Glossary
Accessibility permission (macOS)
Accessibility permission is a macOS setting that lets a specific app read and control other apps through the system's accessibility features. macOS keeps it under Privacy & Security, and an app gets no access until you allow it there.
Updated October 16, 20262 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called Privacy & Security accessibility access.
The Accessibility permission is a macOS setting that lets a named app see and operate other apps on your Mac, the way assistive tools do for people who cannot easily use a mouse or keyboard. macOS holds it in Privacy & Security, and an app has no access until you grant it. Apple's rule is explicit: a third-party app must be specifically granted access before it can control your Mac this way 1.
Macs ask before an app can control other apps
Accessibility features are a privileged channel. The same interfaces that let VoiceOver read the screen aloud and let Voice Control click and type for you are open to any app that asks. When a third-party app tries to use them, macOS shows an alert. You then choose one of two things: open System Settings and allow the app, or click Deny. Apple's advice is to grant access only to apps you know and trust, because an app with this access can act on your behalf across the Mac.
A dictation app often needs this permission to type for you
A dictation app has two jobs. The first is to hear you, which needs the microphone permission. The second is to put the finished words where your cursor is, in Notes, Pages or a browser. Many dictation apps do the second job by sending keystrokes or text to the app in front of them, and that is the part macOS gates with Accessibility access. Some dictation apps avoid the permission by copying text to the clipboard for you to paste, which is the trade-off to weigh.
For example, suppose you install a dictation app, press its shortcut in Notes and speak a sentence. The first time the app tries to control another app, macOS shows the alert. Until you allow the app under Accessibility, the words are not typed into Notes. Allowing it takes a single switch, but it is a real grant of power, so the choice deserves a moment of thought.
This is why the permission matters for anyone who dictates. It determines whether a dictation tool can write into the apps you already use, and it is also the permission that can expose the most of your Mac beyond your voice. The guide to dictation app permissions compares it with the microphone, Full Access on iPhone and the clipboard, and the question on why a dictation app needs Accessibility access on a Mac explains the reasoning in more detail.
Turn Accessibility access on or off in System Settings
Apple's steps begin from the Apple menu 2. To review or change an app's access:
- Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
- Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar, then click Accessibility. You may need to scroll down.
- Turn the switch on or off for the app. If the app is missing from the list, click at the bottom of the list, search for the app, select it and click Open.
Menu names change between macOS releases, so if your screen differs, check the version your Mac runs.
Related terms
- Voice Control: the Mac's built-in accessibility feature for operating the computer by voice.
- VoiceOver: Apple's built-in screen reader.
- Apple Dictation: the built-in speech input that types into the app you are using.
- Microphone key: the keyboard key that starts Dictation on keyboards that include one.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Mac Dictation: How to Dictate and Control a Mac by VoiceThe topic this term belongs to
- Apple DictationApple Dictation is the free, built-in feature that types what you say into any text field on a Mac. Apple also calls it Mac Dictation, macOS Dictation or keyboard dictation.
- Apple IntelligenceApple Intelligence is the name Apple gives to its AI features across its devices. Its on-device models can improve Dictation on newer Macs, and Apple says apps can use the same models.
- Apple siliconApple silicon is the family of chips Apple designs for its own computers, starting with certain Macs in late 2020. Each chip puts several computer components on one piece of silicon, which Apple calls a system on a chip.
- Enhanced DictationEnhanced Dictation was a Mac option, available from OS X Mavericks, that lets you dictate without an internet connection after a download. Apple's help for macOS Mojave describes it, but Apple's later Dictation pages do not mention it.
- Globe key (Fn key)The Globe key, also called the Fn key or function key, is a modifier on Apple keyboards. In Keyboard settings you choose what a press does, such as switching input source, starting Dictation or doing nothing.
- Improve Siri & DictationImprove Siri & Dictation is the Mac setting that controls whether Apple may store and review audio from your Siri and Dictation requests. When you first turn on Dictation, the same choice is labeled Share Audio Recordings.
- Microphone key (dictation key)The Microphone key is a key on some Mac keyboards that starts Apple Dictation when you press and release it. Pressing and holding it activates Siri instead, if Siri is turned on.
- Neural EngineThe Apple Neural Engine (ANE) is a block of hardware inside Apple's chips that runs machine learning models efficiently. Speech models can run on it, and Apple uses it for on-device machine learning inference.
- SiriSiri is Apple's built-in voice assistant. You speak a request and it answers or carries out an action, while Dictation types what you say into a text field instead.
- Speech framework (Apple)The Speech framework is Apple's developer toolkit for turning audio into text inside an app. It includes the older SFSpeechRecognizer class and the newer SpeechAnalyzer, which Apple says transcribes entirely on the device once its models are downloaded.
- Voice Control (Apple)Voice Control is Apple's feature for controlling a Mac with spoken commands, including opening apps, clicking items and editing text. When it is on, it also handles dictation, so standard macOS Dictation is not available.
- VoiceOverVoiceOver is the screen reader built into macOS, which speaks what is on the screen so you can use the Mac without seeing it. It does the reverse of dictation: it reads text aloud rather than writing your speech.
Pages that use this term
- Mac Dictation: How to Dictate and Control a Mac by VoiceTopic
- How to Dictate Into Any App: Built-in vs System-WideGuide
- Dictation App Permissions: Mic, Full Access, ClipboardGuide
- Are open-source offline dictation apps like Handy and Murmur safe to use?Question
- Why does a dictation app need Accessibility access on a Mac?Question
- Site microphone permissionGlossary