SpeechBeeGuide
Dictate in Obsidian on a Mac
Obsidian notes are plain Markdown files, which makes them a good place to talk into. You can use Apple Dictation, an Obsidian community plugin, or a dictation app that works everywhere. Here's how each works and which one fits how you write.
By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Checked on 14 October 2026
On this page
Option 1: Apple Dictation
Turn on Dictation in System Settings, Keyboard. Click into a note, press the Microphone key or Fn (Globe) twice, and talk. Say "new line" or "new paragraph" to break lines. It's free and needs nothing installed.
The limits: it stops after 30 seconds without speech, and on Mac it has no custom vocabulary, so note titles, people and jargon need fixing.
Option 2: an Obsidian community plugin
Obsidian's community plugin directory lists several voice plugins. Two examples:
- Voice to Text: hold a hotkey, speak, and the text is inserted at the cursor.
- Speech Kit: dictation inside Obsidian with a local model, so the audio stays on your Mac.
Install them from Settings, Community plugins, Browse. A plugin is the right choice if you only ever dictate in Obsidian and like having everything inside your vault. Check each plugin's page for where audio is processed: some send it to a cloud speech service with your own API key, others run locally.
Option 3: a dictation app that works everywhere
If you also write in Mail, Slack or your browser, one dictation key for every app is simpler than a plugin per app. In SpeechBee, which we make, you hold the right ⌘ key in an Obsidian note, talk, and let go. The text lands at the cursor as plain text, so it fits straight into your Markdown.
It transcribes on your Mac, removes filler words in 61 languages, fixes names from your dictionary, and expands snippets. A snippet is handy for things you type in every note, such as a tag line or a template header. Select a note and press the right ⌥ key and SpeechBee reads it aloud, which is useful for proofreading.
Hi Maya, I'll send the revised proposal tomorrow morning.
Most people read faster than they speak. SpeechBee reads the sentence you selected out loud, while you keep working.
Keep the Markdown clean
- Type the syntax, dictate the words. Type
-,##or[[yourself, then dictate. - Say "new paragraph" between ideas, so each lands in its own paragraph.
- Dictate a rough capture, then tidy it. Talking is for getting the thought down; links and tags are faster to add by hand.
- Keep a daily note open. Many people dictate into today's note and move ideas later.
Talk your notes into Obsidian. Free for 7 days.
Voice to text and Read Aloud on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. After the week, $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once. Every plan has every feature.
Questions
Does Obsidian have built-in dictation?
No, Obsidian has no dictation of its own. Use Apple Dictation, a community plugin, or a dictation app.
What's the best Obsidian plugin for voice to text?
It depends on where you want the audio processed. Voice to Text inserts text at the cursor with a hotkey; Speech Kit runs a local model. Read each plugin's page before installing.
Can I dictate into Obsidian offline?
Yes, with a local plugin, with Apple Dictation in a language your Mac processes on device, or with a local dictation app such as SpeechBee after its one-time model download.
Keep reading
Sources
Checked on 14 October 2026.