December 2025 · 5 min read

Mac Dictation Not Working? 7 Fixes That Actually Work

Mac's built-in dictation suddenly stopped working? You're not alone. Here are the most common causes and proven fixes - plus a better alternative if you're tired of fighting with it.

Quick Jump to Fixes

Check Microphone Permissions
Toggle Dictation Off and On
Check Language Settings
Fix Siri/Dictation Conflicts
Reset Speech Recognition
Check for macOS Updates
Try an Alternative App

Common Symptoms

Pressing the dictation key does nothing
Microphone icon appears but no text is transcribed
Dictation works for a few words then stops
"Dictation is not available" error
Only works in some apps, not others
Extremely slow or laggy transcription

1 Check Microphone Permissions

Most common cause: macOS blocked microphone access for the app you're using.

Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
Go to Privacy & Security → Microphone
Make sure the app you're trying to dictate in has a checkmark
If the app isn't listed, try opening it and triggering dictation - it should prompt for permission

Also check: Privacy & Security → Speech Recognition - some apps need this permission too.

2 Toggle Dictation Off and On

The classic "turn it off and on again" often works because it resets the dictation service.

Open System Settings → Keyboard
Scroll to Dictation
Toggle it OFF
Wait 10 seconds
Toggle it back ON
If prompted to download language files, let it complete

3 Check Language Settings

Dictation may fail if there's a mismatch between your keyboard language and dictation language.

Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation
Check which language is selected
Click the language dropdown and ensure it matches what you speak
Try removing and re-adding your language

Tip: If you're bilingual, add multiple languages. Mac can auto-detect, but having the right primary language helps accuracy.

4 Fix Siri/Dictation Conflicts

Siri and Dictation can interfere with each other, especially if they share the same activation key.

Go to System Settings → Siri & Spotlight
Check the "Listen for" setting and keyboard shortcut
Make sure Siri's shortcut is different from Dictation's
Try disabling "Listen for Siri" temporarily to test

Default shortcuts: Dictation is usually Fn Fn (press Fn twice), Siri is often Hold Fn.

5 Reset Speech Recognition Cache

Corrupted cache files can break dictation. Deleting them forces macOS to rebuild fresh.

Open Finder
Press Cmd + Shift + G to open "Go to Folder"
Type: ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.SpeechRecognitionCore
Delete the contents of this folder (if it exists)
Also try: ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.speech* - move these files to Desktop as backup
Restart your Mac

Note: This may require re-downloading dictation language files after restart.

6 Check for macOS Updates

Apple occasionally breaks dictation in updates, then fixes it in subsequent patches.

Go to System Settings → General → Software Update
Install any available updates
Restart after updating

If dictation broke after a recent update, check Apple forums - you may need to wait for a fix, or try the cache reset above.

7 Use a Different Dictation App

Sometimes the built-in dictation is just unreliable. Third-party apps often work better because they:

Don't depend on Apple's buggy speech services
Use more accurate AI models (like Whisper)
Work offline without internet dependency
Are more consistently maintained

Why Built-in Mac Dictation Fails

Apple's dictation has fundamental issues:

Server dependency: Standard dictation sends audio to Apple servers - if your internet hiccups, it fails
Enhanced Dictation removed: Apple removed the offline "Enhanced Dictation" option in newer macOS versions
Conflicts with Siri: Siri and Dictation share infrastructure and often interfere
Update breakage: Nearly every major macOS update breaks something in dictation
Limited to text fields: Only works in certain contexts, not truly system-wide

A Better Alternative: Local Whisper-Based Apps

If you're tired of Mac dictation randomly breaking, consider apps that use OpenAI's Whisper model running locally on your Mac:

100% offline: No internet required, no server dependency
More accurate: Whisper handles accents, technical terms, and background noise better
Always works: No conflicts with Siri or Apple services
True system-wide: Works in any app, any text field
Privacy: Audio never leaves your Mac

Tired of Dictation Problems?

Voicci uses Whisper AI running locally on your Mac. No internet, no Apple servers, no random failures.

Try Free for 7 Days

Still Not Working?

If none of the fixes work:

Test with a new user account: Create a temporary user account and try dictation there. If it works, the issue is with your user profile settings.
Safe Mode test: Restart holding Shift to boot in Safe Mode. Try dictation - if it works, a third-party app or extension is interfering.
Contact Apple Support: If dictation is completely broken system-wide, it may be a hardware microphone issue.

Or, save yourself the troubleshooting headache and switch to a dedicated transcription app that just works.