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

iOS 27 on iPhone 17 1

Apple to Unveil iOS 27 in June With These New Features Beyond Siri

Friday April 17, 2026 8:40 am PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and the update should be released in September. Below, we outline some of the new features that are rumored to be coming with iOS 27, beyond the long-awaited more personalized version of Siri. iOS 27 will reportedly support 5G satellite internet connectivity, although this functionality might be limited to the...
Sad Siri Feature

Siri Engineers Sent to AI Coding Bootcamp as Apple Prepares to Deliver Siri Overhaul

Wednesday April 15, 2026 1:19 pm PDT by
Apple is sending a large portion of its Siri engineers to a multi-week bootcamp to learn to code using AI, reports The Information. Apple's decision to teach its programmers to better use AI for coding comes just two months before Apple is expected to unveil a smarter, more capable version of Siri at WWDC. While employees attend the coding bootcamp, around 60 members of the Siri development...
wwdc 2026 horizontal

WWDC 2026 Graphic Teases Major iOS 27 Feature

Sunday April 19, 2026 3:02 pm PDT by
Apple's WWDC 2026 graphic provides "a glimpse of the revamped Siri interface coming in iOS 27," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said iOS 27 will include a new Siri interface in the Dynamic Island. When you trigger Siri, he said the Dynamic Island will show a "Search or Ask" prompt, and this will apparently be accompanied by a "glowing cursor"...