How to turn on predictive text on your Mac (and what it can''t do)

macOS has had built-in predictive text since Sonoma, and most Mac owners still don't know it exists. Here's the exact toggle: System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit → "Show inline predictive text." Turn it on, and Apple starts suggesting the next word inline — light gray text right where your cursor is, accepted with the space bar.

That's the whole setup. But the honest part of this guide is what happens after you turn it on: where it works, where it doesn't, and what to reach for when you outgrow it. I build autocomplete for Macs for a living, so I spend a lot of time in the gap between Apple's free version and what people actually end up wanting.

Where the built-in version works — and where it stops

Apple's inline predictive text works in apps updated for the macOS Sonoma APIs. In practice that means Apple's own apps: Mail, Notes, Messages, TextEdit, and a handful of others. Type in Mail and you'll see the ghost suggestions. Type in Slack, Notion, your browser, or VS Code — nothing.

Three limits show up fast:

• Coverage. It only fires in apps that adopted Apple's text APIs. The moment you're in a third-party app, you're on your own.
• Length. It offers short next-word guesses — a nudge, not a full sentence. It won't finish "Thank you so much for your…" with "time this week"; you get one or two words at a time.
• Language. It's English-keyboard only. If you write in another language, the feature effectively doesn't exist for you.

None of this is a knock. It's free, it's on-device, and it's a decent taste of what inline prediction feels like. But "taste" is the right word — most people who write all day outgrow it within a week, because the places they type most (Slack, browsers, docs, editors) are exactly the places it doesn't fire.

Why the coverage gap exists

Quick technical detour, because it explains the whole category. Apple's predictive text is an OS feature delivered through the standard text-input system — apps get it by adopting the updated APIs, and Apple's own apps obviously did first. It's the same architecture iOS predictive text has used for years.

That's great for consistency and privacy (the model runs on your Mac, nothing leaves it), but it means Apple can't just flip a switch and cover every app on the system. Third-party apps have to opt in. Slack, Notion, Chrome, and most of the places modern work happens haven't.

The tools that do cover everything take a different route: they use macOS Accessibility to watch the focused text field directly, then draw their suggestion next to your caret in any app. That's how TypeTab works — it needs Accessibility permission (granted once, during setup), and from then on it finishes your sentences in every app: Mail, Slack, Notion, your browser, anywhere you type. Press Tab for the next word, Ctrl+E for the whole line, keep typing to dismiss.

The upgrade path, honestly

If you turned on Apple's predictive text and want more, the fork is:

1. Stay free: use Apple's version in Apple's apps, accept the gaps. If you mostly live in Mail and Notes, this might genuinely be enough.
2. Subscription: Cotypist — also on-device, also system-wide, also whole-line completions. Well-made. It's a subscription (check their site for current pricing), which is the real difference from the next option.
3. One-time license: TypeTab — system-wide ghost text, learns your vocabulary and stock phrases on-device, one-time purchase, no account. If you want the fuller picture, I wrote an honest comparison of the autocomplete apps for Mac — including where my own app loses.

One thing worth knowing about on-device tools: because the model runs on your Mac, it works with the Wi-Fi off, and nothing you type goes anywhere. That's not a bonus feature of any particular app — it's the architecture. Apple's version is on-device too. If a tool's suggestions come from a server, that's a different product with different tradeoffs.

The settings that pair well with prediction

While you're in System Settings → Keyboard, two more toggles earn their keep:

• Correct spelling automatically — macOS fixes typos as you type. Keep it on unless it fights your jargon; if it does, add your words to the dictionary rather than disabling the feature.
• Capitalize words automatically — free speed, no downsides.

And one behavior tip: give prediction a week before you judge it. The first day feels like the machine is interrupting you. Around day three, your thumb learns when to hit Tab and when to ignore the ghost, and it stops being a decision. If it's still annoying after a week, it's not for you — and that's fine too. The good tools make dismissing a wrong guess cost nothing: you just keep typing.

If you want it to learn you

The built-in version doesn't really learn your personal vocabulary. It's a general model tuned for everyone, so it suggests generic words in generic order. It'll never learn that you always sign off with "cheers," or that "the deploy" means a specific thing on your team.

That's the actual difference-maker in this category, and it's why I built TypeTab around learning your writing style: the suggestions come from a model that's been tuned on your prose, on-device, and the longer you use it the more it sounds like you. The built-in version can't do that — by design, it's one model for everyone.

FAQ

How do I turn on predictive text on a Mac? Open System Settings → Keyboard, click Edit next to Text Input, and turn on "Show inline predictive text." Suggestions appear as light gray text as you type, accepted with the space bar. Requires macOS 14.2 or later.

Why doesn't predictive text work in Slack, Chrome, or Notion? Apple's built-in version only fires in apps updated for Apple's text-input APIs — mostly Apple's own apps like Mail, Notes, and Messages. Third-party tools like Slack and Chrome haven't adopted it. System-wide coverage requires a third-party autocomplete app that uses macOS Accessibility.

Is Mac predictive text available in other languages? Apple's inline predictive text is English-keyboard only. If you type in another language, you won't see suggestions. Third-party on-device tools like TypeTab work in any language you write in.

What's the difference between predictive text and autocorrect? Autocorrect fixes what you already typed; predictive text offers what you might type next. They're complementary — autocorrect cleans up typos behind you, prediction saves keystrokes ahead of you. macOS has both, in the same Keyboard settings panel.