Dictation and Enhanced Dictation not working on a Mac computer, how to fix?
For many years, computers controlled by voice seemed like science fiction and were only seen in movies. Now, however, Apple have released a number of features that use voice recognition including Siri and Dictation. Many Mac users are familiar with these features and use them regularly. The dictation feature converts spoken words into text, while Siri is an assistant that listens to spoken requests and can compose short messages and emails.
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Activate“Enhanced Dictation” (this speeds up the dictation process) and then you will be prompted to download a 1.2 GB file. How To Enable The Hands-Free “Hey Siri” Feature. If you don’t want to use the keyboard shortcuts to activate Siri, you can set up hands-free dictation mode on your Mac, here’s how to do that: 1. If you accidentally downloaded Enhanced Dictation via System Preferences Dictation (United States over 700M) and now your disk space is full. You want to release occupied it but don’t know how to find the files offlines to delete them. Follow these steps to find and remove a language for Dictation offlines. The old Dictation tab is still in the Keyboard pane, but Enhanced Dictation has been removed. This means it lacks all the useful formatting commands, like ‘new paragraph’, and will turn itself off after a few moments without speech input. For someone used to Enhanced Dictation, this is very poor indeed.
Apple released an improved version of the dictation feature called Enhanced Dictation, which allows you to use it without an Internet connection. This feature became quite popular, but also had various issues. People reported that the dictation feature did not work properly or stopped working altogether after they updated the operating system. Although these issues appear after a system update, there are several methods to address these problems.
Table of Contents:
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List of quick tips to solve Dictation problems
Try disabling dictation and turn it back on again
This action often solves the problem and does not require a great deal of time and knowledge.
Try to turn off the dictation and restart the device. Once booted, re-enable the voice recognition feature.
Disabling does not always solve the issue, but restarting operating system between turning the feature off and back on again, can work.
Open Finder and click on Edit in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Then select Start Dictation. Use the dictation shortcut to begin - the default shortcut is the Function Key (Fn) pressed twice.
Check, if any running applications are causing the problems.
To test, close all active apps and try using Dictation. If it works while none of the applications are running, launch each of app and test the voice recognition feature in a process of elimination. This step takes time, but might solve the issue. If you find the problem app/s, check if there are any updates or try to contact the app developer for a more accurate solution.
Basic solutions for Dictation issues
Open System Preferences, select Keyboard, and choose the Dictation tab. In the left side of the window under the microphone icon, click on the drop-down menu and choose Internal or External microphone rather than Automatic. Many users report that his simple step solved issues with dictation.
Launch Finder and click on Go in the menu bar at of the screen. Then select Go to folder, type in the following destination: ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.assistant.plist and press Go. When you see the particular selected file, move it to trash and restart the Mac. When the computer starts, open System Preferences and select Keyboard. Choose the Dictation tab and disable this feature. Then restart the Mac again. Once the computer has booted, turn on Dictation and check if the problem is solved.
Clear the speech recognition user library cache folder by using the Go to Folder function in Finder. Type in the following destination: ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.SpeechRecognitionCore and click Go. When you see the file selected in Finder's window, move it to Trash.
Download another language. Visit the Keyboard pane under System Preferences and select the Dictation tab. Then click to select language and choose add language. Some users state that by downloading and installing another language pack, their native language is reset and this solved the issue.
Try turning off your antivirus application. If you are using any antivirus software, the Dictation feature can be blocked, since it sends and receives data from the Apple Server over the internet. Enhanced dictation does not have this problem.
Open Sound under System Preferences and choose the Input tab. Try to set the input volume to a level higher than middle. If you still have problem, turn on the ambient noise reduction option. If you are using an external microphone, check the manufacturer's support site for more accurate instructions on how to adjust its settings.
Enable Enhanced Dictation.
What is Enhanced Dictation?
Enhanced Dictation is the improved version of a speech recognition tool that was released with OS X Mavericks version 10.9 and is available on all newer versions.
What is new in Enhanced Dictation?
The new version allows you to dictate continuously, without interruption. Your words will be translated within the computer, not sent over the Internet, so the network connection is not required. You can use also dictation commands to instruct the Mac to carry out tasks.
