Voice Control lets you run your entire Mac by talking — click buttons, dictate text, open apps, scroll, and even edit what you just said, all without touching the keyboard or trackpad. It is built into every modern Mac, works offline on Apple silicon, and is free. It is different from plain Dictation: Dictation only types what you say, while Voice Control also navigates and controls the whole interface. Here is how to turn it on, the commands that matter, and the numbered and name grids that let you click anything on screen.
How to turn on Voice Control
On macOS Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia, and newer:
- Open the Apple menu → System Settings.
- Click Accessibility in the sidebar.
- Scroll to the Motor group and click Voice Control.
- Switch Voice Control on. The first time, your Mac downloads a small speech file — wait for it to finish.
On macOS Monterey and earlier the path is Apple menu → System Preferences → Accessibility → Voice Control → check Enable Voice Control. Once it is on, a small microphone panel appears; say Wake up or Go to sleep to start and stop listening without turning the feature off.
The commands you will actually use
Voice Control understands hundreds of phrases. These are the everyday ones:
- Open Safari / Open Mail — launch any app by name.
- Click Send / Click Trash — click any on-screen button or link by its label.
- Scroll down / Scroll up / Go back — move around a page.
- Open Spotlight, then say what you want to search.
- Switch to Notes — jump between open apps.
Clicking anything: the numbers and names grids
When a control has no obvious label, two overlays let you reach it:
- Say Show numbers and Voice Control drops a number on every clickable element. Say the number to click it — for example Click 7.
- Say Show grid to overlay a numbered grid across the whole screen. Say a number to zoom into that cell, then a number again to pinpoint a spot — useful for dragging or clicking empty areas. Say Hide grid when done.
- Say Show names to label every element with its accessibility name, so you know exactly what to say.
Dictating and editing text by voice
Inside any text field, just talk and Voice Control types it. The difference from Dictation is that you can also edit hands-free:
- Select the last sentence / Select gently — highlight text to change it.
- Replace gently with kindly — swap one word for another.
- Delete that / Undo that — remove or reverse your last change.
- Capitalize that, Move up two lines, Insert a new line — format as you go.
For punctuation say the mark — period, comma, question mark, new paragraph. If you only need voice typing and not full control, our guide to Dictation on Mac covers the lighter-weight option.
Teach it your words (Vocabulary and custom commands)
Voice Control can learn terms it would otherwise misfire on, plus your own shortcuts:
- Go to System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control → Vocabulary to add names, drug or legal terms, product codes — anything specialized.
- Click Commands to create a custom command: pick a phrase you will say and the action it runs (a keyboard shortcut, opening a Finder item, or pasting text).
Voice Control vs. Dictation — which do you want?
Choose Dictation if you only want to type by voice and otherwise use the keyboard and trackpad normally. Choose Voice Control if you want to operate the entire Mac hands-free — clicking, scrolling, switching apps, and editing — or if typing is difficult. Both are free and built in; you can enable both and use whichever fits the moment.
Voice Control questions
Does Voice Control work offline?
Yes. On Apple-silicon Macs (M1 and newer) speech is processed entirely on-device, so it works with no internet connection and nothing is sent to Apple. Intel Macs also run it locally after the initial file downloads.
Is Voice Control free?
Completely. It is part of macOS Accessibility — no app to buy, no subscription. Any Mac that can run macOS Catalina or later has it. If your current Mac is too old, a used Apple-silicon Mac from our Apple clearance lineup (the M1 MacBook Air starts at $569.99) handles it effortlessly and runs everything on-device.
Why does Voice Control mishear certain words?
Add them to Vocabulary (Accessibility → Voice Control → Vocabulary). Once a term is in there, Voice Control prioritizes it — the fix for names, brands, and industry jargon.
How do I stop it listening without turning it off?
Say Go to sleep and Voice Control ignores everything until you say Wake up. This is easier than toggling the feature off and on.
Which Macs support Voice Control?
Any Mac running macOS Catalina (2019) or later, which includes every MacBook Air and Pro we sell — from the M1 Air at $569.99 to the M3 Air at $974.99 and the M2 Mac mini at $897.99. All of them run Voice Control on-device.