Mac dictation not working? How to fix each problem

When dictation on a Mac stops working, the cause is almost always one of five things: Dictation is switched off or the shortcut is wrong, the wrong microphone is selected, the wrong language is set, a restriction has turned it off, or your language is not supported at all. Start with Apple's short checklist below, then find your problem in the sections after it. Most fixes take less than a minute, and most of the settings named here are in System Settings, under Keyboard, then Dictation.

Check these first

Apple's own page, If Dictation on Mac doesn't work as expected, lists the checks below. They fix most problems.

1. Make sure Dictation is turned on in Keyboard settings.
2. Choose the correct language and region, with the Edit button next to Languages.
3. Make sure you are using the right shortcut. The Shortcut menu in the same settings shows which one is set.
4. If you use an external microphone, make sure it is connected and selected, and that its input volume is high enough in System Settings, under Sound, then Input.
5. Make sure nothing covers the microphone, and avoid background noise.
6. Check whether you need an internet connection. The text under the Dictation switch says whether your language is processed on your Mac.

Dictation does not start when I press the shortcut

First, start Dictation another way, to find out whether the problem is the shortcut or Dictation itself. In most apps you can choose Edit, then Start Dictation, from the menu bar. Apple also lists Fn-D as a shortcut that starts and stops dictation. If Dictation starts that way, the problem is your shortcut.

Then open System Settings, click Keyboard, and look at the Shortcut menu in the Dictation section. The choices include pressing the Microphone key, pressing the Control key twice, pressing the Fn (Function) key twice, pressing a Command key twice, and a custom shortcut. Three things commonly get in the way:

• The Microphone key is held instead of pressed. Press it once. Holding it starts Siri, not Dictation.
• Another action uses the same keys. macOS shows "Shortcut used by another action" when two actions clash, and Keyboard Shortcuts marks conflicts with a warning icon. Pick a different shortcut.
• Voice Control is on. Apple says that while Voice Control is on, standard Dictation is not available. Turn Voice Control off in Accessibility settings if you do not need it.

Security software can also block it. Apple says Dictation might not work with Webroot SecureAnywhere installed, and the fix is to pause its Secure Keyboard Entry feature. If you use a keyboard that is not made by Apple, some special keys may need the maker's own keyboard utility.

The Dictation option is greyed out or missing

A greyed-out switch usually means something else has turned Dictation off.

• Screen Time. Open System Settings, then Screen Time, then Content & Privacy. There is a Siri & Dictation switch under Intelligence & Siri in macOS Tahoe 26 and later, and under App & Feature Restrictions in macOS Sequoia 15. If it is off, Dictation cannot be turned on, and macOS may say "Dictation is disabled by Screen Time." Turn it on, or ask whoever manages Screen Time on that Mac.
• A work or school Mac. An organization can turn Dictation off through device management, and macOS then says that the organization managing the Mac has turned off Siri & Dictation features. Only your IT team can change this.
• Voice Control. macOS says "Dictation is not available while Voice Control is enabled." Turn Voice Control off first.
• Your language. Apple says "Dictation is not available in all languages or regions". If yours is not on the list, see the last section of this guide.

Dictation keeps stopping by itself

Mac dictation has no time limit. Apple says you "can dictate text of any length without a timeout", and that it "stops automatically when no speech is detected for 30 seconds." So a long pause while you think is enough to stop it. Press the shortcut again to continue where you left off. You can stop it yourself with the Escape key, the Microphone key or your shortcut.

Some people report that Dictation stops responding after the Mac wakes from sleep, and that a restart fixes it. Apple has not documented this, but a restart is a quick thing to try.

The words come out wrong or in the wrong language

The wrong language is selected. Your Mac writes in the language that is chosen, not the one you speak. If you added several languages, click the language name shown next to your cursor while you dictate, or press the Globe key, and pick the right one. The guide to dictating in multiple languages explains the settings.

One sentence holds two languages. Apple's dictation listens to one language at a time, so the English words in a Hindi or Spanish sentence often come out wrong. Switching languages does not help inside one sentence.

