Official documentation
Dictate messages and documents on Mac (Mac User Guide, macOS Monterey 12)
Apple Inc., n.d.
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- Apple's Mac User Guide page on Dictation, in the version for macOS Monterey 12. It shows how Dictation worked on an older release: the Keyboard preferences pane, where dictated requests went, and which requests stayed on the Mac.
- How much weight it carries
- Official Apple documentation for an older macOS release, read as published. It shows how Apple described the feature then, so it is useful for comparison, not as a guide to current menus.
Facts taken from this source
- On macOS Monterey 12 with Apple silicon, general text dictation was processed on the Mac in many languages, and no internet connection was required.
“processed on the device in many languages and no internet connection is required” (Dictate messages and documents on Mac)
- On macOS Monterey 12, you turned Dictation on in the Dictation pane of Keyboard preferences, and your dictated utterances were sent to Apple to process your requests.
“Turn it on in the Dictation pane of Keyboard preferences ... your dictated utterances are sent to Apple to process your requests” (Dictate messages and documents on Mac)
Pages that rest on this source
- How to Use Dictation on a MacGuide
- How Apple Dictation Works: On-Device, Server and AIGuide
- Mac Dictation by macOS Version: What ChangedGuide
- Does Apple Dictation work without internet?Question
- What happened to Enhanced Dictation on Mac?Question
- How do you turn off dictation on a Mac?Question
- What is dictation on a Mac?Question