Cannot get dictation to enter a new line or paragraph

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Level 1

21 points

Cannot get dictation to enter a new line or paragraph

I don't see this answered anywhere, though multiple people have reported the same issue in Big Sur.

The "new line" and "paragraph" commands enter a space rather than inserting a Return. (Yes, Voice Command is off and Dictation on.) Speaking more slowly, adding a pause, or changing the commands slightly do not result in a new line. Dictation of words works, as does "period". There is definitely something wrong here. This used to work fine.

This is a bug.

Posted on Mar 30, 2022 8:59 AM

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Answer 1

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dialabrain

Level 10

125,465 points

Mar 30, 2022 11:24 AM in response to ChadMe

Voice Control has to be on for new line and new paragraph to work.

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Answer 2

Mar 30, 2022 10:59 AM in response to ChadMe

From my limited testing, it seems to work in the following way: while you are dictating, it seems not to make a new line, but if you then click Done, it does add a new line.

The following paragraph will be (hopefully) dictated. Let's see:

I am dictating this.

It seems to work!

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Answer 3

ChadMe Author

Level 1

21 points

Mar 30, 2022 12:48 PM in response to dialabrain

OMG, thank you, and much appreciated. And yet, what a terrible idea. These functions are related, yet not located in the same set of menus, or documented, and have to be turned on separately. To get them to work, press the user-assigned shortcut key(s) to bring up Dictation, then Ctrl-F5 to turn on Voice Control. This is the kind of interface Microsoft dumps on users, not Apple.

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Answer 4

Mar 30, 2022 1:56 PM in response to ChadMe

Resorting to Voice Control is overkill. It starts to try and er… control other things in your mac. It is probably a necessity when a person has disabilities that prevent the usual ways to control your mac - hence it is buried inside Accessibility.

As I pointed out, once you click Done, the new lines are added, which seems if anything just pretty minor.

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Answer 5

dialabrain

Level 10

125,465 points

Mar 30, 2022 12:52 PM in response to ChadMe

You're welcome.

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Cannot get dictation to enter a new line or paragraph

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