Does Apple Dictation work without internet?

Apple Dictation works without internet in two cases: you are on an Apple silicon Mac, and the language you dictate in is on Apple's on-device list. In that case the speech model runs on your Mac. Outside those two conditions, Dictation sends your words to Apple's servers, so it stops when your connection does. Check which route you are on in Keyboard settings before you rely on it somewhere with no signal.

Dictation works offline on Apple silicon for on-device languages

Apple lists 48 of its 63 Dictation language and regional variants ¹ as on-device ². For those, Apple's Mac Help says your voice inputs and transcripts for general text Dictation are processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers ³.

Apple's macOS Monterey 12 guide went further. It said that on Apple silicon, general text dictation was processed on the Mac in many languages, and that no internet connection was required ⁴. The on-device languages need their speech models downloaded first ⁵, so connect to the internet once, dictate a test sentence in each language you use, and then the offline route is ready.

Intel Macs and other languages need a connection

Intel Macs use the server route. Apple's macOS Sonoma 14 guide says that when you dictate on an Intel-based Mac, your dictated utterances are sent to Apple to process your requests ⁶. The newer on-device model is also out of reach there: in the sources we checked, macOS Tahoe 26 is the last release that lists Intel Macs, so an Intel Mac cannot run the macOS 27 dictation model ⁷.

Language is the second limit. Of the 63 variants Apple lists, 15 are not on the on-device list ⁸. Apple also says Dictation is not available in all languages or regions, and that features may vary ⁹. For a language outside the on-device list, assume that dictation needs a connection until Keyboard settings says otherwise. Dictation that sends speech to a remote server is what the glossary calls cloud dictation.

Apple's guides disagree, so check your own Mac

Apple's wording has changed over time. The Monterey guide describes no connection requirement, but Apple's later Dictation troubleshooting page says Dictation on a Mac may need an internet connection, and tells you to check Keyboard settings to find out ¹⁰. The newer guides do not repeat the Monterey statement. When two Apple sources disagree, the setting on your own Mac is the one that counts, because it reports the route for the language you have selected.

The two routes behave differently in daily use. On the on-device route, nothing waits on a network round trip. On the server route, each phrase depends on your connection, so a weak signal appears as a delay between speaking and text. If you dictate on a train or a plane, the on-device route is the one to check first.

How to check and test offline dictation

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar.
2. Find the Dictation section and read the status line that says where your dictation is processed. Apple says the Mac shows this status there ³.
3. If the status shows on-device processing for your language, turn off Wi-Fi, open a text field, and dictate a paragraph. If the text appears, the offline route works for that language.
4. If the status shows that the words go to Apple, offline dictation will not work in that language on that Mac. Use a different language, a different Mac, or an app that works without a connection.

Repeat the test after each major macOS update, because Apple has changed the rule with each release.

When offline is the wrong test

Working offline is not the same as being accurate. For the accuracy evidence, including the one independent test we found, read the question on whether Apple Dictation is any good.

If you need offline dictation in a language that is not on Apple's list, the built-in tool will not cover it. Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows, and you can read about how it is installed on the download page. Check any app's privacy policy for where audio goes, and test it with the network off before you depend on it.

For more on the offline options, see our guide to offline dictation on Mac. The overview of how Apple Dictation works explains the on-device and server routes in full, and the overview of dictation on Mac covers the other tools. Two related questions are on whether Apple Dictation uses AI and whether it learns your voice.