Is there a way to add a 'dictation button' to the screen menu or something similar so I can click on the screen to activate dictation? rather than use the keyboard every time (as my hands hurt) any help would be appreciated!
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.3
The best you can hope for is pressing the Dictation keyboard shortcut key twice, and then when done, speaking Quit Dictation, or clicking Done on the avatar. Activating Dictation in Safari requires that you have an open text input area like in this community editor. Otherwise, it will just beep at you when you double-click that shortcut.
"If you need to dictate text and control your Mac using your voice instead of a keyboard and trackpad, use Voice Control. See Control your Mac and apps using Voice Control."
With an active microphone and Siri, you can say, Enable Voice Control, and that will also launch the Dictation avatar on your Desktop. You can then tell Dictation to Show Commands. When done, ask Siri to Disable Voice Control, and the Dictation Avatar is gone from your screen. All you have to do is click Siri in the Dock, or on the right-hand menubar, and speak the italic enable/disable phrases.
Is there a way to turn dictate on without turning voice control on?
I don't want to have to ask to dictate every time I write a word or sentence. I even use dictate for searching on google etc it would take me a long time to use this if I have to keep asking for dictate to be on.
No.
I actually overlooked the fact that you can avoid Voice Control altogether by visiting System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation, and enabling Dictation there. Note the keyboard shortcut default. Open the application that you want to use Dictation in and use that Dictation keyboard shortcut. The Dictation avatar will appear and you can then dictate. In this mode, it disregards Show Commands, and when you tell it to Quit Dictation, it enters that text, and a moment later beeps and disappears. It behaves better when Voice Control is enabled though.
I have the dictation option on system preference already activated and have using the keyboard to turn it on. I just hoped there would be a way to get the icon on the menu bar or something similar so I can click and dictate each time rather than have to reach over and click on the keyboard which can hurt my finger.
I am using Safari and did try to find a way to find the 'dictation keyboard shortcut' but there doesn't seem to be a way to do this, unless you know how to? Thank you for your help.
Thank you for explaining this in detail!
You are welcome.
Is there a way to have voice control button on the menu bar? so I don't need to keep asking Siri to activate voice control.
Okay well that is a shame, thank you anyway for trying to help :)
Is there a way to add a 'dictation button' to the screen menu?
