Offline Mac dictation: what works with Wi-Fi off.
Offline dictation on a Mac means speech turns into text with no internet connection. Whether it works depends on the app, your language and your settings. Apple Dictation can, for supported languages. Superwhisper and MacWhisper can, with downloaded models. Wispr Flow can’t, going by its help pages. Noted can, on Mac and Windows: dictation, recording and transcripts.
This is for anyone who dictates on planes, trains, in patchy Wi-Fi or with work that must not leave the Mac. You get an answer per app, a split of what needs a connection, and a ten-minute test to run tonight.
TL;DR
- Yes, some Mac dictation works with no internet, but it depends on the app, the language and your settings. Apple Dictation can, for supported languages. Superwhisper and MacWhisper can, with downloaded models. Wispr Flow can’t, going by its help pages.
- Offline is more than one step. Speech to text, text clean-up and AI summaries can each run on your Mac or in the cloud, so check each one.
- Noted’s dictation, recording and transcripts work with no connection, on Mac and Windows. Sign-in and the first voice download need one; Polish, AI meeting notes, Ask and Answers need one every time.
- Tested by hand by our founder with Wi-Fi off, on Mac and Windows, November 2026.
What does “offline dictation” need on a Mac?
A dictation app does up to four jobs, and each can run on your Mac or on a server:
- Installing and signing in. Most apps need a connection once, to download a voice model or check an account.
- Speech to text. The part that hears you. It’s what “offline” usually means.
- Clean-up. Fillers, punctuation, grammar. Some apps do it on your Mac, some in the cloud.
- Everything else, such as meeting summaries or answers from your notes.
Ask of each app which of these four needs a connection. That is the real answer to “does it work offline?”
Does Apple’s Mac Dictation work offline?
It can, but not for every language. In System Settings › Keyboard, the text under Dictation tells you whether you need an internet connection and whether text dictation is processed on your Mac or sent to Siri servers (Apple Support). Apple’s feature availability page lists a shorter set of languages for dictation that runs on your Mac than for Dictation in general, and says those need speech models downloaded. Check that page for your language and region.
Apple’s Dictation guide also says it stops after 30 seconds without speech. If that’s your problem, see Mac dictation not working? Fixes that work.
Where Apple is the better fit: it is built in, so there is nothing to install or sign in to.
Does Wispr Flow work offline?
Going by its help pages, no. Wispr’s article on accuracy and known limitations says dictation is processed in the cloud, tells you to reconnect and retry if processing fails, and describes no offline mode. We found no page that describes an offline mode. Checked 12 November 2026; Wispr may change this.
Where Wispr Flow is the better fit: cloud processing means there’s no speech model to download first.
Is Superwhisper free, and does it work offline?
Yes to both, with local models. Superwhisper’s offline page says offline mode works without a connection or an account, that models download once and then run on your computer, and that the free tier doesn’t expire. Its plans page says the free plan has unlimited dictation with the local Whisper models. Pro adds cloud models, file transcription and AI modes; its prices are on the plans page. Cloud models send your audio or text to a provider (Superwhisper’s security page), so those need a connection. Checked 12 November 2026.
Where Superwhisper is the better fit: you choose your own voice and language models, can keep the whole chain on your computer, and can buy a lifetime licence.
Does MacWhisper work offline?
MacWhisper’s site says it transcribes files with local models, can switch between local and cloud models, and offers system-wide dictation. It lists a free version and a one-time Pro purchase, but the page doesn’t make clear which features sit in which tier. Check it before you buy. Checked 12 November 2026.
Does Noted work offline?
Yes, on Mac and Windows. Once you’re signed in and the voice is downloaded, dictation, recording and transcripts need no connection. AI meeting notes, Polish, Ask, Live Answers and screen answers need one. Our founder tested this by hand with Wi-Fi off, on Mac and Windows, in November 2026; we haven’t timed a Wi-Fi-off session, so there are no speed numbers here. Each step, from the privacy page and the app’s code:
| Step | Without internet |
|---|---|
| First install: sign in and download the voice | Needs a connection. Sign-in uses a one-time code sent by email, and the speech model is downloaded after install. |
| Speech to text | Runs on your computer; audio is never sent to us or anyone else. |
| Meeting recording and transcript | Runs on your computer, like dictation. |
| Staying signed in | Opening the app with no connection keeps you signed in as the same user. |
| Basic tidy-up (fillers, repeats, casing) | Runs on your computer, always on. The filler list is English. |
| Polish (cloud clean-up) | Needs a connection. If the call fails, the tidied text stays. |
| AI meeting notes | Need a connection. A meeting recorded without one waits, and the note is processed when you’re connected. |
| Ask, Live Answers, screen answers | Need a connection. With none, Answers tells you so. |
The Cloud switch in Settings › General turns every cloud feature off, and then nothing is sent for them (privacy page). Dictation is free forever and needs a free account; it runs on Mac (macOS 13 or later) and Windows (Windows 10, version 1903 or later). For what each cloud feature sends, see the privacy page.
