Pages dictation not working on your Mac usually comes down to a few settings: Dictation switched off in System Settings, the wrong microphone, a changed shortcut, or no cursor in the text. Click into the document, check Keyboard settings, then choose Edit > Start Dictation. The checks below follow Apple’s own guides.
Quick fix: Pages dictation not working on a Mac
- Click where the text should go (click placeholder text once to select it), then choose Edit > Start Dictation.
- Open Apple menu > System Settings > Keyboard, go to Dictation and make sure it is on.
- In the same place, check the Microphone source and the Dictation shortcut.
- Quit Pages, reopen it, and try again.
- Update macOS and Pages if the Edit menu item is still greyed out.
How to start dictation in Pages on a Mac
Apple’s Pages User Guide gives the steps for how to dictate in Pages. Open a document, place the insertion point where you want to begin dictating, then choose Edit > Start Dictation. The item sits at the bottom of the Edit menu in the menu bar at the top of your screen, not inside the Pages window. If you have not used dictation before, a guided setup appears first.
When the microphone appears, start speaking. To finish, click Done below the microphone. Apple’s Dictate messages and documents on Mac guide adds that you can also press the Escape key, the Microphone key or your Dictation shortcut, and that Dictation stops by itself after 30 seconds without speech.
One Pages quirk matters here. Templates are full of placeholder text, and Apple’s guide says to click placeholder text to select it before you dictate the words that replace it. That is where dictation in Pages on Mac catches people out. For the general Mac picture, see our guide on how to dictate on Mac.
Why Pages dictation stops working on a Mac, and the fixes
Work down this list from the most common cause. If nothing in Pages helps, the problem is probably Mac-wide, and our guide to dictation not working on Mac covers those fixes in full.
1. Dictation is switched off
Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Keyboard in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down), go to Dictation and turn it on. If you turned it on just now, click Enable. If Voice Control is on, Apple says you dictate with Voice Control and standard macOS Dictation is not available.
2. The wrong or muted microphone
In the same Dictation settings, open the pop-up menu next to Microphone source and pick the microphone you want. Automatic lets your Mac choose the device you are most likely to use.
3. The shortcut or Fn and Globe key behaviour
Go to Dictation, open the Shortcut pop-up menu and choose a shortcut, or choose Customise and press your own keys. If you choose Press Fn (Function) Key Twice, Apple says the Keyboard setting for that key changes to Start Dictation automatically, so press it twice quickly to begin.
4. Placeholder text or a text box that is not selected
If Edit > Start Dictation is greyed out, your cursor is probably not in anything you can type into. Click into body text, a text box or a table cell. For placeholder text, click it so it is selected, as Apple’s Pages guide says.
5. The Edit menu is hidden in full screen
In full screen, Apple says to show or hide the menu bar by moving the pointer to or away from the top of the screen. Apple’s full screen guide explains how to keep the menu bar always visible.
6. Language mismatch
Go to Dictation, click Edit next to Languages and select your language and region. If you set up more than one language, click the language next to the cursor, or press the Globe key if you have one, to switch.
7. Restart Pages, then update
Quit Pages, reopen the document and try again. If it still fails, update macOS in System Settings > General > Software Update and update Pages in the App Store.
Pages dictation on iPad and iPhone
Pages dictation on iPad works through the keyboard, not the Edit menu. Apple’s Dictate text on iPad guide says to tap in the text field, then tap the microphone key on the onscreen keyboard and begin speaking. To stop, tap the key, say Stop dictation, or stay silent for 30 seconds.
- If you do not see the microphone key, open Settings > General > Keyboard.
- Turn on Enable Dictation, and tap Enable Dictation if a prompt appears.
- Go back to Pages, tap into the text and look for the key again.
On an iPhone the steps are the same. Our iPhone dictation not working guide covers more fixes for Apple’s mobile keyboard, and the best dictation app for iPad compares the alternatives.
Pages dictation commands
Apple Pages dictation uses the same commands as anywhere else. Say the name of a punctuation mark, such as exclamation mark, say new line or new paragraph for breaks, or say the name of an emoji. In supported languages, Dictation also inserts commas, full stops and question marks automatically, and you can turn that off with Auto-punctuation in Keyboard settings.
Our dictation punctuation commands cheat sheet lists the spoken marks in one place.
When Apple Dictation is not enough: Genie 007 on your Mac
Apple Dictation is free and good for a plain transcript, but you still say every word and then edit the result. That is the gap think-to-text is built to close.
The Genie 007 desktop app for Mac types where your cursor is, in any app, so it works in Pages. Click into the document, then use one of two keys.
- Press Q (or any key or combination you choose), say what you want, and Genie writes the finished text. It understands the context of where you are working.
- Press X (or any key or combination you choose) to type what you said, with filler words taken out and punctuation and grammar added for you.
A newsletter intro in Pages
Say you are drafting a parish newsletter. Click into the page, Press Q, and say: "Write a friendly opening paragraph saying the summer fair is on 14 July, volunteers are needed for the cake stall, and parking is at the school." The paragraph appears at your cursor.
It handles 140+ languages and is private by design. On an iPad or iPhone, the microphone key on Apple’s keyboard is the quickest way to dictate into Pages. All our platform guides are in the voice typing guides.
Still not working
Apple Pages dictation not working in one document only? Test dictation in TextEdit. If it works there, the problem sits in Pages, so repeat the steps above in that document. If it fails everywhere, follow the Mac-wide fixes in dictation not working on Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you dictate in Pages?
Yes. Pages on Mac and iPad both accept dictation, because it comes from Apple’s system dictation. On a Mac, click into the document and choose Edit > Start Dictation. On an iPad, tap the microphone key on the onscreen keyboard. Speak, then click Done on the Mac or tap the key again on the iPad.
How do I dictate in Pages on a Mac?
Open your document, click where the text should go, then choose Edit > Start Dictation. If you have not used dictation before, follow the guided setup. When the microphone appears, speak, and click Done when you have finished. You can also use the Dictation shortcut from System Settings > Keyboard.
Why is dictation not working in Pages?
The usual causes are Dictation switched off in System Settings > Keyboard, the wrong microphone source, a changed shortcut, or no cursor in the text. Apple also says placeholder text must be clicked first. Check those in order, then quit and reopen Pages and update macOS if the problem remains.
Does Pages dictation work on iPad?
Yes, as long as Enable Dictation is on under Settings > General > Keyboard. Tap into the text, then tap the microphone key on the onscreen keyboard and speak. Apple says to tap the key again, say Stop dictation, or stay silent for 30 seconds to stop it.
What are the Pages dictation commands?
Pages uses Apple’s dictation commands. Say the name of a punctuation mark, such as exclamation mark, say new line or new paragraph for line breaks, and say the name of an emoji to insert it. On a Mac, Dictation also adds commas, full stops and question marks automatically in supported languages.
Try Genie 007 Free
Pages dictation gives you a transcript to tidy. Genie 007 types at your cursor in Pages on your Mac and can write the finished paragraph from a short instruction.
Request access to the desktop app from the Mac page and try it on your next document. Genie 007 works on Windows, Mac, mobile and as a browser extension.
Written by Bill Kiani, founder of Genie 007.
