Voice Typing in Slack
How to Dictate Messages (2026)
Slack doesn't have built-in voice-to-text for messages. You can record audio clips, but those aren't searchable text — someone has to listen to them. If you want to speak and have text appear in the message box, you need one of these three approaches.
Option 1: macOS Dictation
macOS system dictation works in Slack's message input just like any other text field.
Setup
- Enable Dictation in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation.
- Make sure Slack has microphone permission in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone.
- Open Slack and click into a channel, thread, or DM message box.
- Press fn twice and speak.
- Press fn again to stop.
Where it falls short
- 30–60 second timeout — fine for a quick reply, not for a detailed update.
- Manual punctuation — saying “comma” in a Slack message feels unnatural.
- Filler words stay — “um” and “like” end up in your message.
Option 2: Slack audio clips
Slack lets you record and send audio messages. Click the microphone icon in the message box, record, and send.
Where it falls short
- Not text — recipients have to listen to the audio. It's not searchable, not scannable, and slower for the receiver.
- Can't be edited — once sent, you can't fix a word or restructure the message.
- Interrupts workflows — many teams prefer text-based async communication over audio messages.
- 5-minute limit — clips are capped at 5 minutes.
Option 3: Resonant — voice typing that produces text
Resonant types clean text into Slack's message box. No audio clip — just a normal text message your team can read, search, and reference.
What it's good at
- No time limit — dictate a long standup update or thread reply.
- Automatic punctuation — reads naturally as a typed message.
- Filler removal — “um” and false starts cleaned.
- Works in threads, channels, and DMs — any Slack text field.
- Fully offline — audio stays on your machine.
- System-wide — same hotkey works in email, docs, and every other app.
Setup
- Download Resonant and move it to Applications.
- Grant Microphone and Accessibility permissions.
- Click into a Slack message box.
- Press fn and speak.
- Release. Punctuated text appears in the message box.
Side-by-side comparison
Here's how the three options compare for Slack messaging.
| Feature | macOS Dictation | Slack Audio Clips | Resonant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output | Text in message box | Audio clip (recording) | Text in message box |
| Searchable | Yes — normal text message | No — audio must be listened to | Yes — normal text message |
| Session length | ~30–60 seconds, then stops | Up to 5 minutes per clip | As long as you hold the hotkey |
| Punctuation | Say “comma,” “period” out loud | N/A (audio) | Automatic from speech rhythm |
| Filler removal | No | N/A (audio) | Yes — cleaned automatically |
| Works in threads | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Internet required | Partially | Yes (to send clip) | No — fully offline |
| Works outside Slack | Yes — any text field | No — Slack only | Yes — any text field |
| Recipient effort | Read text (fast) | Listen to audio (slow) | Read text (fast) |
| Cost | Free (built into macOS) | Free (built into Slack) | Free |
Which one should you use?
For a quick one-line reply: macOS Dictation works fine.
If your team is OK with audio messages: Slack clips are easy to send, but harder for recipients.
For anything you want as searchable text: Resonant. No timeout, clean output, and your team gets a real text message to read and reference.
Frequently asked questions
Does Slack have built-in voice to text?
No. Slack has audio clips (voice recordings) but no speech-to-text for composing text messages. Use macOS Dictation or Resonant.
Can I dictate Slack messages on Mac?
Yes. Click into the message box and press fn twice (macOS Dictation) or hold fn (Resonant).
What's the difference between audio clips and voice typing?
Audio clips send a recording. Voice typing converts speech to text. Text is searchable, scannable, and faster to read.
Can I dictate in Slack threads?
Yes. Both macOS Dictation and Resonant work in any Slack text field — channels, threads, DMs, and search.
Why does dictation stop working in Slack?
Check that Slack has microphone permission in System Settings. Apple Dictation also times out after 30–60 seconds. Resonant has no timeout.
What Resonant offers beyond dictation
Resonant isn't just a faster way to type. It's a voice workspace with capabilities no other dictation tool provides.
MCP server for AI tools
Resonant exposes 11 MCP tools that let any AI agent — Claude, Codex, and more — query your entire voice workspace — meetings, dictations, memos, ambient context, and daily journal. Your AI assistant knows what you said this morning. Learn more
Meeting transcription with speaker labels
Dual-channel recording — your mic and system audio on separate channels. NVIDIA Sortformer diarization identifies who said what. No bot joins the call. No audio leaves your Mac. Learn more
Ambient context capture
Passively records which apps you use, window titles, URLs, and dwell time — all locally. This makes dictation context-aware and gives your AI tools a queryable work timeline. Learn more
Two on-device speech models
NVIDIA Parakeet TDT v3 (0.6B, 25 languages) and Qwen3 ASR (0.6B, 30+ languages), both compiled to CoreML and running on Apple Neural Engine. Under 4% WER on English benchmarks. Learn more
Cloud cleanup with hallucination detection
Optional AI post-processing fixes STT errors and adapts to context (email, message, code). Guardrails detect when the LLM rewrites your meaning instead of cleaning your grammar. Learn more
Start with private Mac dictation
Local speech recognition is free and runs on your Mac. Pro adds cloud cleanup, rewrites, summaries, and sharing when you want the full workflow.