On a Mac, Dictation and Voice Control are both built into macOS, but they do different jobs. Dictation turns your speech into text in whatever field you're typing in, and you still use the keyboard and mouse for everything else. Voice Control is an accessibility feature that lets you run the whole Mac by voice: open apps, click buttons, scroll, and dictate and edit text without touching the keyboard.

Pick Dictation if you type most of the time and want to speak a message or paragraph now and then. Pick Voice Control if you need or want to use your Mac hands-free, or if you want to correct text by voice ("Delete that", "Replace … with …"). You can't use the Dictation shortcut while Voice Control is on, so most people settle on one.

Voice Control vs Dictation at a glance

Dictation Voice Control
What it's for Speaking text instead of typing it Operating the whole Mac by voice, including text entry
Where to turn it on System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation System Settings, Accessibility, Voice Control
How you start it A keyboard shortcut (set in Dictation settings), or Edit > Start Dictation in an app's menu bar Listens continuously while it's on; say "Go to sleep" to pause and "Wake up" to resume
Keyboard and mouse Still your main way to edit and move around Optional; everything can be done by voice
Voice commands for text Punctuation and formatting Also select, delete, replace and undo
Clicking and opening apps No Yes ("Open Safari", "Click Done", "Show numbers", "Show grid")
Where speech is processed On device on Apple silicon Macs for supported languages; sent to Apple on Intel Macs or in other languages On device, according to Apple
Languages Many languages and regions Fewer than Dictation
Cost Free, part of macOS Free, part of macOS

What Dictation does

Dictation is a text-entry feature. Put the cursor in any text field (Mail, Messages, Notes, a browser search box, a Word document), start Dictation, and speak. Your words appear at the cursor. When you stop, you're back to normal typing.

What it handles well:

  • Speaking into any app. It works wherever you can type.
  • Punctuation. You can say punctuation ("comma", "period", "question mark") and line breaks ("new line", "new paragraph"). Depending on your Mac and language, macOS can also add punctuation for you. Our list of Mac dictation commands has the full set.
  • Privacy on Apple silicon. According to Apple, on a Mac with Apple silicon, Dictation requests are processed on your device for supported languages, with no internet connection needed. On an Intel Mac, or in a language without on-device support, your dictated speech is sent to Apple to be processed.

As of November 2026, Apple's help page also says that with Apple Intelligence in macOS 27, Dictation uses an on-device model to improve spelling, punctuation and capitalization. That model is available in English on Mac models with M3 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory.

What it can't do:

  • It doesn't click buttons, open apps or scroll. It only enters text.
  • Its spoken commands cover punctuation and formatting. To select, delete and replace words by voice, you need Voice Control; with Dictation you fix mistakes using the keyboard and mouse.
  • Not every language or region is supported, and features vary by language.

Turn on Dictation

  1. Open System Settings and click Keyboard in the sidebar (or search for "Dictation").
  2. Scroll to the Dictation section and turn it on. Confirm if macOS asks.
  3. Check the Shortcut menu so you know which key starts it. You can change it there.
  4. To add a language, click Edit next to Languages and choose a language and region.
  5. Click in any text field, press your shortcut, and speak. Press the shortcut again to stop.

You can also start it in most apps by choosing Edit > Start Dictation in the menu bar. For a fuller walkthrough, see how to use Dictation on Mac and Apple's own Dictation guide.

What Voice Control does

Voice Control lets you use the Mac without the keyboard or trackpad. It listens continuously while it's on and treats what you say either as a command or as text to type.

What it handles well:

  • Opening apps. Say "Open Mail" or "Open Safari".
  • Clicking things by name. Say "Click" followed by a button's label, for example "Click Done".
  • Clicking things that have no name. Say "Show numbers" to put a number on every clickable item, then say the number. Say "Show grid" to overlay a numbered grid for clicks anywhere on screen.
  • Scrolling. "Scroll down", "Scroll up" and similar commands.
  • Dictating and editing text. Speak text into a field as with Dictation, then fix it by voice: say "Delete that", "Undo that", or "Replace [phrase] with [phrase]".
  • Pausing. Say "Go to sleep" so it stops acting on what you say, and "Wake up" to resume.
  • Learning the commands. Say "What can I say?" to see the commands available right now.

