DictaVoice to Text on Mac
macOS has built-in dictation, but it stops after 60 seconds, sends audio to the cloud, and rewrites what you said. Dicta gives you voice to text that runs locally, works offline, and types your exact words.
What Mac gives you by default
Apple Dictation is built into every Mac. You enable it in System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation, press the microphone key, and start talking. It works — for short notes.
But it has real limitations:
- 60-second timeout — the connection drops and you have to restart
- Cloud processing — your voice is sent to Apple servers unless you use the limited on-device mode
- Auto-correction — Apple rewrites punctuation and formatting, so you don't get exactly what you said
- No history — once you move on, your previous dictation is gone
For quick Siri commands or short messages, that's fine. For dictating AI prompts, bug reports, or meeting notes — you need something better.
Apple Dictation vs Dicta
How voice to text works in Dicta
⌥ Space to start recording
Talk as long as you need
Esc — text is pasted at your cursor
That's it. Works in any app — Cursor, VS Code, Slack, Notes, ChatGPT, your browser. Audio never leaves your Mac.
Questions
How do I use voice to text on Mac?
macOS has built-in dictation (System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation). For longer recordings and private, offline voice to text, apps like Dicta process audio locally on your Mac without sending data to servers.
Does Mac voice to text work offline?
Apple's built-in dictation has limited offline support. Dicta works fully offline — all audio processing happens on your Mac, no internet connection required.
Is there a time limit on Mac voice to text?
Apple's built-in dictation stops after about 60 seconds. Dicta supports recordings up to 4 hours with no timeout.
Is my voice data private when using voice to text on Mac?
With Dicta, yes — audio never leaves your Mac. Built-in Apple Dictation sends voice data to Apple servers for processing unless you use the limited on-device mode.
Explore more: Speech to text on Mac · Mac dictation · Dictation software
Voice to text, the way it should work.
Local processing. No timeout. Your exact words.
Download free for macOS