Installation & Updates

Dictate in other apps

Set up dictation across your Mac with Franz: allow Accessibility, choose your key, and see how pasting, password fields and the AI check handle your words.

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Franz dictation works in any app with a text field, from Mail to Terminal. It needs macOS 26 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac, Franz Pro, Max, Lifetime or the trial, and the direct download from meetfranz.com.

Turn it on

Open Settings → "Voice" and switch on "Dictate in other apps" in the "General" section. macOS asks you once for Accessibility. That's the only permission it needs. Franz never asks for Input Monitoring.

While macOS hasn't answered yet, the row says "Waiting for macOS…". If it says "macOS didn't allow it.", click "Open System Settings" and allow Franz under Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

Choose your key

Under "Dictation key", Right ⌥ is marked "suggested". You can also pick Right ⌘ or fn, or record another key with "Record…".

macOS dictation listens on fn too, so if you pick fn, turn macOS dictation off in System Settings → Keyboard. fn needs "Dictate in other apps" switched on.

Where your words go

Franz pastes your words in, then puts your clipboard back.

If no text field was focused, the pill says "Copied. Paste with ⌘V" and your words stay on the clipboard, so you can paste them yourself.

Password fields are off limits: the pill says "Not in password fields" and "Nothing was recorded", as Franz stops before the microphone starts. Under macOS secure input, it also skips fields it can't read.

The Mac App Store version

The Mac App Store version dictates inside Franz only. Apple's sandbox doesn't let Store apps type into other apps.

The AI check and privacy

Speech recognition always runs on your Mac. No audio leaves it, in any mode.

The AI check uses the AI you set up under Settings → "AI Assistant". With AI off, there's no check. With Franz Cloud (Max or the trial) or your own API key, the text goes to that provider to be checked. With Ollama on your Mac, or AI off, nothing leaves your Mac.

Outside Franz, the check only gets what you said, never window titles or names from other apps. It fixes only what doesn't make sense, like a misheard name, and shows each fix as old → new. One tap of your dictation key right after puts back what it heard.

Read about voice dictation or compare Franz vs Wispr Flow.