Dictation stopped working

Earlier today, my Dictation stopped working. I double click on my keyboard to start it (as I have done ever since I upgraded), the icon appears and the microphone immediately "fills up" so instead of going up and down as I speak and then delivering what I have said, instead it "fills" and is static. I click again the three dots shake, the word "Cancel" appears where "Done" was followed by "Close" and it disappears with no text.
I haven't added any new programs that would likely interfere with it.
I have tried:
switching off and switching on in System Preferences
rebooting and switching off and switching on in System Preferences
deleting a file in Library Preferences as someone recommended on here and then following step two
Any fixes????

If you us Webfoot, this may be this cause....from Webfoot website:
This solution addresses Webroot SecureAnywhere for Mac OS X 10.7 and higher
Due to the unique way in which keyboard shortcuts work on the Mac OS, the secure keyboard entry feature may prohibit shortcut functions in a variety of applications. This includes, but is not limited to, Adobe Creative Suite Products, Macro applications, or some built in features that are triggered by key combinations—such as Dictation and Speech.
This can be resolved by clicking the Webroot icon located on the top right of the menu bar, then clicking Pause Secure Keyboard Entry.
Once activated, you will see a checkmark next to the menu option. While this is selected, Webroot SecureAnywhere will not secure keystrokes against keylogging software, though it will still be actively protecting you against infections. It is important to ensure that this function is enabled when browsing the internet—particularly on secure sites that require a username and password.

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Why has Dictation stopped working?

I have been very pleased with the improvement to Dictation in its enhanced mode, including provision for spoken commands in place of Speakable Items. Just as I have got fully familiar with the feature, Dictation has stopped working. When I call upon Dictation, the microphone icon shows as usual and, when I speak a command or text I want to dictate, the recognition bar in the microphone juggles up and down but nothing happens. The command is not obeyed or the text does not get typed. Oddly, if I go to System Preferences and turn off Dictation enhancement, I can dictate text and that text will get typed. Why has enhanced Dictation stopped working?

Mac users often ask whether they should install "anti-virus" (AV) software. The usual answer is "no." That answer is right, but it may give the wrong impression that there is no threat from what are loosely called "viruses." There is a threat, and you need to educate yourself about it.
1. This is a comment on what you should—and should not—do to protect yourself from malicious software ("malware") that circulates on the Internet and gets onto a computer as an unintended consequence of the user's actions.
It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the computer, or who has been able to take control of it remotely. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. AV software is not intended to, and does not, defend against such attacks.
The comment is long because the issue is complex. The key points are in sections 5, 6, and 10.
OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."
The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
☞ It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
☞ It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.
3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't been checked for security by Apple unless it comes from the App Store, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
☞ It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
☞ A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
☞ An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.
Apple has taken far too long to revoke the codesigning certificates of some known abusers, thereby diluting the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. Those lapses don't involve App Store products, however.
For the reasons given, App Store products, and—to a lesser extent—other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandbox security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.
4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is a problem of human behavior, not machine behavior, and no technological fix alone is going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.
The best defense is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and Internet criminals. If you're better informed than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbor? Below are some warning signs of danger.
Software from an untrustworthy source
☞ Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website. Do not trust an alert from any website to update Flash, or your browser, or any other software. A genuine alert that Flash is outdated and blocked is shown on this support page. Follow the instructions on the support page in that case. Otherwise, assume that the alert is fake and someone is trying to scam you into installing malware. If you see such alerts on more than one website, ask for instructions.
☞ Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent, or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.
☞ Rogue websites such as Softonic, Soft32, and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."
☞ The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads. Any ad, on any site, that includes a direct link to a download should be ignored.
Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal
☞ High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."
☞ An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission. All "YouTube downloaders" are in this category, though not all are necessarily malicious.
Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers
☞ A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
☞ A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.
☞ You win a prize in a contest you never entered.
☞ Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.
☞ A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.
☞ Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."
Unexpected events
☞ A file is downloaded automatically when you visit a web page, with no other action on your part. Delete any such file without opening it.
☞ You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.
☞ An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
☞ Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.
I don't say that leaving the safe harbor just once will necessarily result in disaster, but making a habit of it will weaken your defenses against malware attack. Any of the above scenarios should, at the very least, make you uncomfortable.
6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.
Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it—not JavaScript—in your browsers.
Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a padlock icon in the address bar when visiting a secure site.
Stay within the safe harbor, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.
7. Never install any commercial AV or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they are all worse than useless. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store—nothing else.
Why shouldn't you use commercial AV products?
☞ To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. This technique is a proven failure, as a major AV software vendor has admitted. Most attacks are "zero-day"—that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based AV does not defend against such attacks, and the enterprise IT industry is coming to the realization that traditional AV software is worthless.
☞ Its design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere. In order to meet that nonexistent threat, commercial AV software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
☞ By modifying the operating system, the software may also create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
☞ Most importantly, a false sense of security is dangerous.
8. An AV product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," has the same drawback as the commercial suites of being always out of date, but it does not inject low-level code into the operating system. That doesn't mean it's entirely harmless. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
An AV app is not needed, and cannot be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful, if at all, only for detecting Windows malware, and even for that use it's not really effective, because new Windows malware is emerging much faster than OS X malware.
Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else. A malicious attachment in email is usually easy to recognize by the name alone. An actual example:
London Terror Moovie.avi [124 spaces] Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe
You don't need software to tell you that's a Windows trojan. Software may be able to tell you which trojan it is, but who cares? In practice, there's no reason to use recognition software unless an organizational policy requires it. Windows malware is so widespread that you should assume it's in every email attachment until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, ClamXav or a similar product from the App Store may serve a purpose if it satisfies an ill-informed network administrator who says you must run some kind of AV application. It's free and it won't handicap the system.
The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have all the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.
9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.
10. As a Mac user, you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither can you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. Navigating the Internet is like walking the streets of a big city. It can be as safe or as dangerous as you choose to make it. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