What is the main difference between regular and enhanced dictation?
Regular dictation sends the recorded words and other data to the Apple Server where they are converted into text. Therefore, to use regular dictation, the Mac must be connected to the Internet - converting words into text will take longer and your speaking time is restricted to 40 seconds at a time, or 30 seconds if you are using OS X Yosemite or an earlier version. As it mentioned above, the enhanced version works locally on the computer, so the Internet connection is not necessary and the speaking cycle is unrestricted.
Most common methods to solve Enhanced Dictation issues
Check the microphone.
Open System Preferences, select Keyboard, and choose the Dictation tab. On the left side of the window under the microphone icon, click the drop-down menu and choose Internal microphone rather than Automatic.
Reset the voice recognition feature
Go to System Preferences and select Keyboard. Then choose the Dictation tab. Uncheck Enhanced Dictation and restart the Mac. Once the computer has booted, visit the Dictation pane and turn Enhanced Dictation on. Vray for sketchup 2017 mac crack download.
Try adding a language
Visit System Preferences and select the Keyboard pane. Choose the Dictation tab and disable enhanced dictation - off. Try to add another language and turn enhanced dictation on - this should force the computer to download a new language pack.
Reset dictation languages manually
Disable enhanced dictation by following the steps above. Then open Finder and click on Go in the menu bar at top of the screen, and then select Go To Folder. In the search field, type the following destination: /Library/Speech/Recognizers/SpeechRecognitionCoreLanguages/ and click Go. Look for a folder named en_US.SpeechRecognition or similar to your native language. When you have deleted the folder with your language, restart the Mac. Once the computer has booted, turn on enhanced dictation and check if it starts to download the language pack.
Alternative method to solve Dictation issues
Users have reported that this (rather convoluted) method solved dictation issues when none of the above methods worked:
Go to System Preferences and open Users & Groups.
Create a new temporary administrator account.
Reboot the Mac and log in with the newly-created admin account.
Change the main account permissions from Administrator to Standard by unchecking 'Allow user to administer this computer'.
Disable parental control on the main account.
Change the main account permissions back to administrator.
Reboot the Mac and log in with your main administrator account.
Delete temporary administrator account and enable dictation.
Video Showing how to fix Mac's dictation feature:
macOS Catalina introduces Voice Control, a new way to fully control your Mac entirely with your voice. Voice Control uses the Siri speech-recognition engine to improve on the Enhanced Dictation feature available in earlier versions of macOS.1
How to turn on Voice Control
After upgrading to macOS Catalina, follow these steps to turn on Voice Control:
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Accessibility.
Click Voice Control in the sidebar.
Select Enable Voice Control. When you turn on Voice Control for the first time, your Mac completes a one-time download from Apple.2 Voice Control preferences
When Voice Control is enabled, you see an onscreen microphone representing the mic selected in Voice Control preferences.
To pause Voice Control and stop it from from listening, say ”Go to sleep” or click Sleep. To resume Voice Control, say or click ”Wake up.”
How to use Voice Control
Get to know Voice Control by reviewing the list of voice commands available to you: Say “Show commands” or ”Show me what I can say.” The list varies based on context, and you may discover variations not listed. To make it easier to know whether Voice Control heard your phrase as a command, you can select ”Play sound when command is recognized” in Voice Control preferences.
Basic navigation
Voice Control recognizes the names of many apps, labels, controls, and other onscreen items, so you can navigate by combining those names with certain commands. Here are some examples:
Open Pages: ”Open Pages.” Then create a new document: ”Click New Document.” Then choose one of the letter templates: 'Click Letter. Click Classic Letter.” Then save your document: ”Save document.”
Start a new message in Mail: ”Click New Message.” Then address it: ”John Appleseed.”
Turn on Dark Mode: ”Open System Preferences. Click General. Click Dark.” Then quit System Preferences: ”Quit System Preferences” or ”Close window.”
Restart your Mac: ”Click Apple menu. Click Restart” (or use the number overlay and say ”Click 8”).
You can also create your own voice commands.
