How to add dictionaries to the dictionary app on macOS Tahoe?
On the previous os version I had preinstalled Oxford dictionaries but now they are gone.
In the settings I just have wikipedia option.
MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 26.0
Sounds to me like your container for Dictionary is damaged. Try the following as this will take seconds.
1: Quit Dictionary (Command Q or File menu > Quit Dictionary).
2: From the Finder, hold down the Option key on your Keyboard and select the Go menu.
3: When the Option key is down, you should see the hidden option of Library.
4: Select Library from the Go menu and release the Option key.
5: Double-click the Containers folder.
6: Find the Container titled "Dictionary" and move it to your Trash.
7: Open Dictionary and confirm that your UI has repaired and all dictionaries are available.
Additional Details
The Container for Dictionary contains the preference file, com.apple.Dictionary.plist (~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Dictionary/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Dictionary.plist). This file contains two arrays, "last available dictionaries" and "dictionaries." The array "last available dictionaries" is the list of dictionaries you see in the Settings view. The array "dictionaries" is the list of tabs on the Dictionary main window (Dictionary, Thesaurus, Apple, Wikipedia). Modifying that plist will impact the behavior of the app. I speculate that either the file was edited or was damaged in some way. Deleting the container and launching the app will recreate a new, default container. The dictionaries are stored in /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_DictionaryServices_dictionary3macOS/ and each time you check one, it will download to that location.
Hope this is helpful. Delete the Dictionary container and you should be fine.
Hope this is helpful.
Sounds to me like your container for Dictionary is damaged. Try the following as this will take seconds.
1: Quit Dictionary (Command Q or File menu > Quit Dictionary).
2: From the Finder, hold down the Option key on your Keyboard and select the Go menu.
3: When the Option key is down, you should see the hidden option of Library.
4: Select Library from the Go menu and release the Option key.
5: Double-click the Containers folder.
6: Find the Container titled "Dictionary" and move it to your Trash.
7: Open Dictionary and confirm that your UI has repaired and all dictionaries are available.
Additional Details
The Container for Dictionary contains the preference file, com.apple.Dictionary.plist (~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Dictionary/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Dictionary.plist). This file contains two arrays, "last available dictionaries" and "dictionaries." The array "last available dictionaries" is the list of dictionaries you see in the Settings view. The array "dictionaries" is the list of tabs on the Dictionary main window (Dictionary, Thesaurus, Apple, Wikipedia). Modifying that plist will impact the behavior of the app. I speculate that either the file was edited or was damaged in some way. Deleting the container and launching the app will recreate a new, default container. The dictionaries are stored in /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_DictionaryServices_dictionary3macOS/ and each time you check one, it will download to that location.
Hope this is helpful. Delete the Dictionary container and you should be fine.
Hope this is helpful.
I still see many choices in Tahoe.
Oxford is further down the list, but it's there.
The list should not be empty like that, AFAIK.
Have you tried rebooting your Mac?
The Internet suggests various options, but the ones I found seem outdated. You may need to reinstall macOS (which does not touch your user data, but I would not do it without a current backup).
How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support
How to add dictionaries to the dictionary app on macOS Tahoe?
