Change Keyboard Dictation preferences on Mac
On your Mac, use Dictation preferences to turn on Dictation and choose a language and keyboard shortcut to use when you dictate. See Dictate your messages and documents.
To open Dictation preferences, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Dictation.
Open the Dictation pane for me
Option | Description | ||||||||||
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Microphone | Click the pop-up menu below the microphone icon, then choose a microphone. If you choose Automatic, your Mac listens to the device you’re most likely to use for keyboard dictation. | ||||||||||
Dictation | Turn keyboard dictation on and off. | ||||||||||
Language | Choose a language. Keyboard dictation is not available in all languages. If you don’t see the language you want in the pop-up menu, choose Add Language or Customize to download it. You can download multiple languages. If you no longer want to use a language you downloaded, you can remove it. Click the Language pop-up menu, choose Customize, then deselect the language you don’t want to use. | ||||||||||
Shortcut | By default, you press the Fn (Function) key twice to start or stop keyboard dictation. If you like, you can choose a different shortcut from the pop-up menu. To create a shortcut that’s not in the list, choose Customize, then press the keys you want to use. For example, you could press Option-Z. | ||||||||||
About Dictation & Privacy | Click to learn how keyboard dictation sends the things you say to Apple to process your requests, and what other information is sent. This other information can include your name or names of your contacts (if you’ve added them to Contacts) in order to understand you better and recognize what you say. |
To share or stop sharing audio recordings with Apple at any time, select or deselect the Improve Siri & Dictation checkbox in the Analytics & Improvements section of Privacy preferences. See Change Privacy preferences.