Apple's Ventura 13 and Sonoma 14 pages say yes on Apple silicon for supported languages: no internet connection is required. Its macOS 15, 26 and 27 pages do not say that and point to Keyboard settings instead. The on-device list carries a note that speech models must be downloaded. The reliable answer is a test: turn Wi-Fi off and dictate.
What Apple does say
Apple's macOS 27 Dictation page says that in System Settings > Keyboard, the text below Dictation shows whether voice inputs and transcripts for general text dictation are processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers. Dictation must be enabled for the text to appear.
Apple's privacy page adds the other half. If Keyboard settings does not indicate on-device processing, what you dictate is sent to and processed on Apple's server, and it is not stored unless you opt in to Improve Siri and Dictation.
Apple's pages do not give the exact wording shown under Dictation, so read your own screen rather than relying on a description.
What the macOS 13 and 14 pages say
The Sonoma 14 page says that on a Mac with Apple silicon, Dictation requests are processed on the device for supported languages, with no internet connection required. For Intel Macs and for languages without on-device support, it says utterances are sent to Apple.
Ventura 13 says dictation requests are processed on the device in many languages on Apple silicon, with no internet connection required, and that your dictated utterances are otherwise sent to Apple.
Apple's Sequoia 15, Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 pages do not repeat the no-internet statement or the Intel comparison. They point you to Keyboard settings instead.
Where the gaps are
Apple's macOS 15, 26 and 27 pages say on-device Dictation exists but do not state that Dictation works with no connection. Apple's current troubleshooting page says you may need an internet connection.
- Languages: Apple's macOS Feature Availability page has a list titled On-Device and Modeless Dictation with 48 entries, against 63 for Dictation overall. We counted those entries ourselves. Apple does not define "modeless".
- Speech models: a footnote on that list says Requires download of speech models. Apple does not map it to particular languages or say how big it is or when it downloads.
- Search boxes: Apple's on-device statement does not cover dictating in a search box. Apple's Ventura 13 troubleshooting page says search-box dictation may be sent to the search provider.
Test it on your own Mac
Two minutes with the Wi-Fi off settles it for your Mac, your language and your version of macOS.
- Open System Settings > Keyboard and read the text below Dictation. Note whether it says speech is processed on the device.
- Check that your language is set: click Edit next to Languages. Then compare it with the on-device list on Apple's macOS Feature Availability page. Compare carefully, because the list uses different labels, such as Arabic against Arabic (Saudi Arabia).
- Turn Wi-Fi off, and unplug Ethernet if you use it.
- Open Notes or any other text field that is not a search box and click inside it.
- Start Dictation with the Microphone key, your shortcut or Edit > Start Dictation, and say a sentence.
- If text appears, that language worked without a connection on that Mac. If nothing happens, Dictation may need a connection for that language on that Mac, though a missing speech model is another possible cause. Turn Wi-Fi back on to use it.
If you must dictate offline and Dictation fails
Apple's Ventura 13 troubleshooting page says that if you need to dictate text when you are offline, use Voice Control. Voice Control needs the internet once, for a one-time file download from Apple, and after that you don't need a connection.
That means setting it up while you are still online. Voice Control and Dictation cannot be on together. Our guide to Dictation versus Voice Control covers switching.
Organisations can also force the behaviour. Apple's deployment guide lists a Force on-device-only dictation restriction for macOS 14 and later that stops dictated content going to Siri servers. It is supported on Apple silicon Macs.
Check any dictation app the same way
The Wi-Fi test works on any dictation app, not only Apple's. If text still appears with the connection off, recognition ran on your Mac. If it fails, it suggests the app needs a connection.
Also read the app's privacy page, because an app can recognise speech locally and still send text out for cleanup. The full method is in our guide to local vs cloud dictation.
If you want more than the built-in tool
Pepys Dictate works offline: speech recognition and formatting both run on your Mac, with no account. It goes online only to download its models once, activate a licence key and check for updates. It needs an Apple silicon Mac. How it compares with Apple Dictation is on its own page.
Last updated October 5, 2026.