The Mac dictation keyboard shortcut: what it is, and how to change it
The short answer
The Mac dictation shortcut is not fixed: it is whatever the Shortcut menu in System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation says. You can pick another from that menu, or choose Customize and press your own keys, such as Option-Z. On keyboards with a Microphone key in the function row, pressing and releasing that key also starts Dictation. The same shortcut stops it. Flit, a local dictation app for Mac, uses a held key instead: hold Fn or your own shortcut, speak, and let go.
How to find or change the dictation shortcut
- Choose Apple menu → System Settings and click Keyboard in the sidebar.
- Go to Dictation. If it is off, turn it on and click Enable.
- Look at the Shortcut menu. What it shows is your shortcut now.
- To change it, click the menu and choose another.
- To set your own, choose Customize and press the keys you want. Apple’s example is Option-Z.
- Click into a text field and press the shortcut to test it. Press it again to stop.
No shortcut at hand? Edit → Start Dictation in the menu bar starts it in most apps.
People look for one answer, a key that always starts dictation, and there is not one. It differs by keyboard and by what was chosen when Dictation was turned on. The table lists the ways to start and stop.
Ways to start and stop Dictation
| Way | What to press | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The Microphone key | Press and release it, in the function row | Only on keyboards that have one. Holding it starts Siri |
| The Dictation shortcut | Whatever Keyboard → Dictation → Shortcut shows | Starts and stops |
| The Fn or Globe key, twice | Choose that option in the Shortcut menu | Also changes the "Press 🌐 key to" setting |
| Your own shortcut | Shortcut → Customize, then press the keys | For example Option-Z. It can also go on a mouse button |
| The menu bar | Edit → Start Dictation | Works without any shortcut |
| To stop | Escape, the Microphone key, or the shortcut again | It also stops after 30 seconds without speech |
The shortcut and the Globe key are linked
Choosing a Dictation shortcut can change another setting without telling you. Apple’s page gives the example: choose Press Fn (Function) Key Twice as the shortcut, and the "Press fn key to" option in Keyboard settings changes to Start Dictation by itself.
It works the other way too. If the "Press 🌐 key to" menu is set to show emoji or change the input source, pressing the Globe key does that instead. The Globe key guide covers the four options.
Choosing a custom shortcut
Pick something no app you use already owns. A shortcut that is taken elsewhere will do one job or the other, not both. Option with a letter is Apple’s own example and a reasonable place to start, as long as you do not need the character that combination types.
Whatever you choose is a toggle. Press once to start, and press again to stop. There is no setting that makes Apple’s Dictation listen only while a key is held.
When the shortcut does nothing
Start with the menu item, because it separates the two possibilities. Click into a note and choose Edit → Start Dictation. If that works, Dictation is fine and only the shortcut is wrong.
- Dictation is off. Check the switch in Keyboard → Dictation.
- The shortcut is a different one. Read the Shortcut menu; do not go by memory.
- Voice Control is on, which makes standard Dictation unavailable. Turn it off under Accessibility → Voice Control.
- There is no cursor. Dictation types where the insertion point is, so click into a text field first.
- You are holding the Microphone key. Holding it starts Siri; press and release.
A key you hold, not a shortcut you toggle
Flit is a separate dictation app built around one gesture. You hold a key while you speak and release it when you are done, so there is no second press to remember.
- Hold Fn (the Globe key) to talk, release to finish.
- Or set your own shortcut in Flit’s Settings → Keyboard and hold that instead.
- For long passages, double-tap Fn to keep recording hands-free, and press once to finish.
- Fn shortcuts still work: Flit sees the second key and does not start a dictation.
- Flit is free for 7 days with every feature on, then $19 once, with no account and no subscription.
Good to know
- A custom shortcut in Flit has to be a modifier plus a key, such as Option-Shift-Space. A single key on its own, other than Fn, is not supported.
- Using Fn in Flit means setting "Press 🌐 key to" to Do Nothing, so the key no longer opens emoji with a single press.
- Apple’s Dictation is free and already on your Mac. If it does what you need, you do not need Flit.
- Flit runs on a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later, and its voice model is a download of about 0.5 to 2.3 GB that you choose once.
- Flit’s spoken commands, such as "new paragraph", are in English today.
Questions people ask
What is the keyboard shortcut for dictation on a Mac?
It is whatever the Shortcut menu in System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation shows. It varies by Mac and by what was chosen there. On keyboards with a Microphone key, pressing and releasing that key also starts Dictation.
How do I change the dictation shortcut on a Mac?
Open System Settings → Keyboard, go to Dictation, click the Shortcut menu and choose another, or choose Customize and press the keys you want.
Which key is the dictation key on a MacBook?
On keyboards that have it, it is the Microphone key in the function row. Press and release it. Holding it starts Siri.
Can I start Mac dictation without a keyboard shortcut?
Yes. Click into a text field and choose Edit → Start Dictation in the menu bar.
Can I hold a key to dictate on a Mac, instead of pressing twice?
Not with Apple’s Dictation, where the shortcut starts and stops it. Push-to-talk apps work that way.
Is there a dictation app with a hold-to-talk key?
Yes. Flit is a local dictation app for Mac: hold Fn or a shortcut you choose, speak, and release, and finished text lands in any app. Flit is free for 7 days with every feature on, then $19 once, with no account and no subscription.