But if you’d rather Siri not speak, uncheck the box for Voice Feedback. Click each numbered voice to hear how it sounds and choose your preferred voice ( Figure E).īy default, Siri answers you with a spoken response. Depending on the voice variety you select, a few specific numbered voices appear below. For example, selecting English (United States) as your language offers Australian, British, Irish, South African, Indian and American voices.Īfter choosing a voice, Siri speaks to you in that voice so you can decide if you want to keep it. Depending on your language, you can choose a specific region to give Siri’s voice a certain accent. Click Customize to create a shortcut not listed in the menu ( Figure D).Ĭlick the dropdown menu for language and shift to a different language for Siri if you wish. To do so, click the dropdown menu for Keyboard Shortcut and switch it to the shortcut of your choice. By default, pressing the dictation key (typically F5) on your Mac activates Siri, but you can change this. Next, you can trigger Siri through a keyboard shortcut. To still use Siri when your Mac is locked, check the box for Allow Siri when locked. Click Done at the screen telling you that “Hey Siri” is ready ( Figure C).

At the first screen for Set Up “Hey Siri,” click Continue and then repeat each displayed phrase. To be able to access Siri by voice, check the box for Listen for “Hey Siri.” Siri will now ask you to repeat a few phrases to better understand your voice and manner of speaking.

Click the Enable button when asked for confirmation that you want to enable Siri ( Figure B). In the System Preferences window, click the icon for Siri ( Figure A).Īssuming Siri hasn’t already been enabled, check the box for Enable Ask Siri. SEE: How Apple users can make the most of Microsoft 365 at work (TechRepublic Premium)Ĭlick the Apple icon and select System Preferences. Here’s how to get Siri working the way you want on your Mac. Once Siri is enabled, you activate it by your voice, by an icon or by a keyboard shortcut. You can tweak Siri to choose your language, region and voice. But the steps for setting it up and customizing it differ slightly, mostly because of the differences between the operating systems. Siri’s basic functionality is the same on a Mac as on a mobile device.

For more info, visit our Terms of Use page.īeyond using Siri on an iPhone or iPad, you can work with the voice assistant on a Mac with Big Sur. This may influence how and where their products appear on our site, but vendors cannot pay to influence the content of our reviews. We may be compensated by vendors who appear on this page through methods such as affiliate links or sponsored partnerships. Here are the steps for enabling and using the Siri voice assistant on your Mac, just like you do on your iPhone or iPad.

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