Dictation no longer working when pressing FN key twice

Question

Level 1

16 points

Dictation no longer working when pressing FN key twice

I've just about had it with this poxy Dictation program on my MacBook. Forget that half the time, it doesn't "hear" my voice, but suddenly, yesterday, the FN key stopped working. When I press FN twice now, it flashes on the screen then disappears, and there is a "bleep," but I can't dictate.

Help! I'm losing my mind!

Apple TV, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 4, 2018 8:56 AM

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Answer 1

Rigo_O86

Community Specialist

Jul 6, 2018 5:04 AM in response to Bluegrassdog

Hi Bluegrassdog,

It sounds like Dictation isn't working correctly on your Mac. I want to help you interact with your Mac the way you like.

Since it seems like the Fn key itself is working right, Dictation may be failing to launch on command.

Let's try to start into safe mode and see if the same behavior occurs. Here's how to do that:

Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac - Apple Support

Does Dictation launch without issue in safe mode? If it doesn't, then we may want to create a backup and make sure your macOS software is up-to-date, and reinstall macOS if the issue persists:

How to back up your Mac - Official Apple Support

How to update the software on your Mac - Apple Support

How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

Let me know if that solves this issue for you.

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.

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Answer 2

Bluegrassdog Author

Level 1

16 points

Jul 9, 2018 1:18 PM in response to Bluegrassdog

Thank you. I was on the phone for several hours with Apple Support, and have already done every one of those suggestions.

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Dictation no longer working when pressing FN key twice

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