Learn · The shortcut

The Mac dictation shortcut

macOS dictation starts from a key you already have. Which key depends on your keyboard: most modern Macs use a double press of Fn (the Globe key), some MacBooks put a microphone key on F5, and older external keyboards default to Control twice. Here is how to find yours, change it, and revive it when it goes quiet.

Applies to macOS 13 and later · 3 steps · Updated July 2026

Fig. 1 · The usual default: press Fn (Globe) twice

Find and turn on your shortcut

Open System Settings > Keyboard and scroll to the Dictation section. If the Dictation toggle is off, nothing you press will do anything. Turn it on. The first activation may download language files and ask for microphone access.
Read the Shortcut menu right below the toggle. It tells you what your Mac is currently listening for. Common defaults: fn pressed twice on Macs with a Globe key, the F5 microphone key on some MacBooks, or control twice on older external keyboards. Apple varies this by keyboard and macOS version, so trust the menu over any list on the internet, including this one.
Click into a text field and try it. A small microphone indicator appears when dictation is listening. Speak, then press the shortcut again to stop.

New to the feature entirely? Start with our guide to dictating on a Mac, which covers punctuation and the built-in tool's limits.

Where

System Settings
→ Keyboard
→ Dictation

You should see the Dictation toggle on, with a Shortcut menu right under it naming your key.

Change it in System Settings

Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation and open the Shortcut pop-up menu.
Pick one of the double-press presets, or choose Customize to record a combination of your own.

Worth knowing

The Globe key moonlights. The same Keyboard settings pane has a "Press Globe key to" option that can point a single press at the emoji picker, input source switching, or dictation. If your shortcut behaves strangely, these two settings are fighting over one key.

What you should see

The Shortcut
pop-up menu

After you pick, the menu shows your new combination. Press it once in a text field to confirm it took.

When the shortcut stops responding

Fix A · check this first

The toggle, then the key assignment

Most "dead shortcut" reports come down to one of two settings. Either the Dictation toggle in System Settings > Keyboard got switched off (macOS updates sometimes reset it), or the "Press Globe key to" setting was reassigned so the key now does something else. Check both, flip Dictation off and on once, and try again.

Fix B

Another app owns the key

Launchers, remapping tools, and other dictation apps like to bind Fn or F5 too. Quit them one at a time and retest, then rebind whichever side you care about less.

Fix C

The mic, not the key

If the indicator appears but no words do, the shortcut is fine and the microphone is not. Check which input the Dictation pane is using. An unplugged external mic looks exactly like a broken shortcut.

Fix D

Language files mid-download

After an update or a language change, macOS may still be fetching dictation files in the background. Give it a network connection and a few minutes, then retry.

Fix E

The classic

Restart the Mac. Unsatisfying advice, but it clears stuck input handling more often than anyone would like to admit.

Still dead? The problem may not be the shortcut at all. Our full guide to Mac dictation not working walks through permissions, per-app failures, and the Voice Control conflict.

The other model

One key. Held, not tapped.

Apple's shortcut is a toggle with double-press timing that changes per keyboard. Dictate, our $8/month Mac app, uses a different model: one global hotkey you pick yourself. Hold it, talk, release. The recording lasts exactly as long as your finger does, and the text lands where your cursor was, in any app.

There is no double-press timing to learn, and the key does one job. Honest fine print: your audio is sent over TLS, transcribed on our servers, then discarded. Transcription needs a connection. See pricing for the whole one-plan story.

your key

Hold, speak, release

Learn · The shortcut

Shortcut questions

Defaults, customization, and troubleshooting.

What is the default dictation shortcut on a Mac?

On most Macs, press Fn (Globe) twice. Some MacBooks use the microphone key at F5, while older external keyboards may use Control twice. Check System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation.

How do I change the Mac dictation shortcut?

Open System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation and use the Shortcut menu. Choose a preset or select Customize.

Why does pressing Fn open the emoji picker instead of dictation?

The Globe key can also open emoji or switch input sources. Check “Press Globe key to” in Keyboard settings. Dictation may still require a double press.

Can I use a hold-to-talk shortcut with Apple Dictation?

No. Apple Dictation toggles on and off. Hold-to-talk requires a third-party app such as Dictate.

The shortcut works, but dictation types nothing. Now what?

Check the selected microphone and its input level under System Settings > Sound. If it fails in one app only, see our Mac Dictation troubleshooting guide.

Pick a key. Keep it.

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