In short: the biggest relief for most people with arthritis in their hands is to type less. You can do that by speaking instead: dictation (voice typing) turns what you say into written text. Every Mac has free dictation built in, and apps like VybeScript add automatic clean-up. Small settings changes and a few habits help with the typing that’s left.
This guide is about using a computer more comfortably. It isn’t medical advice. For pain, stiffness or swelling, talk to your doctor or ask for a referral to an occupational therapist, who can suggest hand exercises, splints and equipment suited to you.
1. Write by talking instead of typing
Most of what we type in a day is ordinary writing: emails, messages, notes, letters. All of it can be spoken. You press a key, say what you want to write, press the key again, and the text appears. One key press replaces hundreds.
- Free: Apple Dictation, built into every Mac. Turn it on in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation. Our guide walks through it: how to turn on dictation on a Mac.
- With clean-up: VybeScript (paid, $99 once) removes the “um”s and repeated words as you go, so there’s less to fix by hand afterwards, which matters when fixing means more typing. It can also rewrite what you said into tidy, polite prose.
The point is fewer corrections. Every word you need to go back and fix by hand is more strain. Speaking in whole sentences, then reading once, is far gentler than typing and correcting as you go.
2. Make the keys you still press count
You’ll still type some things, like passwords, short searches and the odd correction. A few options in System Settings can help:
- Sticky Keys (System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard) lets you press shortcut keys one after another instead of holding them down together.
- Slow Keys (same place) ignores accidental light taps, handy if your fingers brush the wrong key.
- Text size: making text bigger means less squinting and leaning in, which eases shoulders and wrists too. Try View > Zoom In in most apps, or Command and the plus key.
For the full list, including tap to click, key repeat and double-click speed, work through our Mac setup checklist for arthritis.
3. One key for dictation, placed where it’s easy
The fewer awkward key combinations, the better. VybeScript starts and stops with a single tap of the Option key by default, the large key near the space bar. If another key is easier for your hands, change it in Settings. You can also choose to hold a key down while you talk and let go to finish, whichever is more comfortable.
4. Habits that save your hands
- Draft by voice, then read once. Say the whole message, then look it over. Fix only what matters.
- Teach it your names. Add the names you use often (family, doctors, your street) to the vocabulary in VybeScript’s Settings, so you never have to retype them.
- Take short breaks. Rest your hands every 20 to 30 minutes, even when dictating, since the mouse still counts.
- Try a larger mouse or a trackpad. Many people with arthritis find a big, rounded mouse or the Mac trackpad gentler than a small mouse. An occupational therapist can advise you.
What writing by voice looks like
Say this, as you naturally would:
“Hi Maria, um, thanks for the the photos, they were lovely. Uh, I’ll call you Sunday after church.”
With the Clean style, VybeScript writes:
“Hi Maria, thanks for the photos, they were lovely. I’ll call you Sunday after church.”
No keys pressed except the one to start and stop.
Before you buy anything
Start with the free Apple Dictation for a week. If it works well enough for you, wonderful. If you find yourself fixing a lot of “um”s and broken sentences by hand, try VybeScript free for 14 days (no card needed) and compare. It runs on Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 14 or later. Our guide to dictation for seniors shows how to check your Mac, and how to write an email by voice is a good first task.