Number overlays
Use number overlays to quickly interact with parts of the screen that Voice Control recognizes as clickable, such as menus, checkboxes, and buttons. To turn on number overlays, say ”Show numbers.” Then just say a number to click it.
Number overlays make it easy to interact with complex interfaces, such as web pages. For example, in your web browser you could say ”Search for Apple stores near me.” Then use the number overlay to choose one of the results: ”Show numbers. Click 64.” (If the name of the link is unique, you might also be able to click it without overlays by saying ”Click” and the name of the link.)
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Whatsapp for mac os x 10.8 5. Voice Control automatically shows numbers in menus and wherever you need to distinguish between items that have the same name.
Grid overlays
Use grid overlays to interact with parts of the screen that don't have a control, or that Voice Control doesn't recognize as clickable.
Say “Show grid” to show a numbered grid on your screen, or ”Show window grid” to limit the grid to the active window. Say a grid number to subdivide that area of the grid, and repeat as needed to continue refining your selection.
To click the item behind a grid number, say ”Click” and the number. Or say ”Zoom” and the number to zoom in on that area of the grid, then automatically hide the grid. You can also use grid numbers to drag a selected item from one area of the grid to another: ”Drag 3 to 14.”
To hide grid numbers, say ”Hide numbers.” To hide both numbers and grid, say ”Hide grid.”
Dictation
When the cursor is in a document, email message, text message, or other text field, you can dictate continuously. Dictation converts your spoken words into text.
To enter a punctuation mark, symbol, or emoji, just speak its name, such as ”question mark” or ”percent sign” or ”happy emoji.” These may vary by language or dialect.
To move around and select text, you can use commands like ”Move up two sentences” or ”Move forward one paragraph” or ”Select previous word” or ”Select next paragraph.”
To format text, try ”Bold that” or ”Capitalize that,” for example. Say ”numeral” to format your next phrase as a number.
To delete text, you can choose from many delete commands. For example, say “delete that” and Voice Control knows to delete what you just typed. Or say ”Delete all” to delete everything and start over.
Voice Control understands contextual cues, so you can seamlessly transition between text dictation and commands. For example, to dictate and then send a birthday greeting in Messages, you could say ”Happy Birthday. Click Send.” Or to replace a phrase, say ”Replace I’m almost there with I just arrived.”
You can also create your own vocabulary for use with dictation.
Create your own voice commands and vocabulary
Create your own voice commands
Open Voice Control preferences, such as by saying ”Open Voice Control preferences.”
Click Commands or say ”Click Commands.” The complete list of all commands opens.
To add a new command, click the add button (+) or say ”Click add.” Then configure these options to define the command:
When I say: Enter the word or phrase that you want to be able to speak to perform the action.
While using: Choose whether your Mac performs the action only when you're using a particular app.
Perform: Choose the action to perform. You can open a Finder item, open a URL, paste text, paste data from the clipboard, press a keyboard shortcut, select a menu item, or run an Automator workflow.
Use the checkboxes to turn commands on or off. You can also select a command to find out whether other phrases work with that command. For example, “Undo that” works with several phrases, including “Undo this” and “Scratch that.”
To quickly add a new command, you can say ”Make this speakable.” Voice Control will help you configure the new command based on the context. For example, if you speak this command while a menu item is selected, Voice Control helps you make a command for choosing that menu item.
Create your own dictation vocabulary
Open Voice Control preferences, such as by saying ”Open Voice Control preferences.”
Click Vocabulary, or say ”Click Vocabulary.”
Click the add button (+) or say ”Click add.”
Type a new word or phrase as you want it to be entered when spoken.
Download Enhanced Dictation For Mac Windows 7
Learn more
For the best performance when using Voice Control with a Mac notebook computer and an external display, keep your notebook lid open or use an external microphone.
All audio processing for Voice Control happens on your device, so your personal data is always kept private.
Use Voice Control on your iPhone or iPod touch.
Learn more about accessibility features in Apple products.
1. Voice Control uses the Siri speech-recognition engine for U.S. English only. Other languages and dialects use the speech-recognition engine previously available with Enhanced Dictation.
2. If you're on a business or school network that uses a proxy server, Voice Control might not be able to download. Have your network administrator refer to the network ports used by Apple software products.