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To use the Dictation function in OS X offline, turn on the Enhanced Dictation option.

Q.Why do you have to be online for the text dictation function to work in Mac OS X Yosemite?

A. When you use the Dictation feature of OS X, your spoken words are recorded and uploaded to Apple’s servers for translation — and return as the typed text you see on screen. All that requires an active Internet connection.

Apple does collect certain bits of information about you during this process (like your name and personal contacts) so its software can better understand you and your commands. To see how the company treats your personal data, read Apple’s Privacy Policy posted on its site.

You can use the dictation feature without having to be online all the time or worry about your words flying to and from Apple’s servers. To do so, switch to the Enhanced Dictation option in the OS X settings. You will need to install about a gigabyte of additional software, but the update itself is free.

To get the Enhanced Dictation program, open the Mac’s System Preferences icon from the Dock and click Dictation & Speech in the window. Turn on the checkbox next to Use Enhanced Dictation and let the download begin.

Moving to Windows 10

Q.I plan to upgrade to Windows 10 this summer, but instead of downloading the system, I’m just going to buy a new PC with Windows 10 already on it. What’s the easiest way to move all my documents and photos to the new computer?

A. Moving your files to a new machine can be as simple as dragging them on and off an external hard drive, as long as you can see everything you want to move. If you have all your files organized into a few folders, temporarily uploading those folders to an online storage server like Microsoft OneDrive and then downloading them right to the new PC is another approach. On recent Windows systems, OneDrive can be used to restore files and settings backed up with File History on the old PC to a new computer.

But if you have a wider variety of things to move — email, browser bookmarks and so on — you might consider using a dedicated file-transfer program like Laplink’s PC Mover or Zinstall’s WinWin or Easy Transfer. These applications may cost money, but they offer more automated and thorough data transfers between computers.

TIP OF THE WEEK Smartphone cameras make it easy to quickly snap photos without fussing a lot with settings. If you occasionally want a little more control over your shots, though, dig a little deeper into your camera app’s settings.

For example, when you have the camera function open in the Google Camera app for Android, tap the three-dot menu icon in the lower-right corner to get to the settings for the camera’s timer, grid and more. To change the resolution of your photos, switch to manual exposure or turn on (or off) location information embedded in the picture files, swipe from left to right on the main screen. Tap the Camera icon, then tap the cog-shaped Settings icon on the lower-right side. Swiping to the right also reveals the icons for Google Camera’s other special effects like Photo Sphere, Panorama and Lens Blur, as well as the Video function.

Apple’s Camera app for iOS 8 keeps most of its features like the timer, HDR and filters visible on screen when you have the app open. You can change the type of photo or video you take by swiping through the options listed at the bottom of the camera display; photos can be taken in the square and panoramic formats and videos can be recorded in time-lapse and slow-motion modes. To superimpose the composition grid on the camera’s screen, open the Settings icon, choose Photos & Camera and flick down to the Grid option.