Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
You can dictate text on a MacBook once dictation is turned on in the settings: start it with the microphone key, the dictation shortcut or Edit → Start Dictation, then just speak, naming punctuation marks as separate words. You can also type by voice on a Mac through Potok (potok.now), which gives about 900 characters per minute by voice versus 200 when typing.
More answers are in the how-to section.
Dictation is already turned on in the settings, but what to do next is unclear: just speak into the void, or do you have to start it somehow first? On a MacBook there is a separate step between turning it on and the speech itself, and punctuation marks there are not a space but a word.
How to dictate text on a MacBook, step by step
- If dictation is not yet turned on in System Settings, go through that step first. It is covered in the article on turning on voice input on a Mac (in Russian).
- Put the cursor in a text field: an email, a note, a document or any other place where text is usually entered.
- Start dictation in one of three ways: press the microphone key in the function key row, if there is one on the keyboard; press the dictation shortcut set in the settings; or open the Edit menu and choose Start Dictation.
- Speak at a normal pace. What you say appears in the field as it is recognized.
- Name punctuation marks, a line break, letter case and numbers as separate command words. The official list divides them into the sections Punctuation, Styling, Formatting, Capital letters, Math symbols and Currency. For example, the command “chislo” (number) turns the next phrase you say into digits.
If it did not work
If dictation does not appear after starting or does not react to your voice, there is a separate breakdown of causes in the article on why dictation on a MacBook is silent (in Russian).
Where Potok cannot do this
Potok is not a replacement for built-in Mac dictation but a separate desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux: typing starts with its own hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default) in any active field. Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. Potok has no voice commands: the commands from the Mac dictation list, such as “tochka” (period), “chislo” (number), “verkhniy registr” (uppercase) and others, are not spoken to Potok, but it places punctuation, capital letters and numbers itself, without a single command. Potok also has no offline mode and no apps for iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
Say the word “chislo” (number), and the next phrase you say will be recognized as digits. This command is in the Formatting section of the official list of Mac dictation commands, separate from the other marks and letter case.
Yes, macOS built-in dictation supports Russian. Voice Control is a separate feature with text editing by voice, and it has Russian too; while it is on, standard Dictation is unavailable.
How to dictate text on a MacBook. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For How to dictate text on a MacBook you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to dictate text on a MacBook. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For How to dictate text on a MacBook you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to dictate text on a MacBook. Versions are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the default hotkey is Ctrl+Space; there are no mobile versions. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. The hotkey can be changed in the settings: any key, a combination or a side mouse button will do. Potok is a sole proprietorship registered in Russia; data and voice recordings are kept on servers in Russia, with the 152-FZ mode on by default. For How to dictate text on a MacBook you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to dictate text on a MacBook. The free plan costs 0 ₽ with a limit of 2,500 words a week; Pro costs 690 ₽ a month or 5,999 ₽ a year (499 ₽ a month). Here is how Potok works: hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), speak, release — and the finished text is inserted into the active field of any app. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For How to dictate text on a MacBook you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Check it in one evening
Install Potok, dictate what you usually type and compare. 14 days of full access, no card needed. Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokExisting recordings are transcribed by Potok's Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: send a file or a YouTube, VK Video, RuTube, Instagram or TikTok link and the text arrives in the chat. The Potok subscription removes the limit in the bot too.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows 11 only | Microsoft cloud, does not work offline |
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
| Task | Characters | Typing (200 chars/min) | Voice (900 chars/min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| chat reply | 300 | 2 min | 0.5 min |
| 1500 | 8 min | 1.7 min | |
| post or meeting minutes | 4000 | 20 min | 4.4 min |
| article | 10000 | 50 min | 11.1 min |
Primary sources: support.apple.com · support.microsoft.com