How do you use Mac dictation with Claude Code?

Claude Code has its own dictation, and it is the route Anthropic documents for a Mac. Run /voice inside Claude Code, hold the Space key while you speak, and the transcript goes into the prompt. Apple's Dictation is a separate feature. Apple says it works wherever you can type on a Mac ¹, but the Apple pages we read do not name Terminal, so test it before you depend on it.

Run /voice in Claude Code to dictate into the prompt

Claude Code's dictation is turned on by running /voice in the command-line tool ². The documentation shows the result as hold mode, with Space as the key to record ³. On a Mac, the steps are these:

1. Open Terminal, or the terminal app you use, and start Claude Code.
2. Sign in with a Claude.ai account. The speech-to-text service works only with that sign-in, not with an API key or a cloud provider ⁴.
3. Type /voice and press Return. Claude Code runs a microphone check.
4. Click in the prompt, hold Space while you speak, then read the words in the prompt before you press Return.

If holding Space does not work for you, Claude Code also has a tap mode, started with /voice tap.

Give your terminal app microphone access in macOS

When you turn on /voice, macOS asks for microphone access for your terminal app, if that permission has never been granted ⁵. If you refused it earlier, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, turn on your terminal app, and run /voice again.

If your terminal does not appear in that list, Claude Code's voice dictation troubleshooting says there is no switch to turn on. Reset the terminal's microphone permission, then quit the terminal with Command + Q, not just by closing its windows, and open it again. The reason is that macOS does not prompt again for a process that is already running. That page has the full reset steps.

Apple's Dictation is untested in Claude Code's prompt

Apple's Dictation is the other route. Apple's Mac Help says that with Dictation on, you can speak to enter text in any place where you can type ¹. That is the basis for trying it in Claude Code's prompt. We did not test it for this answer, and Apple's pages do not name Terminal.

To check on your own Mac, turn on Dictation in System Settings > Keyboard, click the empty prompt, press your Dictation shortcut, and speak one harmless word. The Mac dictation shortcut guide lists the key options.

One user has reported that pressing the fn key twice to start macOS dictation does not work reliably in Claude Code's input prompt ⁶. The report was made against Claude Code 2.0.37 on macOS 26.2. It is one user's account, not a statement from Apple or Anthropic, so if the fn key fails for you, try your own shortcut or /voice.

The two routes differ in where the audio goes

The choice between them is mostly a privacy and sign-in decision. The table shows the difference on the points that matter most.

If the audio must stay on your Mac, Claude Code's /voice is not the route to use. Check Apple's Keyboard setting first, and test Apple Dictation in the prompt before you rely on it.

What to do, in order

1. Run /voice. If it says the feature is unavailable, check that you are signed in with a Claude.ai account, not an API key.
2. If macOS blocks the microphone, enable your terminal in Privacy & Security > Microphone, then run /voice again.
3. If you want Apple Dictation in the prompt, test it with one harmless word first.
4. If Claude Code still does not hear you, see the question on why Claude Code voice is not working and the question on dictating in Terminal on a Mac.

For the wider picture, read our overview of dictation on Mac and our guide to dictation in Mac apps. The Apple Dictation glossary entry explains the Apple feature, and the microphone key entry covers the key that starts it on some keyboards. If you use Claude Code often, the Claude Code dictation page and the question on the languages Claude dictation supports cover the rest.