out.

Built-in tools depend on your computer and language

On a Mac, the answer depends on your settings and the kind of text. Apple says Dictation on a Mac may need an internet connection, and that Keyboard settings show whether your dictation is processed on the device ⁷. Apple's page tells you to check that setting instead of giving one rule.

On Windows, the built-in tool needs the internet. Microsoft says voice typing needs an internet connection, a working microphone and the cursor in a text box ⁸. So Windows voice typing is not an offline option.

Running locally does not make the words more accurate

Local processing settles where your audio goes. It does not settle whether the words are right. Accuracy depends on the model, your microphone and your language. The question on whether AI dictation is more accurate covers what the test results show, and the question on why AI dictation is slower covers the delay that a second step can add, wherever it runs.

What to do before you dictate private text

1. Read the privacy page of the app before you dictate anything sensitive. Look for a statement that audio stays on the device, and for a setting that sends text to a server. The guide to whether voice to text is safe covers what to look for.
2. Check Keyboard settings on a Mac. Apple says the setting shows whether dictated audio and transcripts are processed on the device or sent to Siri servers, so use it to confirm what the built-in tool does.
3. Test it offline. Download the speech model while you have a connection, turn off Wi-Fi, then dictate a test sentence in the app you use. If it still types, the recognizer runs locally. If it does not, the app needs the internet.
4. Check the cleanup setting separately. Find out whether the app edits your text on a server and whether you can turn that step off. The question on whether AI dictation reads your screen explains the setting that lets some apps read text from the app you are typing into.

Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows. Our download page describes what it installs on your computer, and offline dictation on Mac covers the Mac side. For the wider picture, see speech to text and AI, and for the full guide, see AI dictation: how AI voice typing works.