How to Set a Keyboard Shortcut to Activate Siri on Mac - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Set a Keyboard Shortcut to Activate Siri on Mac

by

Since macOS Sierra, Apple has included Siri on the Mac, enabling desktop users to ask the virtual assistant general queries and give it spoken commands.

macbook pro hey siri
‌Siri‌ for Mac can do most of the same things ‌Siri‌ can do on iOS. It can give you sports scores, tell you about the weather, schedule an event in your calendar, remind you what you need to get done today or even find movie times. It can also help you with common desktop tasks, like searching for images or changing your Mac's display settings.

‌Siri‌ on Mac can be invoked by clicking the ‌Siri‌ icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen. If it's easier, you can also use a keyboard shortcut so that your fingers don't need to leave the keys. You can customize the keyboard shortcut assigned to ‌Siri‌ in the following way.

  1. Click the Apple () symbol in the menu bar at the top-left corner of the screen and select System Preferences....
    apple menu system preferences

  2. Click the Siri icon in the preferences panel.
    siri system preferences

  3. Click the Keyboard Shortcut dropdown menu. The default options are Hold Command Space, Hold Option Space, and Press (fn) Function Space. You can also define your own custom shortcut by clicking Customize... and then pressing the keys you wish to use.
    siri preference pane keyboard shortcut

Be sure to check out the other options for ‌Siri‌ in the System Preferences pane, including language, voice, voice feedback, and mic input. For more information on how to use ‌Siri‌ in macOS, click here.

Popular Stories

HomePod mini and Apple TV Sage

New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Are 'Nearly Ready' to Launch, New Siri Remote Also Rumored

Sunday May 31, 2026 8:47 am PDT by
New models of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini are "nearly ready to go," according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Both devices have been ready "for months," but Apple is holding off on launching them until the more personalized version of Siri is available, he said. "I am told the hardware for the next Apple TV...
WWDC 2026 All Systems Glow

Apple Teases Next Week's WWDC 2026 Event: 'All Systems Glow'

Monday June 1, 2026 8:26 am PDT by
Apple's annual developers conference WWDC returns for 2026 next week, and the company has teased the event with a new "All systems glow" tagline. "All systems glow" is a play on the phrase "all systems go," and it likely hints at Siri's rumored new design on iOS 27. Both a dedicated Siri app and a new "Search or Ask" feature in the iPhone's Dynamic Island will reportedly have a dark color...
Finder Siri Feature

iOS 27: What We Know About the New Siri App

Monday June 1, 2026 4:25 pm PDT by
iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 will include a standalone Siri app for the first time, providing a dedicated space for interfacing with Siri, reports Bloomberg. Siri Chatbot Apple needs a Siri app because Siri is turning into a chatbot. Siri will work like ChatGPT or Claude, able to pull information from the web to provide answers to questions. Siri will be integrated into iOS,...