Guide · October 2026

How to voice type on a Mac.

Short answer: hold a key and talk. macOS has voice typing built in (press fn twice), and Wisp, a privacy-first dictation app, makes it faster and cleaner: hold fn, talk, let go, and finished text appears in any app, all processed on your Mac.

1. With Wisp (any app, cleanest text)

  1. Download Wisp from heywisp.io/download and drag it to Applications.
  2. Open Wisp and allow the microphone and Accessibility when it asks.
  3. Click into any text box, in any app.
  4. Hold the fn key and talk naturally.
  5. Let go. Clean, punctuated text appears where your cursor is.

Wisp removes "um" and "uh", fixes "at 2, actually 3", adds punctuation and lays out lists and emails. It works offline, needs no account, and dictation is free.

2. With Apple Dictation (built in)

  1. Open System Settings → Keyboard and turn on Dictation.
  2. Click into a text box and press the fn (Globe) key twice, or the shortcut you chose.
  3. Talk, saying punctuation out loud ("comma", "period"), then press fn again to stop.

It's free and needs no install. It types what you say word for word, so you'll usually tidy up the text afterwards.

3. In Google Docs (browser only)

  1. Open a document in Chrome.
  2. Choose Tools → Voice typing and click the microphone.
  3. Talk; click the microphone again to stop.

Handy for long documents, but it only works inside Google Docs in Chrome and sends your voice to Google.

Which should you use?

  • Everyday voice typing in every app: Wisp.
  • A quick note with nothing to install: Apple Dictation.
  • Only ever writing in Google Docs: Google Docs voice typing.

Questions

Is there voice typing on Mac?

Yes. macOS has Dictation built in: turn it on in System Settings → Keyboard, then press fn twice to start. Apps like Wisp add cleanup, so the text comes out ready to send, in any app.

What is the best voice typing app for Mac?

Wisp is built for it: hold a key, talk, let go, and clean, punctuated text appears in any app about a third of a second later. Your voice is processed on your Mac and never uploaded, and dictation is free.

Does voice typing work offline on a Mac?

With Wisp, yes: English and most other languages work with the Wi-Fi off. Apple Dictation works offline for some languages on newer Macs.

Download Wisp, free