Guide
How to dictate on a Mac
Your Mac has free dictation built in: turn it on in System Settings, under Keyboard, then click where you want the text and press the Microphone key or your Dictation shortcut. Talk, and press the same key or Esc when you're done.
The steps come from Apple's own guide, and I've linked it throughout.
Checked against Apple's macOS 27 guide on November 13, 2026
Turn on Dictation
Older versions of macOS use slightly different names. Apple's guide has a version picker at the top.
Dictate text
You can talk for as long as you like. Apple says there's no timeout on length, but Dictation stops by itself after 30 seconds with no speech. Apple guide
Choose a shortcut you'll use
In System Settings, under Keyboard and then Dictation, click the Shortcut menu and pick one. To use your own keys, choose Customize and press them. Apple's example is Option-Z. Depending on your Mac, choosing a shortcut can also change the “Press fn key to” or “Press key to” option in Keyboard settings. Apple guide
Commands worth learning
You can say these while you dictate. They're a selection, and Apple lists many more, including symbols, currency and math. All commands
| Say | What happens |
|---|---|
| new line | Starts a new line. |
| new paragraph | Starts a new paragraph. |
| comma, period, question mark, exclamation mark | Types that mark. Dictation adds the first three by itself in supported languages. |
| quote, end quote | Opens and closes quotation marks. |
| caps on, caps off | Puts the next phrase in Title Case, then goes back. |
| all caps | Puts the next word in capitals. |
| all caps on, all caps off | Puts the next phrase in capitals, then goes back. |
| no space on, no space off | Types the next phrase without spaces, then goes back. |
| numeral | Formats the next phrase as a number. |
| tab key | Moves to the next tab stop. |
| heart emoji, car emoji | Types that emoji, in some languages. |
A new line or paragraph you ask for appears when you finish dictating, so don't wait for it.
Fix mistakes
Dictation underlines words it isn't sure of in blue. Click one to pick another word, or type or dictate the right one. Apple's example is getting "flour" when you meant "flower". Apple guide
Dictation adds commas, periods and question marks by itself in supported languages. If you'd rather say them yourself, turn off Auto-punctuation under Dictation in Keyboard settings. With Apple Intelligence on macOS 27, an on-device model also improves spelling, punctuation and capitalization, in English, on M3 or later with at least 12 GB of memory.
Dictate in another language
In Keyboard settings, under Dictation, click Edit next to Languages and select a language and region. With more than one set up, switch while you dictate by clicking the language next to the cursor, or press the Globe key if you have one.
Not every language gets every feature. Croatian, Polish and Swedish, for example, are on Apple's Dictation list but not its auto-punctuation list, so you'd say the punctuation yourself. Apple's language list
Choose your microphone
In Keyboard settings, under Dictation, the Microphone source menu shows which device your Mac is listening to. Automatic picks the one you're most likely to use, and you can choose another. Apple guide
Where your words go
Look at the text under Dictation in Keyboard settings. It says whether general dictation, such as messages and notes, is processed on your Mac and not sent to Apple. Otherwise, Apple processes it. Apple doesn't store your audio unless you opted in to Improve Siri and Dictation or Improve Siri & Apple Intelligence, though it keeps some data about each request under a random identifier. Apple privacy
If Dictation doesn't work
These are Apple's suggestions, in short. Apple troubleshooting
- Check that Dictation is on in Keyboard settings.
- Choose the right language and region under Dictation.
- Check you're using the shortcut that's set in Keyboard settings.
- With an external microphone, check it's connected and selected, and raise its input volume under System Settings, Sound, Input.
- Make sure nothing covers the microphone, such as clothing.
- Speak clearly, at a normal volume, from where you'd normally sit.
- Avoid background noise and echo. In a noisy room, a headset microphone may help.
- Check your internet connection, since you may need one. The text under Dictation in Keyboard settings says whether you do.
Controlling your whole Mac by voice
Dictation only enters text. To open apps, click, scroll and edit by speaking, use Voice Control, which you'll find under Accessibility in System Settings. It also has a custom vocabulary of up to 1,000 terms, in languages that support one. While it's on, standard Dictation isn't available, and you dictate through Voice Control instead. Voice Control Vocabulary
When a dedicated app helps
Apps like mine are for people who keep hitting one of these:
- You say um a lot, restart sentences or change your mind halfway, and you spend time fixing that afterwards. Apple's guide doesn't mention removing it.
