Glossary
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.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called Voice Control, macOS Voice Control.
Voice Control is Apple's feature for controlling a Mac with your voice. It goes beyond typing: you can speak commands to move around the desktop and apps, act on what is on the screen, and dictate and edit text 1. On a Mac, turning it on means it handles dictation, and the standard Apple Dictation feature is not available 2.
Voice Control listens for commands, not only words
Apple also offers Command mode, where Voice Control responds only to commands and ignores words that are not commands instead of typing them 3. That matters when you want to navigate and edit without the risk of stray words appearing in your document.
Example: deleting one word by number
You act on a text item, such as a word, by saying a command like Delete followed by the item's number 4. Because the speech is handled as a command, you can fix a single word without touching the keyboard or mouse. In Dictation mode, the same phrase might be typed as text, so check which mode you are in before you speak.
Why it matters for typing
Voice Control trades the keyboard for a full set of spoken commands. It suits people who want to control the whole computer by voice, and it suits editing as well as writing. If you mainly want to dictate a message, standard Dictation avoids the mode choice described above. The guide on dictation versus Voice Control versus Siri compares the three, and the Voice Control guide covers how to turn it on and off.
Related terms
- Apple Dictation: the standard dictation feature, which Voice Control replaces while it is on.
- Voice command: a spoken instruction that acts on text or the computer, which is the core of Voice Control.
- VoiceOver: Apple's screen reader, a different accessibility feature that reads the screen aloud.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Use Dictation on a MacGuide
- What Is Dictation? Voice Typing and Talk to Text ExplainedGuide
- Mac Dictation Shortcut: Keys and Custom HotkeysGuide
- Voice Control on Mac: Turn It On and Use ItGuide
- Dictate in PowerPoint, OneNote and ExcelGuide
- iPhone Dictation Commands: Punctuation, Emoji, EditingGuide
- Dictation vs Voice Control vs Siri on a MacGuide
- Apple Dictation Languages on Mac: The Full ListGuide
- Dictation for Blind and Visually Impaired PeopleGuide
- Dictation on iPad and Android TabletsGuide
- Mac Dictation by macOS Version: What ChangedGuide
- Can you control Linux with voice commands?Question
- Can you control Windows 11 entirely with your voice?Question
- Can you use a Mac completely hands-free?Question
- Can you use dictation on a Mac mini?Question
- Does dictation work with a screen reader?Question
- How do you add custom words to Mac dictation?Question
- How do you click with Voice Control on a Mac?Question
- How do you control your iPhone with your voice?Question
- How do you delete the last word with iPhone dictation?Question
- How do you make a custom Voice Control command on a Mac?Question
- Is there a Mac dictation commands cheat sheet or PDF?Question
- What are the most useful Siri commands on a Mac?Question