To control your Mac with your voice you need voice commands, not just dictation: dictation types out what you say, while commands make the Mac do things — open an app, click a button, scroll, or edit the text you already dictated. macOS ships both as separate features (Dictation under Keyboard, Voice Control under Accessibility), and a dictation app can also fold a handful of lightweight commands into the same flow you already dictate with.
Dictation and voice commands are two different things
It's worth separating the two ideas before you go hunting through settings. Dictation is transcription: you speak, and your words are typed into whatever field has focus — an email, a message, a document. Voice commands are actions: instead of producing text, they tell the computer to do something — open Safari, scroll down, click the send button, delete the last sentence. Most people who say they want to 'control their Mac by voice' actually want both — they want to dictate a message and then, without touching the keyboard, edit it and send it. Knowing which half you need points you at the right tool, because macOS handles each with a distinct feature.
What macOS Voice Control can do
Apple's answer to full voice control is Voice Control, an Accessibility feature you turn on in System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control. It is genuinely powerful: with it on you can say 'Open Mail', 'Scroll down', 'Click Send', number every clickable element on screen and pick one by number, drag a grid over the display to point anywhere, and edit text by voice — 'Select the last sentence', 'Delete that', 'Replace it with…'. Because it's built for hands-free accessibility, it's also a heavier, all-in mode: it takes over your whole interaction model, listens continuously, and comes with a vocabulary of commands to learn. That's exactly right if you need to run the entire machine without a keyboard or mouse. It's more than most people want when they mainly type and just wish they could dictate faster with a couple of shortcuts by voice.
Light voice commands inside your dictation flow
There's a middle ground between plain dictation and full Voice Control: a dictation app that understands a few commands in the same breath as your speech. You keep your normal keyboard-and-mouse workflow and reach for your voice only to save keystrokes — dictate a message, and in the same flow say something like 'open Telegram', 'search the web for…', run an Apple Shortcut, or switch to another chat, without stopping to move a window or hunt for a menu. This isn't meant to replace the mouse the way Voice Control does; it folds the handful of actions you'd otherwise interrupt yourself for into the dictation you're already doing. For people who type all day and want dictation plus a light layer of voice actions — not a whole new hands-free mode — that's usually the more comfortable fit.
Which one should you use?
Choose by how much of your Mac you want to drive by voice. If you need to operate the entire machine hands-free — every click, every scroll, every field — turn on macOS Voice Control; it's the complete, accessibility-grade tool and nothing else on the platform matches its reach. If you mostly type and just want fast, accurate dictation with a few spoken shortcuts folded in — open an app, run a Shortcut, search the web, jump between chats — a dictation app with built-in commands stays out of your way while still saving the keystrokes you care about. The two aren't rivals so much as different depths: one takes the wheel, the other rides along with your keyboard.
Dictate and command in one flow
Clavio is an AI dictation app for Mac that lives in the menu bar and pastes finished text into any focused field — and beyond dictation it takes light voice commands in the same flow: open apps, search the web, run Apple Shortcuts, switch chats, all with something as simple as 'Clavio, open Telegram'. Wake word, always-on, or hold-to-talk; per-app tone so it sounds right everywhere. Free to try — 3,000 words a month, no card, macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon.
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Common questions
What's the difference between dictation and voice commands on a Mac?
Dictation types out the words you speak; voice commands make the Mac perform actions like opening an app, scrolling, or editing text. macOS Dictation (System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation) handles the typing, and Voice Control (System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control) handles the commands. Many people want both — to dictate something and then edit or send it by voice.
How do I control my Mac entirely with my voice?
Turn on Voice Control in System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control — it's Apple's built-in feature for full hands-free operation. It lets you click, scroll, open apps, pick clickable elements by number, and edit text by voice. It's a heavier, all-in mode built for accessibility, so it takes over your whole interaction model rather than sitting beside your keyboard.
Can I edit text by voice on a Mac?
Yes — macOS Voice Control lets you edit by voice with commands like 'Select the last sentence', 'Delete that', and 'Replace it with…'. It's the Accessibility feature for command-driven text editing, separate from plain Dictation which only types what you say. Turn it on in System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control.
Do I need Voice Control just to open apps or run shortcuts by voice?
Not necessarily. Voice Control is the right tool if you want to run the whole Mac hands-free, but if you mainly type and just want a few spoken shortcuts, a dictation app with built-in commands is lighter. Clavio, for example, opens apps, searches the web, runs Apple Shortcuts, and switches chats in the same flow you dictate with — no separate hands-free mode to switch into.