How do you click with Voice Control on a Mac?

To click with Voice Control on a Mac, say Click followed by the name of the item, such as "Click Done". Apple's help page uses that exact example ( Apple: Voice Control commands). When an item has no readable name, label the items first by saying Show names or Show numbers, then say Click and the name or number you see. The full set of commands is in our guide to Mac Voice Control commands.

Say Click with the label printed on the item

The fastest click uses the item's own label. Apple's examples include "Open Mail", "Scroll Down" and "Click Done", and each one says the action first and then what it acts on. Say the words exactly as they appear on the button or menu item.

Apple's page also says you can act on an item by saying its name or number alone, without "Click" ( Apple: Voice Control commands). Saying "Click" first makes the action explicit, which helps when a name is also a word you might dictate.

Label unnamed items with Show names or Show numbers

Many items have no name you would guess, such as icons and buttons with no text. Apple says that when you are not sure what to call something, you can display a name or number next to each item on the screen, and then use that name or number to interact with it ¹. Say Show names to see each item's own label, or Show numbers to see a short number beside each item. Say Hide names or Hide numbers to remove the labels.

In a text field, Show text numbers adds numbers to the words and lines in the text input area, so you can act on one of them by number ( Apple: Voice Control commands).

If the labels cover the content you are reading, change the overlay. In the Voice Control settings, you can set the overlay to always show, and you can turn on Fade overlay after inactivity so that it dims after a set period ².

A numbered grid clicks a place when nothing has a label

When nothing on screen has a name or number, use the grid. Apple says a numbered grid makes it easier to interact with a precise area of the screen by superimposing it on the display ³. Say Show grid for the whole screen, or Show window grid to limit the grid to the active window ⁴.

Then say Click and the number of the cell you want. Apple's page says the grid disappears after you say the command ( Apple: Voice Control commands). The grid is the right tool for a rough area, while a label is quicker for an item you can already see.

Small targets take more than one spoken number

A grid cell can be larger than the button you want. Say the number of the cell again to show a finer grid inside that area ⁵. You can repeat this. When an area cannot be divided any further, saying its number performs a click ⁶.

Each step is one more spoken number, so a small button can take several commands. That cost is the trade-off of the grid. If you click the same small control every day, a label is usually faster than drilling down each time.

Pause between clicks in a series

If you click several things in a row, pause between the commands. Apple advises pausing about half a second between commands said in quick succession ⁷.

It depends on the app, so check the command list when a click fails

Whether a click works depends on the app you are in. Apple says that saying Show commands displays the commands available right now, and that the list changes with the app and the task ⁸. A click that works in Mail may not exist in a less common app.

The same names and numbers also work for dragging. Apple's form is "Drag" followed by an item's name or number, "to", and the name or number of the location ( Apple: Voice Control commands).

What to do when a click does not work

1. Say Show commands and check that a click command is listed for the app you are in.
2. Say Show names or Show numbers, then click by the label or number that appears.
3. If the item still has no label, say Show grid, then say the cell number, and repeat the grid step until the target is small enough.
4. Say Hide grid when you are done, so that the overlay does not stay on screen.

To set up Voice Control and check which language it supports, read our overview of Voice Control on Mac. To make a phrase do something other than click, read how to make a custom Voice Control command on a Mac. For a wider look at what you can do without a keyboard or mouse, read whether you can use a Mac completely hands-free. For the other dictation tools on the Mac, start with our overview of dictation on Mac.