Voice typing not working on Mac? Fix it in this order

If voice typing stopped working on your Mac, open System Settings › Keyboard, scroll to Dictation, and check three things: the switch is on, the Shortcut is one you're actually pressing, and Microphone source points at a mic that's connected. That fixes most cases in under a minute.

On a phone, the usual cause is a permission. iPhone hides the mic button when Enable Dictation is off; Android shows "no permissions to enable voice typing" when the voice service can't use the microphone. Both fixes are further down.

Menu paths below are from Apple's current Mac and iPhone guides, Google's Android and Gboard help, and Microsoft's Windows support pages, checked November 2026. They match macOS 14 Sonoma and macOS 15 Sequoia; newer macOS versions keep the same Keyboard › Dictation layout.

#The 60-second check on a Mac

1. Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Keyboard and scroll to Dictation. Turn it on if it's off. The first time, macOS may need a minute to download the language.
2. Look at Shortcut. If it's set to press fn twice and you're on an external keyboard, the keyboard may not send fn at all. Pick Press Control Key Twice or Customize and record something like ⌥Z.
3. Open Microphone source in the same section and choose your Mac's built-in mic for the test.
4. Click into a TextEdit document and choose Edit › Start Dictation. If words appear, the problem was the shortcut or the app you were in. If nothing appears, carry on below.

#When nothing happens at all

The fn key is doing something else

Further up the Keyboard page there's Press 🌐 key to (or Press fn key to). If it's set to show the emoji picker or change the input source, that action can take the key before Dictation sees it. Set it to Start Dictation or Do Nothing, or move Dictation to a different shortcut. Our fn key and emoji picker fix walks through each option.

Voice Control is on

Apple's guide is explicit: when Voice Control is turned on, standard Dictation isn't available, and Voice Control handles dictation instead. If you turned it on once to try it, go to System Settings › Accessibility › Voice Control and switch it off.

A managed Mac has it blocked

Work and school Macs can disable Dictation through a profile or Screen Time content restrictions. If the Dictation section is greyed out, that's the likely reason, and only your administrator can change it.

#When it starts but types nothing

The microphone hears silence

Open System Settings › Sound › Input, select the same microphone Dictation uses, and talk. If the level meter doesn't move, Dictation isn't the problem. Common causes: a headset that's switched off but still selected, a display or dock that reports a mic it doesn't have, or AirPods that connected to another device. Our Bluetooth microphone guide covers headsets in detail.

The app won't accept the text

Some fields don't take dictated text well: certain web apps, terminals, games and remote-desktop windows. If dictation works in TextEdit but not in one app, it's that app. The text not appearing guide goes through those cases.

It's the wrong language

Under Dictation › Languages (click Edit), make sure the language you're speaking is selected. If you've added two, the small language label next to the cursor shows which one is listening; click it to switch. A Spanish speaker dictating into an English-only setup gets nonsense, not silence.

#When it works, then stops

Apple's Dictation stops on its own after 30 seconds with no speech. If you pause to read a document or think, it times out and you have to start it again. It can also stop when you switch apps. Mac dictation keeps stopping has the full list.

If none of the above helps, turn Dictation off, restart the Mac, and turn it back on. That makes macOS set it up from scratch, and it clears a surprising number of "it worked yesterday" cases. Then check System Settings › General › Software Update, since Dictation bugs get fixed in point releases.

#Talk to text not working on an iPhone

1. Open Settings › General › Keyboard and turn on Enable Dictation. If it was off, the mic button on the keyboard is simply missing.
2. Test in Notes. Tap the mic on the keyboard and speak. Dictation stops by itself after 30 seconds of silence.
3. If the mic shows but nothing types, check that the keyboard language matches the language you're speaking. Dictation follows the keyboard you're using.
4. In a search box, dictated text may be sent to the search engine, so test in Notes rather than Safari's address bar.

#"No permissions to enable voice typing" on Android

That message means the voice typing service isn't allowed to use the microphone. Google's steps for changing app permissions:

1. Open Settings and tap Apps (tap See all apps if you don't see it).
2. Tap the app, then Permissions.
3. Tap Microphone and choose Allow.

Do this for Gboard and for the Google app, then open any text field and tap the microphone at the top of the keyboard. When you see "Speak now", talk.

#Voice typing not working on Windows

Press WindowsH with your cursor in a text box and wait for "Listening..." before you speak. Microsoft says standard voice typing uses online speech recognition, so it needs an internet connection and a working microphone. If the mic is fine and it still fails, check Wi-Fi first. Sayburst is Mac-only, so on Windows stick with the built-in tool.

#When the built-in tool is enough

If you dictate a few messages a day and the fixes above worked, keep using Apple's Dictation. It's free, it runs on the Mac on Apple silicon in many languages, and it's already on your keyboard.

The trouble starts when you dictate for real work. The 30-second timeout cuts you off mid-thought. A dropped Bluetooth connection loses what you said. Fillers stay in, and names come out wrong every single time.

#A Mac setup that's harder to break

Sayburst changes the model: you hold fn, talk, and let go. There's no listening state to time out, because recording lasts exactly as long as you hold the key. Speech is transcribed on your Mac with Parakeet or Whisper, then cleaned up before it's typed.

Here's the kind of thing that breaks Apple's Dictation, said in one go with a long pause in the middle:

"The client wants the, um... (long pause while you check the brief) ...the revised logo files by Thursday, sorry, by Wednesday end of day, and they want the PNG and the SVG"

What Sayburst inserts:

The client wants the revised logo files by Wednesday end of day, and they want the PNG and the SVG.

It also covers the failures in this guide:

• Wrong mic: pick any microphone in Sayburst. If it's unplugged mid-recording, Sayburst stops and keeps what you said.
• Text didn't land: if the app wouldn't take it, or you switched apps, the dictation is kept and offered back, and ⌃⌥⌘V pastes the last one anywhere. See never lose a dictation.
• fn conflicts: Sayburst warns if macOS is set to open the emoji picker on fn and shows you where to change it. You can also use right ⌥, right ⌘, or a mouse side button instead.

It needs Microphone and Accessibility permissions; the permissions guide shows where both live.

#Still stuck?

If the level meter in Sound › Input stays flat for every microphone, it's hardware or a privacy block, not dictation. Check System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone for the app you're using, then try a different mic. For anything Sayburst-specific, troubleshooting covers the common cases.

Questions people ask

Why is my voice to text not working on my Mac?

Most often Dictation is switched off, the shortcut is being caught by something else, or Dictation is listening to the wrong microphone. Check System Settings › Keyboard › Dictation first; the shortcut and the Microphone source menu are both there.

Why is my talk to text not working on my iPhone?

The microphone button only shows when Enable Dictation is on. Go to Settings › General › Keyboard and turn on Enable Dictation, then try again in Notes.

What does "no permissions to enable voice typing" mean?

It's an Android message: the voice typing service isn't allowed to use the microphone. Open Settings › Apps, find the app, tap Permissions and set Microphone to Allow. Check both Gboard and the Google app.

Why does Mac dictation stop on its own?

Apple's Dictation stops automatically when it hears no speech for 30 seconds. If you pause to think a lot, stop and restart it, or use a hold-to-talk app that records for exactly as long as you hold a key.

Does voice typing need the internet?

On a Mac with Apple silicon, Dictation runs on the device in many languages. Windows voice typing needs an internet connection. Phones vary by model and language.