If you have mobility or motor impairments, repetitive stress injuries, or you find typing on a keyboard difficult in any way, there's an alternative. Dictation lets you talk instead of type, and voice-to-text transcribes what you say into words on the screen. It's among the Mac's many accessibility features. All you have to do is set it up and get going.

• Free Dictation Software For Mac
• Dictation Software For Macbook
• Software To Take Dictation On A Mac Computer

How to enable and use Dictation

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Basic dictation is essentially always enabled by default — you just need to activate it.

1. Click into a text area like a document or the address bar of your web browser.
2. Double-press the Fn key. A microphone will appear on your screen and if it's receiving audio, you'll see activity inside of it.

3. Speak the text you want to type. You can speak various punctuation and symbols, including brackets, percent signs, and more. You can also say phrases like 'caps on' to turn on capital letters.

4. Click Done under the microphone icon or press the Fn key once when you're finished dictating.

The more you use Dictation, the more it learns how you speak — like your accent and cadence. It may seem finicky at first, but as you use it more, it'll get better and better. Apple has a great starter guide on how to dictate punctuation and formatting, as well.

If you are looking for an advanced speech recognition software (which is not just for dictation alone) then you can always try Dragon NaturallySpeaking or any other proprietary software. But it’s going to cost you. For instance, Dragon for Mac costs over $200 and Dragon for PC costs over $75. Jul 26, 2019  To use those languages, you can switch to the default dictation option at any time by going to System Preferences Keyboard Dictation Language and selecting your current language from the dropdown menu. How to enable and use Enhanced Dictation. Enhanced Dictation enables you to dictate without an internet connection, and dictate continuously; this means that your words will convert to.

How to change your Dictation language

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Did you know that you can dictate your text in multiple languages? Here's how.

1. Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.

2. Click Keyboard.

3. Click Dictation.

4. Click the drop-down next to Language.

5. Click Add Language…

6. Click the checkboxes next to languages that you wish to add.

7. Click OK.

To use those languages, you can switch to the default dictation option at any time by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation Language and selecting your current language from the dropdown menu.

How to enable and use Enhanced Dictation

Enhanced Dictation enables you to dictate without an internet connection, and dictate continuously; this means that your words will convert to text more quickly since they're being processed locally on your device.

1. Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.

2. Click Keyboard.

3. Click Dictation.

4. Click the checkbox next to Use Enhanced Dictation. Enhanced Dictation will take several minutes to download if you haven't done so already.

Once enabled, you can use Enhanced Dictation the same way you would regular dictation. Press the Fn key twice when your cursor is in a text field. If the microphone shows up, speak what you want to be typed and click Done or press the Fn key once.

How to change the Dictation keyboard shortcut

While the Fn key on your Mac's keyboard is the default trigger for dictation, you can change that in the Dictation section of the keyboard preference pane

1. Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.

2. Click Keyboard.

3. Click Dictation.

4. Click the drop-down menu next to Shortcut.

5. Click an option in the list or click Customize to create your own (seems like only the arrow keys work).

How to enable/disable Dictation Commands

Dictation Commands allow you to do things with your text just by speaking. For example, you can select a whole paragraph, go back to the beginning, or replace a phrase with another phrase.

You can only use Dictation Commands with Enhanced Dictation enabled.

1. Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Click System Preferences.

3. Click Accessibility.

4. Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.

5. Click Dictation Commands…

6. Click the checkbox next to each dictation command you'd like to disable. They're all enabled by default.

7. Click Done in the bottom right corner of the window.

Reading through the Dictation Commands list is a great way to learn all the things you can do with text just by speaking to your Mac. You can also click the checkbox next to Enable advanced commands, which will enable system commands.

How to enable the dictation keyword phrase

Want to feel like you're in a sci-fi movie? Enable the dictation keyword phrase and you'll be able to use dictation commands even when you're not dictating. So you can be all 'computer, replace 'boots' with 'cats',' and the phrase will be replaced in your text. It's a bit finicky, but when it works, it's so cool!

You have to have Enhanced Dictation enabled for this to work.

1. Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Click System Preferences.

3. Click Accessibility.

4. Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.
5. Click the checkbox next to Enable the dictation keyword phrase.

6. Enter a keyword phrase if you want to change it from 'Computer'. (But if you leave it as 'Computer', you sound like the captain of a spaceship!)

Now when your cursor is in a text field, you can just say the keyword phrase and your dictation command and it'll do it.

How to enable a sound when a command is recognized

You have to have Enhanced Dictation enabled for this to work.

1. Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Click System Preferences.

3. Click Accessibility.

4. Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.

5. Click the checkbox next to Play sound when command is recognized.

How to enable/disable output mute during dictation

If you accidentally open a website with an autoplay video or you're listening to music but want to dictate something quickly, you can mute audio output during dictation so that you don't have to manually fiddle around with volume.

You must have Enhanced Dictation enabled to use this feature.

1. Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Click System Preferences.

3. Click Accessibility.

4. Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.

5. Click the checkbox next to Mute audio output while dictating.

Dictation accessibility in macOS Catalina

In macOS Catalina, Apple has opted to change things up a bit regarding dictation and accessibility. While there was previously a section for accessibility options for dictation in System Preferences, those capabilities have been folded into the new Voice Control accessibility feature. Voice Control is a greatly expanded set of capabilities that allow you to control every aspect of your Mac, including text entry, with your voice.

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Questions?

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Dictation questions? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated July 2019: Updated instructions for macOS Mojave and added a section about what's happening with dictation accessibility in macOS Catalina.

