Use Dictation Commands to tell your Mac what to do You can also use dictation commands to tell your Mac what t do, and even create your own custom commands. If dictation isn't understanding you and is making mistakes, learn what to do. Your iMac or Macbook already has a microphone. Apple's documentation has step by step instructions for enabling dictation View this list of Speech Recognition commands for a list of commands that will help you navigate without a mouse. Now you will be able to dictate emails, documents, and other text without using the keyboard. On the menu that appears is an item called, 'Configuration.' Move your mouse over that and you will see another command to, ' Improve Speech Recognition.' Select that and read through the sample text so it learns to understand you better. You can improve the accuracy by clicking on this microphone icon. Once you enable dictation there will be an icon in the lower right corner that looks like the following: It might be helpful to print the dictation commands so you can refer to them. It was created for Windows 8, but works for Windows 10 as well. Microsoft has a tutorial that includes a list of useful commands. Use Speech to Text for Windows 10Ĭlick START and type ' Windows Speech Recognition' and then follow the on-screen instructions. If your need is temporary, you may also be able to check one out from the ATUS Equipment Loan pool. USB and wireless headsets can be purchased through the Western Marketplace. Contact the Help Desk using the GET HELP tab at the top of this page if you have questions or would like assistance. If you have a headset for your phone, that may also work for your computer. Microphones are built into all-in-one computers (e.g., iMacs), webcams, laptops, and tablets. The only potential required purchase for dictation is a microphone, but chances are you already have one. It's even possible to navigate the operating system or application, and perform basic actions using only your voice. Siri is also available on macOS, while Windows 10 has a digital assistant named 'Cortana.' While you can certainly dictate brief messages to these digital assistants, both macOS and Windows have simple dictation software that will convert speech to text without invoking a digital assistant. Most people use these artificially intelligent assistants to set reminders, request driving directions, or even to dictate and send a text to someone. On a mobile device this software is often triggered by saying 'Hey Siri!' on iOS or 'OK Google!' on an Android device. Speech to text software is readily available on just about any computer or mobile device we use these days.

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