How do you change the dictation shortcut on a Mac?

You change the Dictation shortcut in System Settings, under Keyboard, in the Dictation section, using the Shortcut pop-up menu. Apple's steps are to go to Dictation, click the Shortcut pop-up menu, then choose a shortcut to start Dictation ¹. You can pick a preset from the list or record your own combination. After you change it, check the fn key option too, because the two settings can change together.

The guide to Mac Dictation shortcuts lists every way to start Dictation. This page covers the change itself, step by step.

Change the shortcut in Keyboard settings, not in the app you are using

Dictation has one shortcut for the whole Mac, so you change it in System Settings and not inside an app. These steps match Apple's current Mac Help page for Dictation, and the menu names are the ones on that page:

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
2. Go to Dictation, then click the Shortcut pop-up menu.
3. Choose a shortcut from the list.

If the Dictation section is missing, Dictation may be off. Turn it on in the same section.

Customize records the key combination you press

When the preset list does not have the key you want, choose Customize in the same pop-up menu, then press the keys you want to use. Apple's example is Option-Z ². Apple's help says you can customize the key combination that starts and stops Dictation ³, so the combination you record is the one the shortcut uses from then on.

Pick a combination you can press without looking. Option-Z pairs a letter with a modifier key, which makes a clash with ordinary typing less likely. Test it in a text field after you record it, then press it again to confirm that the second press stops Dictation.

Choosing Press Fn Key Twice also changes the fn key option

The presets include Press Fn (Function) Key Twice. Apple says that if you choose it, the Keyboard settings option for the fn key changes to Start Dictation (Press Fn Twice) automatically ⁴. The fn key option has four choices in total: Change Input Source, Show Emoji & Symbols, Start Dictation and Do Nothing ⁵.

This matters because the two settings are linked. If you set the shortcut to Option-Z, the fn key option does not need to change, and the fn key keeps its own job. If you want the fn key to start Dictation, set the shortcut to the fn preset and then read the fn key option. Do not assume the option is the same on every Mac, because Apple notes that the option may change depending on your Mac model ⁶.

A combination that another command uses will not work

Apple says that if you assign a keyboard shortcut that already exists for another command or app, your new shortcut will not work, and you must change one of the two shortcuts ⁷. Apple names this clash as a reason a new shortcut does nothing. In Keyboard Shortcuts settings, a warning icon appears next to shortcuts that conflict with one another ⁸, so check there when the new key is silent.

Choosing a different combination for Dictation is usually simpler than changing a macOS shortcut that other apps also use.

Some keys cannot be changed by a remapping tool

Some people use a remapping tool to change a key. Karabiner-Elements, a free keyboard remapping tool for macOS, cannot modify the fn key on keyboards that are not made by Apple, such as Logitech keyboards ⁹. On those keyboards, the Dictation shortcut in Keyboard settings is the setting to use. Test any remapping rule after you install it, because a rule can clash with a built-in shortcut.

If you want to go back to the original shortcuts

Apple says you can return every keyboard shortcut to its original key combination. Go to Keyboard settings, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then click Restore Defaults in the bottom-left corner ¹⁰. This resets every keyboard shortcut, not only Dictation, so use it only if you want all of them back. Write down any custom shortcut you want to keep before you reset, since the reset replaces all of them.

Test the new shortcut and read the fn key setting

1. Set the shortcut in the Shortcut pop-up menu under Dictation.
2. Read the fn key option in Keyboard settings, and set it to match what you want.
3. Open a text field, press the shortcut, speak a sentence, and press the shortcut again to stop.
4. If nothing happens, look for a conflict first, then the fn key option.

If you still cannot get the shortcut to work, the question of why the dictation shortcut is not working on a Mac lists the checks in order. The question of where the dictation key is on a Mac explains the Microphone key and the keyboards that do not have one.

For the wider subject, read the overview of Dictation on Mac. The term for the built-in feature is defined in the Apple Dictation entry.