Step 3: To change the language while you’re dictating, click the current language below the microphone icon and select a new one. Step 2: Press the key combination or choose Edit > Start Dictation from the menu bar, and you’ll see a small microphone icon appear on the screen.īegin speaking, and you’ll see your text appear in the app and the icon fluctuate for volume as you speak. Step 1: Place your cursor in the app where you want to speak the text. Once you have dictation enabled, you can simply use the keyboard shortcut to begin using it. Should you choose to turn off keyboard dictation later, return to the Keyboard settings in System Preferences and select Off on the Dictation tab. When you finish, close the System Preferences window, and you’re set. Step 7: To use a specific microphone for the input, click the Drop-Down Arrow below the Microphone icon on the left.
![shortcut for dictation on mac shortcut for dictation on mac](https://imgix-blog.setapp.com/apple-dictation.png)
You can also set your own keyboard shortcut by selecting Customize and entering the combination you want to use. Step 6: To use a different keyboard shortcut to turn on dictation, click the Shortcut drop-down box and choose the one you want. Step 5: To use a different language, click the Language drop-down box and either pick a language from the list or select Customize to add one. If you want to continue, click Enable Dictation. Step 4: You’ll see a pop-up message letting you know that what you dictate will be sent to Apple to convert it to text. Step 2: Select the Dictation tab in the keyboard settings. Step 1: Open your System Preferences using the icon in your Dock or the Apple icon in the menu bar, and choose Keyboard. The keyboard dictation is a feature that you need to turn on in order to use.
SHORTCUT FOR DICTATION ON MAC HOW TO
Let’s take a look at how to use dictation on a Mac, along with some common commands. You can also adjust settings for a keyboard shortcut to activate dictation and the language you speak. With the dictation feature included in your keyboard settings, you can speak your text in apps like Pages, Notes, and Mail. If you want to try dictation on your Mac, you can use a handy built-in tool, so you don’t need a third-party app or dictation software.
![shortcut for dictation on mac shortcut for dictation on mac](https://cri.dev/assets/images/posts/mac-move-focus-to-next-window.png)
It allows you to dictate documents, emails, and even text messages rather than typing them. In addition, a quick demonstration, illustrates how easy it is to use this technology to quickly create text.Īgain - If you would like my 2-page summary of the common Dictation Commands, CLICK HERE.Using speech-to-text has become a popular way to use dictation on a Mac. I also offer an adjoining video blog on this topic. To top it off, you can even create your own commands. Other advanced tasks can also be enabled such as switching apps, navigating in windows, or searching using Spotlight. For instance, you can say commands to open an application (e.g., “open mail”), search the internet (e.g., “search global warming”), and ask Siri a question (e.g., “start Siri”). When this feature is enabled, you can use spoken commands to perform tasks on the Mac. I find that most students can learn it quite quickly. There is a little bit of a learning curve, as one needs to get comfortable speaking clearly, verbalizing punctuation, pausing between ideas, and gaining proficiency with voice commands. Why is Dictation a Great Option for Individuals with Dyslexia?ĭictation is a great option for individuals with dyslexia, because they can focus on ideas and not be distracted by spelling or typing. Again, to make it easy for you, I created a downloadable document with many of the common commands.
![shortcut for dictation on mac shortcut for dictation on mac](https://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Mac-OS-X-Dictation.jpg)
One should note, however, that punctuation needs to be verbalized as well as other directives such as formatting, mathematical symbols, emoticons, currency and some symbols. When you’re done, say “Stop dictating” or press the dictation keyboard shortcut - (default is select fn key twice)ĭictation is a great way for users to capture the spoken word as text on the screen. You can also conduct a specific search by saying, “How do I ?” For example, you can say “How do I select text?” to see commands related to highlighting text. When dictation is enabled, you can also display a list of commands by simply saying, “ Show commands.” This will trigger a menu box of dictation commands that will appear on your screen (as seen in the image to the right). I limited it to two pages, so that it could be printed on a single piece of paper (front and back). To make it easy for you, I created a downloadable document with many of the common commands. There is a comprehensive list of commands that are worth committing to memory or having handy on a printout when using this accessibility tool.