If Dictation on Mac doesn’t work as expected
If you’re having trouble using Dictation on your Mac, something may not be set up correctly. Here are some solutions to try:
Be sure Dictation is turned on in Keyboard settings.
Note: If you can’t turn on Dictation, Screen Time Content & Privacy Restrictions may be preventing you from using it. A family organizer for a Family Sharing group can set up Screen Time for a child and restrict access to Siri & Dictation. See Change App Restrictions settings in Screen Time. Also, when Voice Control is on, you can’t use Dictation.
Choose the correct language and dialect. See Dictate messages and documents.
Note: Dictation stops automatically when no speech is detected for 30 seconds.
Be sure you’re using the correct dictation keyboard shortcut.
Be sure your system has a valid internet connection—choose Apple menu
in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Tip: If you need to dictate text when you’re offline, use Voice Control. See Control your Mac and apps using Voice Control.
On a Mac with Apple silicon, dictation requests are processed on your device in many languages—no internet connection is required. When dictating in a search box, dictated text may be sent to the search provider in order to process the search.