The Mac dictation shortcut, and how to change it

Published 18 October 2026

Apple Dictation starts with a shortcut you can change in one menu. The 🌐 or fn key has a separate setting of its own, and the two affect each other. Getting both right matters most when you also use a dictation app, because two tools listening to the same key is the usual reason dictation starts the wrong way.

Change the Dictation shortcut

1. Choose Apple menu → System Settings and click Keyboard in the sidebar.
2. Scroll down to Dictation. Turn it on if it isn't already.
3. Click the Shortcut pop-up menu and choose one of the listed shortcuts.
4. To use your own combination, choose Customize and press the keys you want.

Test it straight away in TextEdit or Notes. Click into a page, press the new shortcut, and wait for the cursor to pulse or the tone before you speak.

If your keyboard has a Microphone key in the top row, it works on top of whatever shortcut you choose. Press and release it to start Dictation. Press and hold it to activate Siri instead.

The 🌐 key setting

Keyboard settings has a second menu called "Press 🌐 key to". On Macs whose key is labeled fn, it's "Press fn key to". Apple lists four options:

• Change Input Source switches between keyboard layouts.
• Show Emoji & Symbols opens the emoji and symbol picker.
• Start Dictation starts Dictation when you press the key twice.
• Do Nothing leaves the key alone.

The two settings are linked. Apple notes that choosing certain Dictation shortcuts changes this option for you, for example to Start Dictation when you pick pressing fn twice. So if the 🌐 key suddenly stops opening emoji after you change the Dictation shortcut, that's why. Check both menus whenever you change one.

Check for clashes with other shortcuts

A custom combination can collide with one that's already taken. The Keyboard Shortcuts button in the same settings pane lets you browse shortcuts, turn them on or off and customize them. If your new Dictation shortcut does something else in one app, look there first, then in that app's own settings.

Using Apple Dictation and a dictation app together

Many third-party dictation apps start on a key you hold while you talk, and fn is a popular choice because it does nothing while you type. That's where the conflict starts. If "Press 🌐 key to" is set to Start Dictation and your app also listens to fn, you can get Apple Dictation, the app, or both at once.

The rule is simple: give each key to one tool.

• If you only use the dictation app, set "Press 🌐 key to" to Do Nothing so fn is free.
• If you want to keep Apple's double press of fn, give the app a different key.
• If you use both, choose a Dictation shortcut that doesn't involve fn, and let the app have fn.

Voice Control is a separate case. While it's on, standard Dictation isn't available at all, so changing the shortcut won't help. Turn Voice Control off in Accessibility settings if you don't use it. More causes are in our checklist for when dictation isn't working.

How Saypad picks its key

Saypad never changes your system settings. When "Press 🌐 key to" is set to Do Nothing, it uses fn. If the key is busy, it takes right ⌘ by default, so Apple's shortcut keeps working. Its setup window also checks the 🌐/fn setting and tells you when it still starts Apple's dictation or switches the input language. You can switch between fn and right ⌘ at any time in Saypad's Settings → General.

Right ⌘ doesn't break your shortcuts: pressing another key while you hold it, as in ⌘C, counts as a shortcut and doesn't start a recording. Very short accidental taps, under 0.6 seconds, are ignored too.

The gesture is different from Apple's. Apple Dictation starts on a press and stops when you press again, after 30 seconds of silence, or with Escape. In Saypad you hold the key while you talk and let go to paste. Double-tap it for hands-free mode and tap again to stop. Saypad vs Apple Dictation compares the two on the same sentence, and voice typing on a Mac covers the other options.

Questions

How do I change the Dictation shortcut on a Mac?

Open System Settings → Keyboard, scroll to Dictation, click the Shortcut pop-up menu and pick a shortcut. Choose Customize to press your own key combination.

Why did my 🌐 key setting change by itself?

Apple notes that choosing some Dictation shortcuts changes the “Press 🌐 key to” option automatically, for example to Start Dictation when you pick pressing fn twice. Check that option again after you change the shortcut.

What does the Microphone key do?

On keyboards that have one, press and release the Microphone key to start Dictation. Press and hold it to activate Siri.

Which key does Saypad use?

fn, when the “Press 🌐 key to” option is set to Do Nothing. If the key already does something, Saypad uses right ⌘ by default. You can switch between them in Saypad's Settings → General.