- Best Dictation Software For Mac
- Best Free Dictation Software For Mac 2019 Mac
- Free Dictation Software For Mac
- Best Free Dictation Software 2020
- Medical Dictation Software Mac
- Best Free Dictation Software For Mac 2019 Free
- Voice Dictation Software For Mac
If you have mobility or motor impairments, repetitive stress injuries, or you find typing on a keyboard difficult in any way, there's an alternative. Dictation lets you talk instead of type, and voice-to-text transcribes what you say into words on the screen. It's among the Mac's many accessibility features. All you have to do is set it up and get going.
How to enable and use Dictation
Basic dictation is essentially always enabled by default — you just need to activate it.
Jul 26, 2019 To use those languages, you can switch to the default dictation option at any time by going to System Preferences Keyboard Dictation Language and selecting your current language from the dropdown menu. How to enable and use Enhanced Dictation. Enhanced Dictation enables you to dictate without an internet connection, and dictate continuously; this means that your words will convert to. Dec 24, 2018 For example, you can say 'create bulleted list,' 'select word,' or 'go to end of paragraph.' In our testing, Voice Typing held up well with a natural speaking pace. It's a solid option if you work primarily in Google Docs and are looking for free dictation software. Accuracy: Out of 200 words dictated, only one was incorrect. The Best Voice Recognition Software If you are willing to pay $150 for Dragon, things change completely. Hopefully, its technology will filter down to the free offerings. Jan 20, 2020 11 Best Voice Recognition Tool for Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android. The best part about Voice recognition software is that it converts speech to text and thus saves your time. I have listed some of the best yet free 11 speech recognition software that works with Windows 10, Mac, iPhone, Android, and other operating systems. Aug 22, 2018 Transcription software is invaluable if you need to convert an audio or video recording into usable text. The best transcription services can save you a ton of time and effort.
- Click into a text area like a document or the address bar of your web browser.
- Double-press the Fn key. A microphone will appear on your screen and if it's receiving audio, you'll see activity inside of it.
- Speak the text you want to type. You can speak various punctuation and symbols, including brackets, percent signs, and more. You can also say phrases like 'caps on' to turn on capital letters.
- Click Done under the microphone icon or press the Fn key once when you're finished dictating.
The more you use Dictation, the more it learns how you speak — like your accent and cadence. It may seem finicky at first, but as you use it more, it'll get better and better. Apple has a great starter guide on how to dictate punctuation and formatting, as well.
How to change your Dictation language
Did you know that you can dictate your text in multiple languages? Here's how.
Best Dictation Software For Mac
- Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.
- Click Keyboard.
- Click Dictation.
- Click the drop-down next to Language.
- Click Add Language…
- Click the checkboxes next to languages that you wish to add.
- Click OK.
To use those languages, you can switch to the default dictation option at any time by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation Language and selecting your current language from the dropdown menu.
How to enable and use Enhanced Dictation
Enhanced Dictation enables you to dictate without an internet connection, and dictate continuously; this means that your words will convert to text more quickly since they're being processed locally on your device.
- Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.
- Click Keyboard.
- Click Dictation.
- Click the checkbox next to Use Enhanced Dictation. Enhanced Dictation will take several minutes to download if you haven't done so already.
Once enabled, you can use Enhanced Dictation the same way you would regular dictation. Press the Fn key twice when your cursor is in a text field. If the microphone shows up, speak what you want to be typed and click Done or press the Fn key once.
How to change the Dictation keyboard shortcut
While the Fn key on your Mac's keyboard is the default trigger for dictation, you can change that in the Dictation section of the keyboard preference pane
- Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.
- Click Keyboard.
- Click Dictation.
- Click the drop-down menu next to Shortcut.
- Click an option in the list or click Customize to create your own (seems like only the arrow keys work).
How to enable/disable Dictation Commands
Dictation Commands allow you to do things with your text just by speaking. For example, you can select a whole paragraph, go back to the beginning, or replace a phrase with another phrase.
You can only use Dictation Commands with Enhanced Dictation enabled.
- Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
- Click System Preferences.
- Click Accessibility.
- Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.
- Click Dictation Commands…
- Click the checkbox next to each dictation command you'd like to disable. They're all enabled by default.
- Click Done in the bottom right corner of the window.
Reading through the Dictation Commands list is a great way to learn all the things you can do with text just by speaking to your Mac. You can also click the checkbox next to Enable advanced commands, which will enable system commands.
How to enable the dictation keyword phrase
Want to feel like you're in a sci-fi movie? Enable the dictation keyword phrase and you'll be able to use dictation commands even when you're not dictating. So you can be all 'computer, replace 'boots' with 'cats',' and the phrase will be replaced in your text. It's a bit finicky, but when it works, it's so cool!
You have to have Enhanced Dictation enabled for this to work.
- Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
- Click System Preferences.
- Click Accessibility.
- Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.