A word is wrong but close. Apple underlines words it is unsure about in blue. Click one to choose another option.

Names come out wrong. Apple's dictation uses the names in your Contacts to help, so a name that is not in Contacts is more likely to be spelled the way it sounds. Apple has no list for adding your own spellings.

Punctuation is missing. Apple adds commas and periods by itself in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and several other languages, but not in Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian or Turkish, among others. In those, you say each mark. The Mac dictation guide has the full lists and the spoken commands.

The microphone is wrong or too quiet

Open System Settings, click Keyboard, and look at Microphone source in the Dictation section. If it says Automatic, your Mac picks the device it thinks you are most likely to use, and that is not always the one you want. Choose the microphone you are actually speaking into.

Two cases catch people out:

• The laptop lid is closed. Apple's security guide says Mac laptops have a hardware disconnect that turns the built-in microphone off whenever the lid is closed. With the lid closed, use an external microphone.
• AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones. Apple says nothing specific about them, but people report that switching Microphone source to the Mac's own microphone fixed their problem at once.

Dictation works in some apps but not others

Apple says you can dictate "anywhere you can type". It does not list apps where Dictation fails, so here is what to check.

• Terminal. If Dictation fails only in Terminal, look in the Terminal menu for Secure Keyboard Entry. Apple says it "can prevent other apps on your Mac from detecting what you type". Turning it off is worth a try. Apple has not said that it blocks Dictation.
• Google Docs. Docs has its own voice typing, under Tools, then Voice typing. Google says it works in the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari, and that an administrator can turn it off for work and school accounts.

Does Mac dictation need the internet?

For many languages, only once. Your Mac downloads a speech model for the language, then processes your voice on the Mac. Fourteen are not processed on your Mac and need a connection every time: Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Mandarin (Taiwan), Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Shanghainese, Slovak and Ukrainian. Even on your Mac, Apple's settings note that information is sent to Apple in some cases. For speech that is processed on Apple's servers, Apple's privacy page says it is not stored unless you opt in to sharing recordings.

When the problem is not a setting at all

Some problems are limits of Apple's dictation, not faults, and no setting fixes them.

• Your language is not supported. Bangla, Urdu, Tamil, Persian and most South Asian languages except Hindi are not on Apple's list.
• Your sentences mix two languages, like Hinglish or Spanglish.
• You want clean text, without the "um" and the sentence you started twice.
• You want to speak one language and paste another.

Lipo, our Mac app, is built for those four cases. It supports 50+ languages, writes mixed sentences in your script, cleans up what you say, and can translate before it pastes. If your problem is one of the settings above, though, Apple's free dictation will work again once you fix it.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my Mac dictation not working?

Usually Dictation is switched off, the shortcut is wrong or taken by another action, the wrong microphone is selected, or the wrong language is set. Check those in System Settings, under Keyboard, then Dictation. If the switch is greyed out, Screen Time, a work profile or Voice Control has turned it off.

Why is Dictation greyed out on my Mac?

Screen Time's Content & Privacy restrictions can block Siri & Dictation, a work or school Mac can have it turned off by the organization, and Dictation is not available while Voice Control is on. Dictation is also not available in every language or region.

Why does Mac dictation keep stopping?

It stops after 30 seconds without speech. There is no other time limit, so press the shortcut again to continue.

How do I start dictation on a Mac without the shortcut?

Choose Edit, then Start Dictation, in the menu bar of most apps. Apple also lists Fn-D as a shortcut that starts and stops dictation.

Does Mac dictation work without internet?

For many languages, yes, after a one-time download of the speech model. Hindi, Indonesian, Polish, Ukrainian and ten others need a connection every time.

Why does dictation not work in Terminal on my Mac?

Apple does not document a Terminal problem. If Secure Keyboard Entry is on in the Terminal menu, try turning it off, because Apple says it can stop other apps from detecting what you type.

Why can't I dictate in Bangla or Urdu on my Mac?

Apple's dictation does not support them. Google Docs voice typing does, inside a Google Doc, and Lipo supports both in any app.