Siri is fun and filled with features that make using your Apple devices more convenient. There is no turning back from Siri once you grow acclimated to it. The voice assistant is generally reliable, although there are occasions when Siri suddenly stops working.
This guide lists five remedies you can attempt if Siri on your Mac desktop or notebook isn’t functioning. But first, allow me to walk you through a few potential causes of Siri issues with macOS.
Why Doesn’t Siri Work on Your Mac?
Due to bad network access, wrong Siri configuration, or issues with your device’s audio input and output, Siri may not function properly on Mac (i.e., microphone and speaker). If Siri’s preferred files on your Mac become corrupted, Siri can also stop functioning.
Server outages and macOS problems are some more causes of Siri issues, parental control or Screen Time restrictions, etc. The troubleshooting tips listed below should quickly get Siri working on your Mac once more.
1. The status of Siri’s activation
Checking to see if Siri is turned on should be your first step if the voice assistant isn’t functioning on your Mac.
Make sure Siri is selected in System Preferences, and check the Enable Ask Siri box.
If it’s checked, disable Siri before closing the System Preferences window, opening the Siri menu again, and reactivating Siri. If Siri is still not functioning after disabling and reenabling, try the next solution.
When Siri won’t activate, your Mac’s Screen Time settings are probably restricting the virtual assistant.
Select the “Allow” option, go to System Preferences > Screen Time > Content & Privacy > Apps, and select Siri & Dictation.
Return to System Preferences’ Siri menu and select the Enable Ask Siri option.
2. Activate voice recognition.
You must configure Siri so that it will listen for voice instructions in addition to turning on Siri on your Mac. Otherwise, you won’t be able to use the “Hey Siri” hotword to “wake” or activate Siri.
- Check the Listen for “Hey Siri” option under System Preferences > Siri.
- Select Set up the voice activation further.
- Speak the commands that appear on the screen into your Mac, headphones, or external microphone.
- When you see “Hey Siri” Is Ready,” choose Done.
- You can select the Allow Siri when locked option if you’d like. By doing so, you’ll be able to use voice commands to activate the assistant even if your Mac is locked or in sleep mode. Keep in mind that in order for this to function, your Mac notebook’s lid must remain open.
When you say “Hey Siri” on your Mac, see if the Siri card appears in the top-right corner of the screen.
If the “Hey Siri” command is still not responding, make sure your active input device, or microphone, is functioning properly.
3. Adjust the microphone on your device
Make that the microphone is not muted if your Mac is linked to headphones or any external audio device. For instance, some headphones contain buttons to disable audio input or a physical volume control dial. Increase the audio input level or unmute the microphone for this type.
Additionally, make sure the operating system is not muting the input volume on your device.
To boost the microphone’s volume, navigate to System Preferences > Sound > Input, choose your audio device, and move the Input volume slider.
Say “Hey Siri” afterward to see whether that “wakes” the virtual assistant. Try again with another audio device if Siri is still unresponsive. Additionally, check the microphone on your device to make sure that nothing external (dust, debris, lint, etc.) is obstructing audio input.
4. Unmute your audio device and Siri
Siri automatically responds to inquiries and questions with voice messages. If Siri isn’t responding to your commands, make sure your Mac’s output volume isn’t muted.
Select the audio device, uncheck the Mute box next to the “Output volume” slider, and then navigate to System Preferences > Sound > Output. To boost output loudness, you should also think about shifting the slider to the right.
Additionally, make sure Siri on your Mac is set up to provide voice responses.
Set “Voice Feedback” to On in System Preferences > Siri.
5. Examine your internet connection.
As already stated, network connectivity issues could prevent Siri from functioning properly. Make sure there is an active internet connection and check your Mac’s network settings if you are having problems utilizing or enabling Siri. Restart your router if you’re using a wireless connection, then join the Wi-Fi network with your Mac.
If Siri doesn’t work, try an Ethernet connection. Disable any VPN or proxy software or connections, too, and see if Siri returns to normal after doing so.
6. Relaunch Siri
The virtual assistant will be refreshed and issues that prevent it from starting or functioning properly will be resolved by forcing a shutdown and restarting Siri in the background.
Open the Activity Monitor by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities.
- Click twice on the Siri program after typing siri into the search box.
- Pick Quit.
- Choose Force Press the confirmation button to stop.
macOS will resume Siri and any related processes automatically. If you say “Hey Siri” or choose the Siri icon on the menu bar and Touch Bar and Siri are still not responding, move on to the next stage.
7. The status of Siri’s server.
If the servers that power Siri are having issues, Siri won’t function on your Mac and other Apple devices. Go to Apple’s System Status page and check the color indicator next to Siri in your browser.
“Green” signifies that Siri is operating well on Apple’s end, whereas “Yellow” denotes a problem.
Contact Apple Support if a Siri issue is reported on the System Status screen.
8. Restart your computer
If you haven’t shut down or restart your Mac notebook in a while, do so now. Rebooting the device will conduct certain maintenance procedures to correct issues with system apps and third-party programs, refresh the operating system, and delete temporary data.
Select Restart from the Apple menu by selecting the Apple icon in the top-left area of the menu bar. Before restarting your Mac, make sure all open applications are closed to prevent losing any unsaved files.
9. Delete the property list files for Siri
The settings for Siri are kept in “Property List” files (also known as “PLIST Files” or “Preference Files”) by macOS. In the event that these files become corrupt, Siri might not function properly on your Mac. Remove the.plist files used by Siri, restart your Mac, and allow macOS to make new copies of the data.
- Holding down the Option key, choose Library from the menu bar’s Go option.
- Open up the Preferences directory.
- Find and remove all Siri-related.plist files. Better yet, create a backup of them in a different folder.
Using Siri or restarting your Mac will make new copies of the destroyed Property List files.
10. Refresh Mac
Siri and other system apps may stop working due to software issues in your Mac’s operating system. Make sure you’re using the most recent macOS version by checking the software update menu on your Mac.
To download and install the most recent version of macOS on your computer, connect your Mac to the internet, launch System Preferences, choose Software Update, and then pick the Update Now (or Upgrade Now) button.
Hello, Siri! Return to your work
Any Siri-related issues your Mac may be experiencing should be resolved by at least one of the aforementioned suggestions, in our opinion. Contact Apple Support if you’re still having issues with Siri not functioning, or look at this Apple Support tutorial that covers all Siri-related information for the Mac.