How to use Typeless on a Mac: installing it, your first dictation, and the settings worth changing
By Ryleigh Newman · Published
Typeless is a dictation app that turns what you say into polished writing in any app. On a Mac you press Fn once, speak, and press Fn again, and the cleaned up text appears where you started. This guide covers setup from the download to the first dictation, then the settings most people change: language variants, shortcuts and the microphone.
I built YapToText, a different dictation app for the Mac, so read what I say about Typeless with that in mind. Every fact about Typeless here comes from its own help center, read on October 10, 2026.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
This guide in other languages: Čeština, Deutsch, Español, Français, Magyar, Bahasa Indonesia, Italiano, 日本語, 한국어, Nederlands, Polski, Português, Русский, ไทย, Türkçe, Tiếng Việt, 简体中文, 繁體中文
Install and sign in
- On Typeless's Downloads page, click Download for macOS.
- Open Typeless.dmg and drag Typeless to Applications.
- Open it from Applications or Spotlight, and click Open if your Mac asks you to confirm.
- Sign in with Google, Apple or your email address. Enterprise organizations with SSO can sign in, or may have to, with SSO.
Typeless needs an account to work, and it transcribes in the cloud. The Typeless privacy page covers what that means.
Grant the two permissions
- Accessibility. So Typeless can paste into any text field. Click Allow, then turn Typeless on in System Settings if an alert opens it.
- Microphone. Click Allow in Typeless, then Allow in the macOS dialog.
If the prompts do not work, turn both on yourself in System Settings, Privacy and Security. For Accessibility, add Typeless with the + button if it is not listed. If macOS asks, choose Quit and Reopen. Then speak to test the microphone: moving blue bars mean it works.
Your first dictation
- Click into a text field in any app.
- Press the Dictate shortcut once: Fn on a Mac, Right Alt on Windows.
- When you hear the sound or see the Voice bar, speak naturally. You can correct yourself as you go.
- Press the shortcut again. The polished text appears where you began.
One dictation can run up to 9 minutes. A 60 second countdown appears at the 8 minute mark, and if you reach the limit Typeless saves what you have said so far in History. On the phone, tap Speak on the Typeless keyboard to start and again to stop.
Language variants
Typeless supports regional variants for English, Chinese, Spanish, French and Portuguese, to match how you speak and write. On a Mac: Settings, the icon at the bottom left, then under Language, Select language variants, and pick one for each language you dictate in. On the phone it is Account, Settings, Language variants.
Settings worth knowing
From Typeless's help article Settings, read October 10, 2026. Settings opens from the icon at the bottom left of the desktop app.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Keyboard shortcuts | Change the keys for Dictate, Translate and Ask anything. Add another adds a second key, for an external keyboard |
| Microphone | Auto-detect uses the Mac's default, or pick one. Blue bars mean Typeless hears it |
| Interface language | 58 languages for the app itself |
| Interaction sounds | A sound when you start and stop |
| Mute when dictating | Pauses other audio while you speak |
| Launch app at login, Show app in dock | Start with the Mac, and keep it in the Dock |
If something does not work
Most problems are permissions, the microphone or a system setting that clashes. The Typeless not working page goes through each, and lost text is usually in History, kept for the period you chose under Keep History.
Where YapToText does it differently
Typeless from its help center and pricing page. YapToText from its own settings.
| Typeless | YapToText | |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Required | None |
| Where it transcribes | In the cloud | On the Mac |
| Price | A free plan with a weekly word limit, or Pro | Free, no word limit |
| Key | Fn, press to start and stop | Right Command, tap to start and stop |
| Length of one dictation | Up to 9 minutes | A safety stop at 30 minutes |
| Platforms | Desktop and mobile apps | Mac only |
The Typeless pricing page has the plan details, and the Typeless alternative page compares the two in full.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
The short version
- Install. Download for macOS, drag to Applications, sign in.
- Permissions. Accessibility and Microphone.
- Dictate. Fn once, speak, Fn again.
- Limit. 9 minutes a dictation.
- Variants. Settings, Language, Select language variants.
If Typeless changes how setup works, open an issue on GitHub and I will update this page. Every one gets read.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
Related
Sources
- https://www.typeless.com/help/installation-and-setup (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://www.typeless.com/help/quickstart/dictate (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://www.typeless.com/help/quickstart/settings (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://www.typeless.com/help/troubleshooting/dictation-limit (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-10)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-10)
Questions
How do I use Typeless on a Mac?
Click a text field, press Fn once, speak, and press Fn again. The polished text appears where you began.
What is the Typeless shortcut?
Fn on macOS and Right Alt on Windows by default. Change it in Settings, Keyboard shortcuts.
How long can I dictate in Typeless?
9 minutes per dictation. A countdown starts at 8 minutes, and what you said is saved in History if you hit the limit.
Does Typeless need an account?
Yes. You sign in with Google, Apple or an email address, or SSO in some organizations.
Can I use a second keyboard with Typeless?
Yes. In Settings, Keyboard shortcuts, Add another gives Dictate, Translate or Ask anything a second key.