Where Noted is the better fit: one free app that keeps both jobs going with no connection. Dictation, with no word limit, and meeting recording and transcripts all run on your computer, while Superwhisper’s plans page gives Meetings only trial words on its free plan (read 14 November 2026). Side by side with Wispr Flow: Noted compared with Wispr Flow.
What we have and have not tested
On 12 November 2026 we read the code paths behind the table above, and in November 2026 our founder tested the app by hand. Here is exactly what that covered.
- Tested by hand by our founder, November 2026: dictation, meeting recording and transcripts with Wi-Fi off, on Mac and Windows, after sign-in and the voice download.
- Read in code, with an automated test: a relaunch with no connection and an already verified voice model is ready and fetches no files; a launch with no connection stays signed in as the saved user, and stays them once the connection returns. These are tests in the app’s code, using a stand-in server. We read them for this post and did not re-run them.
- Read in code, no test cited: basic tidy-up has no network call; a failed Polish keeps the tidied text; an AI meeting note recorded offline is queued with the message “No internet connection. The note will be processed when you’re connected.”; Answers reports “No internet connection”.
- Not measured: speed or accuracy with Wi-Fi off. The hand test checked that each step works, not how fast, so we don’t publish speed or accuracy numbers.
- Not tested for rivals: every statement about Apple, Wispr, Superwhisper and MacWhisper comes from their own pages, read on the date shown. We didn’t run their apps for this post.
How can I test offline dictation myself tonight?
Ten minutes, any app. Do it once before you rely on it on a flight.
- Finish the downloads online. Install the app, sign in if it asks, and let any voice model finish. An unfinished download is the usual reason “offline” fails.
- Dictate once online. Check the microphone and accessibility permissions are granted and text appears. Otherwise you can’t tell a permission fault from a connection fault.
- Turn the connection off. Wi-Fi off, Ethernet unplugged, phone hotspot off. Then quit and reopen the app, because that is what a flight does to it.
- Dictate into a plain text box. Notes or TextEdit is fine. If text appears, speech to text is on your Mac. Say something with a few “um”s to see whether tidy-up still runs.
- Try each extra and write down what happened. Clean-up, summary, answer: for each, note whether it worked, failed with a message, or waited. Anything that failed or waited needs a connection.
- Turn the connection back on. Check queued items finish. A good app should not lose a meeting recorded offline.
Apple Dictation and Noted both put the text at your cursor. In Terminal, Cursor and Claude Code, see Dictate into Claude Code and Cursor.
Our point of view
“Offline” should be said per step. A single yes or no hides the part that matters: a note can be typed from your voice with no network and still be summarised by a server. That is why our own table splits the steps instead of calling the whole app offline.
The voice stays on the Mac; the optional extras say they are cloud. That shaped two choices in the app. Speech to text and the basic tidy-up are always on and never call a server, so dictation keeps working when Wi-Fi drops. Polish, AI meeting notes and Answers are separate cloud features with one Cloud switch that turns them all off. For the wider question, see meeting notes without a bot and consent for AI note takers.
Don’t lose work because the network dropped. A meeting recorded offline is queued and processed later, rather than thrown away.
Limitations, honestly
- The first run needs a connection. Sign-in is by emailed code and the speech model downloads after install, so you can’t set Noted up on a flight.
- Superwhisper gives you more control. It lets you choose your own voice and language models and works with no account, which Noted does not.
- Apple’s is built in. If your language is on Apple’s on-your-Mac list and you want nothing to install, it is the simplest option.
- Wispr Flow needs no download. If you are always online, that is a fair trade.
- Tidy-up is English only. The basic filler list is English, so in other languages expect less clean-up offline.
- Rival facts change. Everything about other apps was read on 12 November 2026 and may be out of date by the time you read this.
FAQ
Can I dictate on a Mac with no internet?
Yes, with an app that keeps speech to text on your Mac: Apple Dictation for supported languages, Superwhisper or MacWhisper with downloaded models, or Noted. Wispr Flow’s help pages describe cloud processing only.
Is offline the same as private?
No. Offline speech to text means your audio isn’t uploaded, but a clean-up or summary step may still send text to a server. Check each step.
Does Noted dictation work without Wi-Fi?
Yes, on Mac and Windows. After you’ve signed in and the voice has downloaded, dictation, recording and transcripts need no connection. Cloud features such as Polish and AI meeting notes need one.
Does Noted need an account to dictate?
Yes, a free one. Dictation is free forever.
Is Superwhisper free?
It has a free plan with unlimited dictation on local Whisper models; Pro is paid (see above).
Does Wispr Flow work offline?
Not according to its help pages, which describe cloud processing and no offline mode (checked 12 November 2026).
What happens to a meeting I record with no connection?
In Noted, the note is queued and processed when you’re connected again.
Sources
- If Dictation on Mac doesn’t work as expected and Dictate messages and documents on Mac (Apple Support)
- macOS feature availability (Apple)
- What to expect from Flow: accuracy and known limitations (Wispr Flow help)
- Offline transcription, Plans and Sensitive data (Superwhisper)
- MacWhisper
Checked 12 November 2026. Noted isn’t affiliated with Apple, Wispr, Superwhisper or MacWhisper.
Hold one key and talk, in any app: Noted Dictation.