How to use dictation on a Mac

howtosimply.com/guides/how-to-use-dictation-on-a-mac/ · Checked October 2026 · MacBook Neo · macOS 27.0.1

5 of 6 steps with real screenshots · 1 official source below

Device

Mac

Shown on

macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)

App

System Settings

Real screenshots

5 of 6 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. Open System Settings and click Keyboard

   Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings.

   Click Keyboard in the sidebar.

   Done

2. 

   Turn on Dictation

   Scroll down past Text Input to the Dictation section.

   Turn on the switch next to "Use Dictation wherever you can type text".

   Done

3. 

   Click Enable

   A box asks "Do you want to enable Dictation?". Click Enable.

   On our MacBook Neo the box also offers Dictation Privacy… and Cancel.

   Done

4. 

   Check the shortcut

   Click the Shortcut menu to choose how you start dictation. The default is Press 🎤, the microphone key. If your keyboard has no microphone key, choose Press Control Key Twice.

   On our MacBook Neo the menu offers Press 🎤 (ticked), Press Control Key Twice and Press 🌐 Twice, with an arrow at the bottom for more.

   Done

5. 

   Click in a text field and start dictating

   Click where you want the text, then press your shortcut or choose Edit > Start Dictation.

   A microphone bubble appears at the cursor. Speak normally.

   Done

6. 

   Stop dictating

   Press the shortcut again. Apple says you can also press Escape.

   Your words appear in the document. On our MacBook Neo, TextEdit showed "Hello" in Notes.txt.

   Done

What we saw on our device

• Click Enable: On our MacBook Neo the box also offers Dictation Privacy… and Cancel.
• Check the shortcut: On our MacBook Neo the menu offers Press 🎤 (ticked), Press Control Key Twice and Press 🌐 Twice, with an arrow at the bottom for more.
• Stop dictating: On our MacBook Neo, TextEdit showed "Hello" in Notes.txt.

If you do not see this option

• No Dictation section Scroll further down the Keyboard page. Dictation sits below Text Input, above the Set Up Keyboard… button.
• No microphone key Open the Shortcut menu and choose Press Control Key Twice or Press 🌐 Twice instead.
• The shortcut you want is not listed Click the arrow at the bottom of the Shortcut menu to see more choices.

If this does not work

• Nothing is picked up Check the Microphone source row. On our MacBook Neo it read Automatic (MacBook Neo Microphone); choose another microphone there if you use one.
• Words come out in the wrong language Click Edit… next to Languages and add or pick the language you speak. Ours was set to English (United States).
• Only some words appear Speak clearly and close to the Mac, then start dictation again.

About this guide

Dictation turns your speech into text in any app where you can type, such as TextEdit, Mail or Notes.

Screenshots: MacBook Neo, macOS 27.0.1, dark mode.

Good to know

Say "new line" or "new paragraph" to move down. You can also say "comma" or "question mark".

For controlling the whole Mac by voice, look at Voice Control under System Settings, Accessibility.

Want the Mac to read text back to you as well? How to make a Mac read selected text aloud.

The same on an iPhone: how to delete your Siri and dictation history on an iPhone covers what is stored.

In short: System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation switch on > Enable, then press 🎤 in any text field and speak.