Use Siri on your Mac
Siri on your Mac can help you with everyday tasks such as getting quick answers to questions, playing music, and more. You can ask Siri almost anything, and Siri can do it for you (“Set up a meeting at 9” or “Play some mellow music”) or answer it for you (“What was the score for last night’s game?”).
Siri can make suggestions in some apps even before you ask. For example, when you receive invitations in Mail or book flights in Safari, Siri suggests adding them to your calendar. Or, when you browse webpages, Siri can suggest related webpages.
Turn on Siri
Siri may be turned on already if you set it up when you first set up your Mac.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
Select Enable Ask Siri, if it’s not already selected, then click Enable.
If you’re asked if you want to improve Siri and Dictation, do one of the following:
Share audio recordings: Click Share Audio Recordings to allow Apple to store audio of your Siri and Dictation interactions from your Mac. Apple may review a sample of stored audio.
Don’t share audio recordings: Click Not Now.
If you change your mind later and want to share or stop sharing audio recordings, select or deselect the Improve Siri & Dictation checkbox in the Analytics & Improvements section of Privacy preferences in Security & Privacy. See Change Privacy preferences.
Note: You can delete the audio interactions (which are associated with a random identifier and less than six months old) whenever you like—see Delete Siri and Dictation history.
Do any of the following:
Use “Hey Siri”: If your Mac or paired AirPods support it, select the Listen for “Hey Siri” checkbox. You can then say “Hey Siri” to start using Siri. When this option is on and you select the “Allow Siri when locked” checkbox, you can also use Siri even if your Mac is locked or in sleep.
Set a keyboard shortcut: Click the Keyboard Shortcut pop-up menu, then choose a shortcut to ask Siri or create your own.
Tip: If
is available in the row of function keys, you can press and hold it to ask Siri or use the keyboard shortcut.Choose how Siri speaks: Click the Language pop-up menu, then choose a language. Select a voice from the list to hear a preview, then choose the voice that you want Siri to use. If available, click the Voice Variety pop-up menu to hear a different set of Siri voices.
Mute Siri: Click Off next to Voice Feedback—the response from Siri is shown in the Siri window but not spoken.
Add Siri to the menu bar: Select the “Show Siri in menu bar” checkbox.
Ask Siri
To ask Siri on your Mac, do any of the following:
Press and hold
if available in the row of function keys or use the keyboard shortcut as specified in Siri preferences.Note: Press and hold
to ask Siri; press and release to start Dictation.Click Siri
in the menu bar. If it’s not shown, you can add it using Dock & Menu Bar preferences.Tap Siri in the Touch Bar (if your Mac has a Touch Bar).
Say “Hey Siri” (if enabled in Siri preferences; this option’s only available when supported by your Mac or headphones).
To verify that you can use Hey Siri on your device, see the Apple Support article Devices that support “Hey Siri.”
Ask Siri a question or to do a task for you. See Ways to use Siri.
Turn off Siri
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
Deselect the Enable Ask Siri checkbox.
If you’re the family organizer for a Family Sharing group, you can set up Screen Time for a child and restrict access to Siri. See Change Screen Time Content & Privacy Apps preferences.