I changed it from Esc because with speech enabled, I couldn't escape out of a screen capture, for example, using Command-Shift-4.Īlso on the Speech Recognition window, at the bottom is a check box for Speak command acknowledgement.

The default key is Esc, but you can change it to another key or key combination by clicking the Change Key button next to the Listening Key header. You can also adjust how fast your Mac will speak by using the slider next to Speaking Rate.įurther, if you go back to the Speech Recognition window, you'll see two options next to Listening Method you can choose whether your Mac will listen at all times or only when you hold down a key. Some are male (Alex, Junior, Ralph) and some are female (Agnes, Kathy, Victoria), while others are deranged (Deranged) or incomprehensible (Bubbles). Click Text to Speech at the top of the Speech window and select a name from the pull-down menu next to System Voice. Step 3: Click the Calibrate button and adjust the slider as you speak the phrases listed to get the volume level just right. Step 2: Click Speech Recognition at the top (next to Text to Speech) and next to Speakable Items, click On.

Step 1: Go into System Preferences and choose Speech. If you'd like to begin conversing with your Mac, it is a simple process to enable speech recognition. If you nodded in agreement to either of the above questions, and you own a Mac, did you know it has a built-in speech recognition tool? One that will speak back to you? Even tell you a terrible knock-knock joke? Has Siri gotten you accustomed to barking commands at electronics devices? Or has the absence of Siri in your life left you pining for a machine to command?

Mac voice recognition