- Click the checkbox next to Enable the dictation keyword phrase.
- Enter a keyword phrase if you want to change it from 'Computer'. (But if you leave it as 'Computer', you sound like the captain of a spaceship!)
Now when your cursor is in a text field, you can just say the keyword phrase and your dictation command and it'll do it.
How to enable a sound when a command is recognized
You have to have Enhanced Dictation enabled for this to work.
- Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
- Click System Preferences.
- Click Accessibility.
- Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.
- Click the checkbox next to Play sound when command is recognized.
Best Free Dictation Software For Mac 2019 Mac
How to enable/disable output mute during dictation
If you accidentally open a website with an autoplay video or you're listening to music but want to dictate something quickly, you can mute audio output during dictation so that you don't have to manually fiddle around with volume.
You must have Enhanced Dictation enabled to use this feature.
- Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
- Click System Preferences.
- Click Accessibility.
- Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.
- Click the checkbox next to Mute audio output while dictating.
Dictation accessibility in macOS Catalina
In macOS Catalina, Apple has opted to change things up a bit regarding dictation and accessibility. While there was previously a section for accessibility options for dictation in System Preferences, those capabilities have been folded into the new Voice Control accessibility feature. Voice Control is a greatly expanded set of capabilities that allow you to control every aspect of your Mac, including text entry, with your voice.
Great accessories for your Mac
Apple AirPods 2(From $159 at Apple)
The best Apple accessory has gotten betting with AirPods 2. Now offering a wireless charger case, the popular earbuds feature the new Apple H1 headphone chip that delivers a faster wireless connection to your devices, as well as support for 'Hey Siri.'
Bose Companion 20($250 at Amazon)
These beautiful speakers offer a balanced sound in a stylish package. With no knobs on the front, a small pod attached to the right speaker controls volume, which also holds the ports for your headphones or other audio devices.
Questions?
Dictation questions? Let us know in the comments below!
Updated July 2019: Updated instructions for macOS Mojave and added a section about what's happening with dictation accessibility in macOS Catalina.
macOS Catalina
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Contents List
- 1 Best Speech to Text Software List of 2020
Do you need a speech to text software, but don’t have enough money to spend on it? If yes, then you must read on this entire blog post. Luckily, there are a good number of tools available that allows you to convert your speech into text. These applications would allow you to enhance your productivity as well as makes your work easy and effective. You can stop wasting a chunk of your time and start saving it using the best speech to text software of 2020 which we are going to provide as follows:
Best Speech to Text Software List of 2020
Free Dictation Software For Mac
1. Google Docs Voice Typing
In this modern era, a lot of people rely on Google Docs to do their work, then why not using the Google Docs voice typing for converting our speech to text. It has 100s of voice commands which lets you change the way you speak while using this software. Aside from that, you can add bullet points, format text and bold text using the tactics provided by them. In order to use speech to text tool, you just need to navigate to the tools option and then choose Voice Typing from there.
Best Free Dictation Software 2020
2. Speech Notes
Speech Notes is another best speech to text software of 2020 which allows you to convert your speech into text with almost 90% accuracy. The interface is quite simple, clean and easy to use that even a casual user can use it easily. The best part is that it automatically capitalize the first letter of the sentences. Aside from that, it saves your documents automatically to save your time and efforts. You can send your speech notes to an email address or print them directly.
3. Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is one of the best speech to text software that uses Siri’s servers in order to dictate your voice on a sheet. The best part is that it has an enhanced dictation feature which allows you to create long content by just using your voice. Another interesting feature is that you can use it even when you don’t have a working internet connection access to your device. However, it’s a great speech to text software, but the downside is that you can only use it on a MAC.
4. Windows Speech Recognition
Windows Speech Recognition is an excellent inbuilt tool which comes pre-installed in almost every Windows device. It lets you control and dictate it on any browser or program. You can also activate the Windows personal assistant which will help you to use the Windows Speech Recognition tool. In order to set up the Windows Speech Recognition tool, you just need to go through Programs>Accesories>Ease of Access>Speech Recognition tool. Once you have set it up, then you can start using it for converting your speech into text.
Medical Dictation Software Mac
5. e-Speaking
Best Free Dictation Software For Mac 2019 Free
e-Speaking is another best tool of 2020 which you can use to dictate your voice on your computer screen. Unlike other dictation tools, it has a lot of advanced tools and options to offer. It has 100s of commands like the open internet or open excel which makes your work even faster than before. Besides that, you can also add some more commands using the options provided to you. These options will help you to take more control over your projects which will eventually improve your overall performance.
Conclusion
Voice Dictation Software For Mac
That’s it! These are the best speech to text software of 2020 which you can use to convert speech into text. I hope this post will help you to find the best tool for yourself. If you liked this post, then share it with others who are still looking for the same. Also, if you face any issues, then let me know in the comment section below. We would be happy to help you again.