Dictation guides for Mac
Short, practical guides to voice dictation on a Mac, from turning it on to keeping it private.
- How to choose a dictation app for MacThere is no single best dictation app for Mac. Choose by what matters to you: Apple Dictation if you want free and built in, Kords if you want private, on-device and free to start, Superwhisper if you want to run speech models yourself, and Wispr Flow if you need Windows or mobile too.
- How to dictate on a MacTo dictate on a Mac, open System Settings, choose Keyboard, switch Dictation on, click into any text field and press the Dictation shortcut. Speak, then press it again to stop. For hold-to-talk dictation in every app, with your own dictionary and tidy-up, add an app like Kords.
- Dictation for students on MacDictation lets you draft essays, notes and dissertations by speaking: hold a key, say your argument out loud, and the text appears wherever your cursor is, in Pages, Word, Notion or a browser. Kords is free to start, works on your Mac, and leaves your words as you said them.
- Voice dictation for dyslexia, RSI and accessibility on MacVoice dictation can make writing easier for people who find typing slow, tiring or painful, including some people with dyslexia or repetitive strain injury. On a Mac you can use Apple's built-in Dictation and Voice Control, or an app like Kords, which adds hold-to-talk, a hands-free lock and mouse-button shortcuts.
- Private voice dictation for MacPrivate voice dictation means your speech is turned into text on your own Mac and nothing is kept elsewhere. Kords works that way by default: on-device dictation sends no audio anywhere. Cloud mode is optional, and it processes your audio on a server and then discards it.
- Dictate to ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools on MacYou can dictate prompts to ChatGPT, Claude or any AI chat box on a Mac by speaking instead of typing: click into the box, hold your dictation shortcut, talk, and let go. Kords types the text at your cursor in the browser or desktop app, and can press Return for you if you choose.
- British English dictation for MacFor British English dictation on a Mac, set your Mac's language to English (UK) and region to United Kingdom, then dictate. Kords follows your Mac's language and region, and in Cloud mode asks for British spelling and pound signs, so “colour” and “£6.99” come out as you would write them.