Fix Mac Dictation Not Working With Proper And Accessible Solutions

The dictation service of Apple is a convenient option to interact with the computer through spoken words. It saves the time that is required in composing emails or writing down official works. Hence, it seems frustrating when the computer is unable to address the words for you. Mac dictation not working has emerged to be a concerning issue for a large group of Mac users. Some users report that they can’t enable the dictation and discover that the feature is suddenly grayed out. This problem mostly occurs after updating the Mac Operating System. Therefore, we have found out effective solutions and discussed them, in this article, to help you solve this issue.

Solutions to Resolve Mac Dictation not Working Issue

Read this section of the article to resolve the error at the earliest.

Solution 1: Use a Shortcut for Mac Dictation

Go to Finder, click on Menu and select ‘Start Dictation’ under the Edit tab. Press the shortcut key for the Mac Dictation and see whether it works or not. Proceed to the next solution, if the problem continues.

Solution 2: Disable the Problematic Application

Sometimes, some applications might not be compatible with the Mac Dictation. As a result, this feature fails to work correctly or stops working entirely. Hence, follow the steps given below to identify the problematic application and disable them to fix this issue.

1. At the first step close all the running applications on your PC.
2. Go to App Store and select one application at a time and uninstall it.
3. Repeat this step for other applications installed on your PC.
4. Restart the PC after removing each application and test the Mac Dictation. You will thereby identify the conflicting app.
5. Reinstall the remaining apps after identifying the problematic one among them.

Solution 3: Update the App

Sometimes, disabling the problematic applications does not solve this issue. In such a situation, you need to update the outdated apps.

1. So, go to App Store and select an app and click on the ‘Updates’ button.
2. If an update is pending, then click on the ‘Install’ button to get the updates on your PC.
3. Repeat the same steps for other apps installed on the PC.
4. Restart the Mac device and run the Mac Dictation to ensure that the problem is resolved. If not, then move your way down to the method below.

Solution 4: Check the Microphone of the PC

1. Open System Preferences and choose Keyboard or Dictation Speech.
2. Click on the drop-down menu next to Mic Input and choose Internal Microphone.
3. Increase its volume and reduce the sounds according to your surrounding ambiance.
4. Now, dictate something and check whether Mac Dictation has recognized your sound or not.

Solution 5: Turn Off and Re-enable Mac Dictation

1. Navigate to System Preferences, expand it by clicking on the ‘More’ button.
2. Select Keyboard or Dictation and Speech and uncheck the Enhanced Dictation box to disable this feature.
3. After 30 minutes, at least, return to System Preferences and click Keyboard or Dictation and Speech option.
4. Check the box for Enhanced Dictation to enable it again on the PC.
5. Dictate a text to ensure that the Mac Dictation is working correctly.

Solution 6: Add Another Language

According to many users, downloading another language pack and resetting their existing language pack has solved this issue. So, you can give it a try as well.

1. Open System Preferences and turn off Enhanced Dictation.
2. Click on the Add Language button and turn on Enhanced Dictation to force it to download a new Language Recognizer.
3. Your PC might take some time to download and install a new Language Recognizer for the Mac.
4. Restart the PC and check whether the Mac Dictation is working as before or not.

Solution 7: Create a Temporary Admin Account

Create an Admin account on a temporary basis and log in with it to check whether Mac Dictation works or not.

1. So, click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
2. Locate ‘Users and Groups’ and tap the Lock icon at the corner of the System Preferences window.
3. Enter an existing administrator account and its password to unlock the Preferences panel.
4. Then, click on the plus sign next to the ‘Add an account’ option to add another user account.
5. Fill out the respective fields for the new Administrator account and click on the ‘Create User’ button.
6. Restart the Mac device and the new Administrator account will be visible on the Login screens.
7. Login with the new account and turn on Mac Dictation. Hope, it is going to work correctly now.

Solution 8: Change the Account Settings

1. Login with the new temporary Admin account you have created.
2. Convert this account to a non-admin account and disable Parental Controls on it.
3. Change the account back to the normal admin account and reboot the Mac device.
4. Login with the previous Admin account and delete the newly created Admin account.
5. Test the Dictation and move on to the next method if it’s still not working.

Solution 9: Disable the Antivirus

Disable the antivirus to determine whether it is the actual cause of this problem or not.

1. So, right-click on the antivirus icon on the desktop and select ‘Temporarily disable the antivirus’ option.
2. Use the drop-down arrow next to the time period and specify the time for which you would like to disable the antivirus.
3. Click OK to continue with the uninstallation process.
4. Alternatively, go to Options and choose Advanced Settings.
5. Select ‘Temporarily disable antivirus’ and click on the ‘Temporarily disable antivirus’ button.
6. Choose a particular time span and hit the ‘OK’ button to disable the antivirus.

Solution 10: Delete the Speech Recognition User Library Cache Folder

The Speech Recognition User Library Cache folder needs to be deleted periodically. Otherwise, it might generate an issue with the Mac Dictation. So, go to the Library and expand Caches. Then, choose Speech Recognition Core and navigate to the Go Finder menu. Then, click on the ‘Go to Folder’ function and follow the on-screen steps to clear the cache folder.

If your Mac isn’t using an inbuilt-microphone, then you can check whether it is in perfect working condition. You can apply the same solutions for Mac OS X Dictation not working as well. Hope, this article was helpful enough and you can also post your experience on Mac Dictation not working in the feedback section.