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Dictation is quite a helpful accessibility feature, especially if you have trouble using the keyboard. All you need to do is open the document you want to add text to, click Edit > Start Dictation, then say what you want to type to add them to the document. Alternatively, you can press Fn twice to start the dictation. You should see a microphone and an input meter on the screen, indicating that your Mac is listening.

The more you use Dictation, the more it understands you because it slowly learns your accent and other characteristics of your voice. You also need to speak out the punctuations for them to be included in your document.

To set up Dictation on your Mac, follow these steps:

1. From the Apple menu, click System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation.
2. Turn on Dictation.
3. Next, choose whether you want to enable Enhanced Dictation, so you can use the feature even when you’re offline.
4. Select your language and dialect.
5. Select the keyboard shortcut you want to use to start the dictation.
6. Select your preferred microphone by clicking the pop-up menu below the microphone icon.

If you’re running macOS Sierra and you have Siri enabled, you can use it to set up Dictation using commands.

What to Do When Dictation on Mac Is Not Working Properly

Dictation is generally easy to use. Just press your shortcut, then speak what you want to type when you see the microphone icon. Unfortunately, some users reported encountering text doubles in Mac. The problem mostly happens with Safari, but there are reports of the duplicate problem happening in other apps. Dictation sometimes doubles what is being said, with the doubled entry having small blue dots under it.

For example, instead of just typing, dictation sometimes doubles what is being said, you’ll get dictation sometimes doubles what is being said dictation sometimes doubles what is being said. The cursor usually freezes whenever this happens, then you’ll see the duplicated text when the cursor starts working again.

Users noted that Mac Dictation spews out duplicates when using the feature on text boxes in Safari. However, the problem doesn’t happen when entering text in the address bar.

What Causes Duplication in Dictation?

If the problem occurs only in Safari, then the problem might be related to the app itself and not Dictation. But if the duplication problem occurs with other apps, then you might have a faulty Dictation feature.

One of the possible causes of the problem is incorrect keyboard settings. It is also possible that a Dictation feature, such as Enhanced Dictation, is not compatible with your system. A corrupted .plist file or an outdated software can also cause this problem to occur. It is also likely that the duplication issue is being caused by a temporary glitch, which can be easily resolved by rebooting.

How to Fix Text Doubles in Mac

Before trying the solutions below, try performing some basic troubleshooting first to see if the error will go away. Follow these steps:

• Turn off Dictation, then turn it back on. This action usually solves minor issues involving Dictation.
• If it doesn’t work, try turning off the feature, then restart your Mac. Turn the feature back on after rebooting.
• Change your microphone from the Dictation settings. Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation. Click the microphone icon, then choose Internal Microphone instead of Automatic or other external microphone.
• Delete all junk files from your computer using Outbyte MacRepair. These unwanted files can cause problems for your system processes and features, so you should remove them regularly.

If these troubleshooting steps did not work, proceed with the solutions below.

Solution #1: Update or Uninstall the App That’s Causing the Issue.

For some users, the duplication issue only happens with Safari. If this is the case, check if there is an update for that app and install it. Once updated, try using Dictation if the issue has been resolved. If not, try uninstalling then reinstalling the app. Just go to the Applications folder and drag the app icon to the Trash.

Solution #2: Reset Your Dictation Preferences.

A corrupted preferences file or .plist case related to the Dictation feature can lead to a whole slew of troubles. A quick way to fix this is by deleting the preferences file from the Preferences folder. To do this:

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1. From the Finder menu, click Go > Go to Folder. Or you can press Command + Shift + G from the Finder window or your desktop.
2. Type ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.assistant.plist into the dialog box, then press the Go button.
3. Drag the file to the Trash.
4. Turn off Dictation, then restart your Mac.
5. Turn the feature back on after rebooting and check if the error has disappeared.

Solution #3: Delete Your Speech Recognition User Library Cache Folder.

If deleting your .plist file doesn’t work, you should try deleting the speech recognition cache folder next. Follow the steps above to open Go to Folder dialog box, then search for ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.SpeechRecognitionCore. Drag the file to the Trash to delete it.

Solution #4: Turn Off Enhanced Dictation.

For some users, the problem only happens when the Enhanced Dictation option is enabled. Disabling this feature might resolve the problem. Just go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation, then uncheck Enhanced Dictation. Restart your computer and try using Dictation to see if it worked.

Solution #5: Turn Off Key Repeat Under Keyboard Preferences.

This solution worked for a lot of users who were experiencing the duplication issues. To turn off key repeat, follow these steps:

1. Click the Apple menu, then go to System Preferences > Keyboard.
2. Drag the slider to Off.
3. Reboot your Mac and try using Dictation to see if there are still text doubles.

Solution #6: Download Another Language.

Another solution you can try is to download another language pack and install it on your Mac. This should reset your native language pack and hopefully resolve the issue.

To do this:

1. Click the Apple menu, then go to System Preferences > Language & Region.
2. Click the (+) or Add button.
3. Choose the language you want to add, then install it on your computer.
4. Reboot your Mac and see if the duplicate text problem has gone away.

Summary

Dictation is quite a handy feature for when you have trouble typing on your keyboard. But if Dictation on Mac is not working properly, it would cause more harm than good because you have to delete every duplicated phrase. This error can be caused by a lot of factors. But if you’re not sure what’s causing yours, simply work your way down the list above to see which solution works for you.

Software To Take Dictation On A Mac Computer