Customize Siri on Mac
When you turn on Siri, you can customize your Siri settings—for example, add it to the menu bar, choose how to activate it and how it sounds, and more.
Add Siri to the menu bar
Go to the System Settings app
on your Mac.
Click Menu Bar
in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Below Menu Bar Controls, select Siri.
Turn on “Hey Siri” or “Siri” on Mac
If available for your device and language, you can choose to activate Siri by using “Hey Siri” or “Siri.”
Note: “Hey Siri” or “Siri” may not be available for your device, language, or region. To check whether “Hey Siri” or “Siri” is available, see the macOS Feature Availability website.
Go to the System Settings app
Click Siri in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Click Requests, then choose the phrase you want to speak to start using Siri.
Follow the onscreen instructions to finish setting up “Hey Siri” or “Siri.”
Note: When “Siri” or “Hey Siri” is on and you turn on “Allow Siri when locked,” you can also use Siri even if your Mac is locked or in sleep.
Change Siri’s language
You can further customize Siri by choosing the language Siri uses.
Go to the System Settings app
Click Siri in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Click Language, then choose an option.
Change Siri’s voice
You can further customize Siri by choosing the voice Siri uses.
Go to the System Settings app
Click Siri in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Do any of the following:
Change the variation: Click Variation, then select an option.
Change the voice: Click Voice, then select an option.
Use Siri Expressive Voices* (Siri AI only): Click Voice, then adjust Voice, Pace, and Expressivity settings until they sound just right to you.
Note: Siri Expressive Voices are available with Siri AI (Beta) on Mac models with M3 or later with at least 12 GB of unified memory. Available in English only, for American and British voices, to start.
Change how Siri responds
You can choose to have Siri always respond silently or speak back when you provide voice input. You can also automatically send messages without Siri asking you to confirm and have Siri read messages in a different language.
Note: The options you see depend on the version of Siri you’re using.
Go to the System Settings app
on your Mac.
Click Siri in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Click Responses, then do any of the following:
Have Siri respond aloud: Choose Prefer Spoken Responses.If Siri AI is turned on, choose Spoken Response.
Have Siri respond silently: Choose Prefer Silent Responses. If Siri AI is turned on, choose Silent Response.
See your request onscreen: Turn on Always Show Request.
Change Visual Intelligence settings
With Siri AI, you can use Visual Intelligence to search for items similar to those that appear in screenshots.
Go to the System Settings app
Click Siri in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Turn Automatic Visual Look Up on or off.
Exclude apps from Siri, Search, and suggestions
When you give Siri access to an app, Siri can find information and take action in that app. Siri can also suggest what you might want to do next, even before you ask. If you don’t want Siri to access an app or its data, you can add the app to Excluded Apps. Excluded apps aren’t available to Siri, Search, or suggestions. All apps are included by default, and you can change which apps Siri can access at any time.
Note: Siri is designed to protect your privacy and keep you in control of your personal data by giving you control over what you share. To learn more, see the Search & Privacy website.
Go to the System Settings app
Click Siri in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Click Excluded Apps.
Select an app, then do any of the following:
Restrict Siri’s access to specific apps: Click Add Apps, select apps from the list, then click Done.
Remove restrictions to apps: Click Edit, click
, then click Delete. When you’re finished making changes, click Done.
Turn Suggestions on or off
When Suggestions are on, you get suggested actions even before you ask. Suggestions can appear in apps, Search, or in widgets. For example, when you get an invitation in Mail, you’re asked if you want to add it to your calendar. Suggestions are on by default, but you can turn them off at any time.
Go to the System Settings app
Click Siri in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Click Suggestions, then turn them on or off for each app.
To learn more about how Apple protects your information and lets you choose what you share, click About Improve Siri and Dictation & Privacy. Or see the Apple Privacy website.
If you’re the family organizer for a Family Sharing group, you can set up parental controls on your child’s device and restrict access to Siri & Dictation. See Change Intelligence & Siri settings in Screen Time.