How to dictate on a Mac (2026)

You have two ways to dictate on a Mac. One is the Dictation feature Apple ships with macOS. The other is a third-party app that runs its own speech model. This guide covers both, with Apple's limits taken from Apple's own pages.

How do you turn on Apple's built-in Dictation?

You turn it on in System Settings under Keyboard. It takes about a minute.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
2. Click Keyboard in the sidebar.
3. Turn on Dictation.
4. Pick a language and note the shortcut. On keyboards with a microphone key, that key starts dictation.
5. Click into any text field, press the key, and speak.

Apple's Dictation guide covers the details for every macOS version from Catalina onwards.

What can Apple's Dictation do?

It types what you say into any text field, at no cost, with nothing to install. According to Apple's guide:

• You can dictate text of any length without a timeout.
• It inserts commas, periods and question marks for you in supported languages. You can turn that off.
• You can say "new line" and "new paragraph", and name punctuation marks.
• You can say things like "heart emoji" in supported languages.
• On Apple Silicon Macs you can keep typing on the keyboard while dictating.

That is a solid feature set for a tool that is already on your Mac.

What are the real limits of Apple's Dictation?

The two limits Apple documents are a silence timeout and server processing on some Mac and language combinations.

It stops after 30 seconds of silence. Apple says Dictation "stops automatically when no speech is detected for 30 seconds" (source). You will read on other sites that Mac dictation stops after 30 seconds of talking. That is wrong. The limit is on silence. It still bites if you pause to think.

Your audio may go to Apple. Apple's privacy page for Siri and Dictation says your device will indicate in Keyboard settings if audio and transcripts are processed on the device. Otherwise, what you dictate is sent to and processed on Apple's servers. Apple says it is not stored unless you opt in to Improve Siri and Dictation. Apple does keep some request metadata for up to two years.

On-device support varies by language. Apple's feature availability page lists Dictation for 54 language variants and on-device Dictation for 49, with a speech model download required.

One more thing. Apple's Dictation guide does not describe removing filler words, rewriting text for a specific app, or transcribing audio files. Dictation gives you what you said, ums included.

When is a third-party dictation app worth it?

A third-party app is worth it when you dictate daily and want one of three things: recognition that always stays on the Mac, cleaner output, or different formatting per app.

There are two kinds of apps. Cloud apps send your audio to a server and return polished text. Local apps download a speech model once and run it on your Mac. The comparison of Mac dictation apps goes through the main options.

How do you dictate with Gabble?

You hold a key, talk, and let go. The text is pasted into the app in front.

1. Download Gabble and open it.
2. Grant the two permissions it asks for: Microphone, and Accessibility. Accessibility is what lets it see the dictation key and paste into other apps.
3. Let it download the default speech model, Parakeet v3. It is about 480 MB and downloads once.
4. Click into any text field. Hold Right Option, speak, and release.
5. For longer dictation, tap the key quickly to go hands-free. Tap it again to finish. Press Esc to cancel.

Gabble uses the clipboard to paste, then restores whatever was on it before.

Two differences from Apple's Dictation are worth knowing before you switch. Gabble shows the text after you stop speaking, not word by word as you talk. And it only runs on Apple Silicon Macs. There is no Intel, Windows or iOS version.

Which one should you use?

Use Apple's Dictation if you dictate now and then and Keyboard settings confirms on-device processing for your language. It is already there and it works.

Try Gabble if you dictate a lot, want the ums removed without touching the text yourself, or want the audio to stay on your Mac regardless of language settings. The setup for specific apps is in how to dictate into any Mac app, and the offline details are in offline dictation on Mac.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn on dictation on my Mac?

Open System Settings, click Keyboard, and turn on Dictation. Then put the cursor in a text field and press the microphone key, or the shortcut shown in the Dictation settings.

Is dictation on Mac free?

Yes. Apple's Dictation is part of macOS and costs nothing. Gabble is also free and needs no account.

Does Mac dictation work offline?

It depends on your Mac and language. Apple says Keyboard settings will tell you if audio is processed on the device. Otherwise what you say is sent to Apple's servers.

Why does Mac dictation stop by itself?

Apple's Dictation stops automatically when it hears no speech for 30 seconds. There is no limit on how long you can talk, only on how long you can stay silent.

Can I dictate into any app on a Mac?

Yes. Apple's Dictation types into any text field. Gabble pastes the finished text into whichever app is in front when you release the dictation key.

What is the best free dictation app for Mac?

Apple's Dictation is the easiest because nothing needs installing. If you want speech recognition that always runs on the Mac, plus cleanup of ums and repeated words, Gabble is free on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later.