You can add your own commands and teach it words it gets wrong with the Commands and Vocabulary buttons in Voice Control settings.

What it does less well:

  • It takes practice. Ordinary speech can be read as a command, and the other way around. Saying "Dictation mode" (text only) or "Command mode" (commands only) helps.
  • Because it listens all the time, background talk can trigger it. Say "Go to sleep" when you step away.
  • It supports fewer languages than Dictation. Check the Language menu in its settings before you rely on it.
  • While Voice Control is on, the Dictation shortcut doesn't work.

Turn on Voice Control

  1. Open System Settings, click Accessibility, then Voice Control (or search for "Voice Control").
  2. Turn on Voice Control. The first time, your Mac may need to download files before it starts listening.
  3. A small microphone window appears on screen. Once it's listening, say "What can I say?" to see the commands.
  4. To turn it off, switch off the same setting. The Dictation shortcut works again after that.

Typing and editing text with each

Both features turn speech into text. The difference shows up when the text is wrong.

With Dictation, you speak, then switch to the keyboard and mouse to fix mistakes. That's quick if your hands are free, and it's why Dictation suits most people: talk the rough draft, tidy it by hand.

With Voice Control, you can stay hands-free the whole way. Say the sentence, then replace the wrong word by voice. It's slower than a keyboard for someone who can type, but it's the built-in way to write and edit a document without touching the Mac.

Controlling the Mac

Here they don't overlap at all. Dictation has no commands for opening apps, clicking buttons or scrolling. Voice Control does all of those, plus on-screen labels ("Show numbers", "Show grid") for anything without a readable name.

If you only want to speak text, Voice Control's extra commands are something to manage rather than something you need. If you have limited hand movement, a repetitive strain injury, or need to use the Mac while your hands are busy, they're the reason to use it.

Privacy and offline use

Dictation depends on your hardware and language. On Apple silicon, supported languages are processed on device and work without an internet connection. On an Intel Mac, or in a language without on-device support, your speech goes to Apple, so you need to be online.

Apple describes Voice Control's speech recognition as running on your Mac, after the one-time download when you first turn it on.

Which to use

Pick Dictation if:

  • You type most of the day and want to speak a longer message, note or paragraph now and then.
  • You're happy to fix mistakes with the keyboard.
  • You need a language that Voice Control doesn't offer.

Pick Voice Control if:

  • You need to use the Mac hands-free, for comfort, injury or accessibility.
  • You want to select, correct and replace text by voice.
  • You want to open apps, click and scroll by voice.

If neither fits, for example you want AI cleanup of what you say, or one dictation app that types into any app on both Mac and Windows, third-party apps cover that. Our comparison of dictation apps for Mac walks through them.

If you mostly talk ideas into a notes window, Gubb (which we make) records into its own notes using a Whisper model downloaded to your Mac. In local mode it's English-only, transcribes only the first 30 seconds of each recording, and doesn't type into other apps, so it doesn't replace either built-in feature. See how to dictate notes on Mac for the options.

If one of them stops working

  • Dictation shortcut does nothing: check whether Voice Control is on. Turn it off in Accessibility > Voice Control and try again.
  • Dictation hears nothing: check the microphone source in the Dictation settings and the input device in Sound settings.
  • Voice Control acts on words you meant as text: say "Dictation mode" while writing, then "Command mode" when you want to click again.
  • Voice Control misreads names or jargon: add the words under Vocabulary in its settings.

For more fixes, see Mac Dictation not working.

FAQ

Can I use Dictation and Voice Control at the same time?

No. While Voice Control is on, the Dictation shortcut doesn't work, because Voice Control handles text entry itself. Turn Voice Control off to get Dictation back.

Is Voice Control the same as Siri?

No. Siri answers questions and carries out requests ("set a timer"). Voice Control operates the interface itself: it clicks, scrolls, types and edits wherever you are.

Does Dictation work offline?

On a Mac with Apple silicon, yes, for languages that support on-device dictation. On an Intel Mac, or in other languages, it needs an internet connection because your speech is sent to Apple.

Do I need to pay for either?

No. Both come with macOS.