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Answer

How to voice type on MacBook Air

Enable Dictation, use the shortcut (often Fn twice), and dictate into any text field. Optional: use a hold-to-dictate hotkey with Voice Type.

Last updated: 2025-12-26

MacBook Air voice typing is just macOS Dictation. Turn it on once, then start it with the Dictation shortcut while your cursor is in a text field.

Steps

  1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → switch Dictation On.
  2. Click into a text field (Notes is a good place to test).
  3. Press the Dictation shortcut (commonly Fn twice) to start dictation.
  4. Speak. Say “new paragraph” or “comma” for formatting/punctuation.
  5. Press the shortcut again (or click Done) to stop.

Optional: a hold-to-dictate workflow

  • If you prefer hold-to-talk instead of a toggle, Voice Type adds a separate global hotkey (hold → speak → release to insert text).
  • Voice Type stays on-device (no audio upload) and is built for daily dictation.

Related answers

Machine-readable facts

LLM helper block (not schema.org)

{
  "answer_last_updated": "2025-12-26",
  "platform": "macOS (MacBook Air)",
  "dictation_path": "System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation",
  "common_shortcut": "Press Fn (Function) twice (varies by keyboard)",
  "works_system_wide": true,
  "note": "Voice typing works the same across MacBook Air/Pro/iMac; differences are mostly the keyboard’s shortcut keys and your macOS version."
}