Dictation stops working.

Recently, Dictation has stopped working. When I use the command to activate Dictation, I hear the activation sound but the little dialog box in the text entry section does not appear, and no dictation occurs. If I reboot through my computer, Dictation functions properly again, but at some point the problem reoccurs. This problem occurs in all applications.
OS 10.8.2 iMac 2.8Ghz i7

Am I the only one having this problem? I also noticed that I can correct the problem by logging out of my account and logging back in.

Why does dictation stop working?

worked great and then nothing … .need restart often? no pattern i can figure out….[speakable items is fine] imac2009, osx10.8.5

Thanks for reply….Oh, so their server does go down quite often then? Or I was wondering if they cut me off after heavy usage or something?
Think I would need to upgrade to at least Mavericks to get the enhanced dictation. I did try it. Guess I would do it just to avoid the server problems, if I didn't have to accept all the other operating system changes. Do most think it is a vastly superior dictation to the older version?
But I really dislike some of the oS changes/the look and visibility of it on neighbors computer/iPad, and the new calendars, notes….. I don't suppose there's any possibility of accepting most of the changes in new operating systems, while keeping my old design of calendar , Notes, desktop…?
Really want to move on to Yosemite for the speakable items improvements alone, but I'm also wondering if it's going to give me problems with a 2009 iMac?
Macs are amazing, but I still wish everything was even simpler , Less time-consuming.

Dictation stopped working after OS X update. Any idea why?

Mac was having dictation problems to the point where pressing the Fn twice would only lead to a "bing" and nothing more. I took it to the Apple store, they ran their diagnostics to the point of restoring the OS and it still didn't work. I had the Mac exchanged becasue Apple said it sounded like a hardware problem. It worked in the store but at home, after the OS X update and iPhoto update, dictation is back to being a "bing" sound.
I've read several threads about people who have it come up and then it goes away, and so forth. Mine doesn't even come up. I also tried different addresses in DNS and nothing works. Any advice/support would be appreciated.

If you us Webfoot, this may be this cause....from Webfoot website:
This solution addresses Webroot SecureAnywhere for Mac OS X 10.7 and higher
Due to the unique way in which keyboard shortcuts work on the Mac OS, the secure keyboard entry feature may prohibit shortcut functions in a variety of applications. This includes, but is not limited to, Adobe Creative Suite Products, Macro applications, or some built in features that are triggered by key combinations—such as Dictation and Speech.
This can be resolved by clicking the Webroot icon located on the top right of the menu bar, then clicking Pause Secure Keyboard Entry.
Once activated, you will see a checkmark next to the menu option. While this is selected, Webroot SecureAnywhere will not secure keystrokes against keylogging software, though it will still be actively protecting you against infections. It is important to ensure that this function is enabled when browsing the internet—particularly on secure sites that require a username and password.

Speech Recognition Dictation Stopped Working In Most Applications

In the past I have dictated into the text boxes of many different programs on several computers, but now dictation appears to work only in some programs such as Notepad and Internet Explorer on one of them. Yet for me it is more important that it work
in Windows Live Mail and Miranda IM. EDIT: Attempts to dictate in these programs now produces only "What was that?". Exiting and restarting WSR and WSR Macros does not help.
Simulating keystrokes with the press command and WSR Macros continue to work as expected.

Hi,
According to your description, this problem probably caused by Microphone, it would be better to reinstall its driver for test to fix the problem.
Please check Microphone properties and restore its settings for test.
In addition, Speech Recognition also has multiple settings to improve itself performance, please check if these settings helpful with your problem.
Roger Lu
TechNet Community Support

HT6065 enhanced dictation stopped working after this update

Hey all,
After 10.9.1 enhanced dictation no longer works, fn fn pops up the mic, but as soon as it makes the connection it drops off. Regular dictation is fine. Anyone else having this issue/solved it?
Thanks!

I have not tried that lol, derp-da-derp.
didnt even think of that, the path if anyone is looking to try this. ~ System > Library > Speech > Recognizers folder and remove the folder called "SpeechRecognitionCoreLanguages."
Downloading at the moment, will see if it works!
Thanks Eric!!

