How to Use Voice Control on Mac

Turn on Voice Control in System Settings > Accessibility on macOS Sequoia to click, dictate, and navigate by voice, and browse the full command list.

1. Turn Voice Control on. Open System Settings > Accessibility, scroll to the Motor section, and click Voice Control. Switch Voice Control on. The first time you do this the Mac downloads its speech files, which takes a few minutes and needs a network connection.
2. Click things by their name. Say Click followed by the visible label of the control, as in Click Send or Click Cancel. Say Open followed by an application name to launch it. A floating window shows the microphone level and the last command the Mac understood.
3. Use the numbers overlay. Say Show numbers. Every clickable item on screen gets a number tag laid over it. Say that number to click it. Say Hide numbers to clear the overlay. This is the reliable route to toolbar icons, menu bar items, and anything without a readable label.
4. Use the grid for everything else. Say Show grid to lay a numbered grid over the whole screen, or Show window grid to cover only the front window. Say a number and that cell subdivides into a smaller numbered grid. Say Click and the number to click the center of a cell.
5. Mix dictation with commands. Click into a text field and speak normally to dictate. Voice Control decides between text and commands as it listens, so editing phrases still work mid-sentence. Say Go to sleep when you want it to stop listening, and Wake up to bring it back.
6. Read the actual command list. Back in System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control, click Commands. A window lists every command by category, each with a checkbox to enable or disable it. Click the plus button to add your own spoken phrase and bind it to an action.