HT202584: Use your voice to enter text on your Mac

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AG@CL
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Dictation on iMac. I have OS X Lion.

I've had my iMac for 2 years now and only just found out that it supposedly has a dictation facility!  I use dictation on my iPad a lot, but can't get anything to happen on my iMac.  I've followed instructions to the letter but nothing happens. I have OS X Lion 10.7.5 (11G63)

 

I want to dictate things into a Word document to save me typing.  Or even into an email would be better than nothing.

I've gone to the apple and chosen System Preferences.

I don't have 'Speech and Dictation' - I just have 'Speech'.

I have a speech recognition tab there, I've turned 'speakable items' on, and calibrated.

I can get the circle to light up with green bars when I speak, but nothing else happens. (Pressing the Exc key, not by pressing the fn key)

If I speak one of the pre-set sentences from the long list, such as 'What day is it?' absolutely nothing happens.

 

Am I to presume that mine doesn't do dication?

 

Thanks for any help or guidance.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3), Trackpad

Posted on Nov 29, 2013 10:13 AM

by mende1,Solvedanswer
mende1 mende1
Level 10 (93,314 points)
Desktops
A:

Dictation is supported in OS X Mountain Lion and Mavericks, not OS X Lion. This is why you can't enable Dictation in System Preferences.

 

You do not need Speakable Items. Instead, you can upgrade to OS X Mavericks from the Mac App Store, which is free. Make a backup of your files with Time Machine and check that your apps are compatible > http://www.roaringapps.com

 

After upgrading, open System Preferences > Dictation & Speech, to enable Dictation.

 

Another option is to keep Lion and use an application like Dragon Dictate

Posted on Nov 29, 2013 10:16 AM

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AG@CL

Q: Dictation on iMac. I have OS X Lion.

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  • Helpful answers

  • by mende1,Solvedanswer

    mende1 mende1 Nov 29, 2013 10:16 AM in response to AG@CL
    Level 10 (93,314 points)
    Desktops
    Nov 29, 2013 10:16 AM in response to AG@CL

    Dictation is supported in OS X Mountain Lion and Mavericks, not OS X Lion. This is why you can't enable Dictation in System Preferences.

     

    You do not need Speakable Items. Instead, you can upgrade to OS X Mavericks from the Mac App Store, which is free. Make a backup of your files with Time Machine and check that your apps are compatible > http://www.roaringapps.com

     

    After upgrading, open System Preferences > Dictation & Speech, to enable Dictation.

     

    Another option is to keep Lion and use an application like Dragon Dictate

  • by AG@CL,

    AG@CL AG@CL Nov 29, 2013 10:22 AM in response to mende1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 29, 2013 10:22 AM in response to mende1

    Thank you for replying so carefully and so quickly.

    If I change to Mavericks, which I'd never head of until now, is everything going to be more or less the same?  I have to say, it took about 18 months to get used to a Mac after changing from a PC!

    My Mac automatically backs up, so I wouldn't have a clue how to make a manual back up of my files with Time Machine, nor how to check that my apps are compatible.

    I'd love to upgrade and get Maverick for free, but am really scared that I'll mess everthing up or lose important stuff. How common is it to mess this procedure up?

  • by mende1,

    mende1 mende1 Nov 29, 2013 10:24 AM in response to AG@CL
    Level 10 (93,314 points)
    Desktops
    Nov 29, 2013 10:24 AM in response to AG@CL

    The OS X Mavericks interface is quite similar to OS X Lion, so you won't have any problem after upgrading. If you are already making backups, you do not need to make another one.

     

    Respecting to know if your apps are free, it's as simple as opening them and checking the version you are using (you can do this pressing the app's button in the menu bar and going to About). Then, go to http://www.roaringapps.com and look for your app

  • by AG@CL,

    AG@CL AG@CL Nov 29, 2013 10:30 AM in response to AG@CL
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 29, 2013 10:30 AM in response to AG@CL

    OK, I've clicked on that link.  The ones I'd be most worried about are Office for Mac, (having paid a lot for it!) but when I enter this in the search box it doesn't come up, nor do Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. Is that a stupid question, ie are the automatically going to be ok?

  • by mende1,

    mende1 mende1 Nov 29, 2013 10:31 AM in response to AG@CL
    Level 10 (93,314 points)
    Desktops
    Nov 29, 2013 10:31 AM in response to AG@CL

    Respecting to Office, Office 2008 and 2011 are supported. If you have got an older Office version, upgrade it

  • by Eric Root,Helpful

    Eric Root Eric Root Nov 29, 2013 10:39 AM in response to AG@CL
    Level 9 (70,061 points)
    iTunes
    Nov 29, 2013 10:39 AM in response to AG@CL

    Information.

     

    My Mac automatically backs up, so I wouldn't have a clue how to make a manual back up of my files with Time Machine,

     

    If you have Time Machine in the menu bar (top right), click on it and select Backup Now to start a manual backup. If it isn't in the menu bar, Time Machine Preferences will let you add it.

  • by AG@CL,

    AG@CL AG@CL Nov 29, 2013 10:41 AM in response to mende1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 29, 2013 10:41 AM in response to mende1

    I have Office 2011.

  • by mende1,Helpful

    mende1 mende1 Nov 29, 2013 10:43 AM in response to AG@CL
    Level 10 (93,314 points)
    Desktops
    Nov 29, 2013 10:43 AM in response to AG@CL

    In that case, just make sure it's updated to the latest version. Open any Office app, and go to Help menu (on the menu bar) > Check for Updates

  • by AirplaneMike,

    AirplaneMike AirplaneMike Dec 28, 2013 8:13 AM in response to AG@CL
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 28, 2013 8:13 AM in response to AG@CL

    Thanks - it took 20 min to find an answer to "How do I get dictation on a Mac"

    What are the pros/cons of 'Enhanced Dictation' on iMac?

    faster/slower  more/less accurate?

  • by mende1,

    mende1 mende1 Dec 28, 2013 8:14 AM in response to AirplaneMike
    Level 10 (93,314 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 28, 2013 8:14 AM in response to AirplaneMike

    I have replied to your thread > https://discussions.apple.com/message/24284671#24284671