Speech dictation not working

I purchased the new iPad and the speech dictation will not pick work or makes any indication that it is analyzing any speech or sound for that matter. Is this something apple is in the process of working on?

My mic was functioning when my dictation stopped working. Apple suggested that a system file may have been corrupted, which explains why a simple reset did not work. Solution, connect your iPad to iTunes and do a full restore of your iPad. By the way this was written using dictation. Looking forward to the Siri update!

I use dragon dictate but its stopped working on most websites/others apps like Evernote. Security settings say that its blocked because the Dragon plug-in doesn't meet Safari security standards. What do I do?

I'm on a mac desktop, with OSX 10.9.4 and Safari 7.0.5
I use Dragon Dictate 4.0.4 and its worked fine for almost everything until 2 days ago when it stopped working on lots of websites and on Evernote. When I check the security settings I get the emssage that its because the Dragon ply-in doesn't meet the Safari security standard. I can't see anyway to unblock this and can't see anyone else has asked a similar question. Any suggestions?

Several things to ttry ...
Contact Dragon Dictate support. I posted the link in my first reply to you.
And check Safari extensions.
From the Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Extensions tab. Turn that OFF, quit and relaunch Safari to test.
If that helped, turn one extension on then quit and relaunch Safari to test until you find the incompatible extension then click uninstall.
Also, you mentioned your current version of Safari is 7.0.5
Updating to Safari 7.0.6 may help.
Click your Apple  top left in your screen. From the drop down menu click Software Update.

Dictation interferes with Mission Control - MC shortcuts stop working

I just started using dictation about a week ago, and, although it works great, it seems to be interfering with the Mission Control shortcuts (F9, F10, etc.). The shortcuts just stop working, often after Dictation shows some stuttering (short episodes of freezing, or an inability to switch languages). They never malfunction when I don't use Dictation. After restarting the dock with osascript -e 'quit application "Dock"' everything functions normally, but it gets annoying when you have to do that 10 or more times a day. Does anybody know what's going on or maybe have a fix?
Specs:
27" iMac, late 2009
Processor 3,06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 12 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
OS version OS X 10.9.1 (13B42)
I should probably also mention that I'm using enhanced dictation, and that I've loaded two languages, English and German.

When you next have the problem, note the exact time: hour, minute, second.
If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Scroll back to the time you noted above. Select the messages entered from then until the end of the episode, or until they start to repeat, whichever comes first. Copy the messages to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message (command-V).
The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of it useless for solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. In most cases, a few dozen lines are more than enough. It is never necessary or helpful to post more than about 100 lines. "The more, the better" is not the rule here.
Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Important: Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

HT203085 Warning to Mac Yosemite re Webroot security program. It stops Mac Dictation from working!

It took Mac phone two days, four sessions, and three hours of wasted time to figure out that Webroot security program what's stopping my dictation program from working. Only after it was disabled and removed from my Mac did the dictation program works again. All Apple user should be aware of this problem with Webroot.

Wasting your time is all such programs are capable of accomplishing. Some will also waste your money.

Dictation on my new iMac has stopped working on both the internal

Dictation on my new iMac has stopped working on both the internal & external microphones. Any suggestions?

Does the onscreen microphone come up but it doesn't convert speech to text? Or does the onscreen microphone not appear at all?
In System Preferences > Dictation & Speech > Dictation, is the microphone set to "Automatic"? You might try setting it to "Internal microphone" to see if it works.
Have you tried restarting the iMac?

My dictation on my macbook pro running mountain lion has stopped working on both my macs. Microphone works for all other apps WUZ UP

My dictation on my macbook pro running mountain lion has stopped working on both my macs. Microphone works for all other apps WUZ UP

What happens when you try to dictate?

HT5176 Dictation has stopped working on my iPad 3rd generation

I have always used (and loved) the dictation feature on my iPad 3rd gen. It has recently stopped working. I see the microphone hightlighted, but then it just spins and spins and returns to normal without showing anything written. I have done a hard restart a couple of times, checked the volume. Is there something else I need to do? I really miss this using this feature!

Close All Open Apps... Perform a Reset... Try again...
Reset ( No Data will be Lost )
Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time for at least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears. Release the Buttons.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1430

Adobe InDesign CC 2014 has stopped working

So...I am trying to help our Marketing Manager with some problems with Adobe InDesign CC 2014. On startup of the program, more often than not it comes up with:
Adobe InDesign CC 2014 has stopped working
A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available.
Windows doesn't do anything.
We have tried refreshing the preference folders as dictated by other members. No joy. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the whole Adobe suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator).
On occasion, InDesign does start up and there is a problem with text boxes. When a text box is moved or resized, copied, the text in the box disappears. It will only return if you select the text tool and hover over the box. It is not to do with snapping to grid lines, etc.
Can someone please advise on what we should do?

http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/cs5-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

Dictation stopped working

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