- You'd rather hold a key while you talk than press once to start and again to stop.
- You use names and jargon that come out wrong, and want a word list without turning on Voice Control.
- You speak a language that Apple doesn't list, or doesn't add punctuation for.
- You dictate prompts for AI tools and want a ramble tidied into something clear.
- You already typed a messy note and want it tidied where it sits. Select it and hold Control.
JuTalk runs in the cloud and asks for the microphone and Accessibility. It starts at $3 a month, and the trial needs no card.
| What | JuTalk | Apple Dictation |
|---|---|---|
| Price | JuTalkA trial of 7 days or 1 hour of audio, then Starter at $3 a month or $30 a year, or Pro at $9 a month or $90 a year. | Apple DictationFree. |
| Limit | JuTalk3 hours of audio a month on Starter, 10 on Pro. That's up to about 25,000 and 84,000 words. At the cap, dictation pauses until next month or until you upgrade. | Apple DictationNo timeout on length. It stops after 30 seconds with no speech. |
| Setup | JuTalkDownload, two permissions, an account. | Apple DictationOne switch in System Settings. |
| Internet | JuTalkAlways needed. | Apple DictationMay be needed. Keyboard settings tell you. |
| Where your audio goes | JuTalkTo a speech recognition provider, and the text to an AI provider with cleanup on. | Apple DictationProcessed on your Mac or by Apple. Keyboard settings tell you. |
| Ums and corrections | JuTalkRemoved and applied. | Apple DictationNot mentioned in Apple's guide. |
| Text you already typed | JuTalkPolish what you typed: select text in another app and hold Control (about 0.3 seconds) until it's replaced. Add Shift and it's Make it a prompt. Let go early and nothing changes. ⌘Z in that app brings the original back. Accessibility is required, and the microphone isn't used. Up to 20,000 characters. It works in Google Docs and some terminals. Polish what you typed is free for the first 100 times each day. After that, each one that succeeds uses 5 seconds of your hours, plus 1 second per 150 characters. A polish that fails doesn't use hours. | Apple DictationNot covered in this comparison. |
| Commands | JuTalkjutalk.app doesn't list spoken formatting commands. You hold Option to talk, and press Esc to cancel. | Apple DictationA long list, covered above. |
Shortened from the full comparison of JuTalk and Apple Dictation, where each fact has its source.
Choose JuTalk if
- You want ums, false starts and self-corrections dealt with for you.
- You have an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 14 or later.
- You want a ramble turned into a clear prompt for an AI tool.
- You want to polish text you already typed: select it and hold Control.
Questions
How do I turn on dictation on a Mac?
Choose Apple menu, then System Settings, then Keyboard. Go to Dictation, turn it on and click Enable.
What's the keyboard shortcut for dictation on a Mac?
There isn't one fixed shortcut. Press the Microphone key if your keyboard has one, or choose a shortcut in Keyboard settings, under Dictation. You can also start it from the Edit menu with Start Dictation.
Why does Mac dictation keep stopping?
Apple says Dictation stops by itself when it hears no speech for 30 seconds. There's no timeout on how long you talk. Start it again with the same key or shortcut.
Does Mac dictation need an internet connection?
It may. Look at the text under Dictation in Keyboard settings, which tells you whether you need a connection and whether general dictation is processed on your Mac. Dictating into a search box is treated differently from composing messages and notes.
Can I dictate in any app on my Mac?
Apple says you can dictate anywhere you can type. Click where the text should go first, because Dictation enters text at the insertion point.
Can Mac dictation remove ums and filler words?
Apple's guide doesn't mention it. If you want that, you'll need an app with AI cleanup, such as JuTalk. See JuTalk vs Apple Dictation.
Keep reading
Or read how JuTalk works on the homepage.
Built by Jurij Malovrh in Slovenia. Questions come straight to me at support@jutalk.app.
If you do want more, try JuTalk.
Hold Option, talk, let go. Your words land where you're typing, cleaned up.
JuTalk runs on your Mac
Your free trial only starts when you first sign in on your Mac. No card needed. macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon.
7 days or 1 hour of audio free, whichever runs out first. No card. macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon.