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How-to

Voice typing in Obsidian on a Mac

Use macOS Dictation to dictate into Obsidian notes, or use Voice Type for a dedicated hold‑to‑dictate hotkey.

Obsidian doesn’t need a special dictation mode on macOS. If you can place a cursor in a note, you can dictate using system-wide Dictation (speech-to-text).

Enable Dictation (once)

  1. Open System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation.
  2. Switch Dictation to On.
  3. Confirm your Dictation shortcut (often Fn twice).

Dictate into an Obsidian note

  1. Open Obsidian and click into a note where you want text.
  2. Start Dictation (microphone key if present, or the Dictation shortcut).
  3. Speak. Use punctuation like “comma” and “new line”.
  4. Stop Dictation to insert the text.

Tip: dictation is best for drafts and prose. For editing markdown syntax and short tweaks, typing is still faster.

Troubleshooting (mic permissions)

  • Make sure Obsidian is allowed in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
  • Test mic input in System Settings → Sound.
  • If Dictation doesn’t start anywhere, see: Dictation not working on Mac.

If you dictate daily (workflow)

If you want a consistent hold‑to‑dictate hotkey across Obsidian, email, docs, and Slack, Voice Type adds a dedicated workflow and stays on-device: voice typing for Mac.

Sources

Try Voice Type (7‑day free trial)