Use Dictation to type by voice in any text field: turn it on in System Settings > Keyboard. Use Voice Control, in System Settings > Accessibility, when you also want to speak commands to navigate the desktop and apps. They cannot run together: Apple says standard Dictation is unavailable while Voice Control is on.
What each one is for
Dictation is for entering text. Apple describes it as speaking to enter text anywhere you can type it. You start it, talk, and words appear at the cursor.
Voice Control is an accessibility feature. Apple says it lets you speak commands to navigate the desktop and apps, and you also use it to dictate and edit text. When it is on, Voice Control handles dictation itself.
Siri is a third speech feature. On a Mac with a Microphone key, a quick press starts Dictation and pressing and holding the key activates Siri, which must be enabled.
How they compare, in Apple's words
The table uses only what Apple's own pages state. Where Apple's pages say nothing, the cell says so.
| Dictation | Voice Control | |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Enter text by speaking anywhere you can type. | Control the Mac and apps by voice, and dictate and edit text. |
| Where you turn it on | System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation. | System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control. |
| Starting and stopping | Microphone key, Dictation shortcut or Edit > Start Dictation. Stop with Escape, the Microphone key or the shortcut (macOS 27). | Say "Stop listening" or "Start listening" to pause and resume. |
| Editing by voice | On Apple's macOS 13 and 14 pages, the Dictation command list has no select, delete or undo commands. | Text commands such as "Replace cat with dog", and Commands in Voice Control settings lists the rest. |
| Modes | – | Dictation mode (default), Spelling mode, Command mode and Swift mode. |
| Internet | Keyboard settings show whether speech is processed on the device. Apple says you may need a connection. | A one-time file download from Apple the first time. After that, no connection is needed. |
| Time limits | Stops after 30 seconds without speech. No limit on length. | – |
| Languages | Not available in all languages or regions. Feature Availability lists them. | Not covered on the pages we read. |
How they interact
You cannot use both. Apple's Dictation page says that when Voice Control is on, you use Voice Control to dictate text and standard macOS Dictation isn't available. The Ventura 13 page says: when Voice Control is on, you can't use Dictation.
Apple's pages do not say what the Dictation shortcut or Microphone key does while Voice Control is on. If your shortcut seems dead, check Voice Control first. The Dictation troubleshooting guide puts that check early.
Set up Voice Control and switch between them
Voice Control needs a download the first time. After that it works the way Apple describes.
- Connect your Mac to the internet. Apple says Voice Control needs it once, so it can complete a one-time file download from Apple.
- Open System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, then click Voice Control, and turn it on.
- To see what you can say, click Commands in the same Voice Control settings, or say "Show commands".
- To pause listening, say "Stop listening". Say "Start listening" to resume.
- To go back to Dictation, turn Voice Control off in the same place, then use your Dictation shortcut as usual.
Which one to choose
Pick Dictation if you want to type by voice. Turn it on in Keyboard settings; Apple describes it as working anywhere you can type text.
Pick Voice Control if you need to run the Mac without a keyboard or mouse, or you want to edit text by voice. On its macOS 13 and 14 pages, Apple points people who want to select or delete text by speaking to Voice Control, because its Dictation command list does not cover editing.
If you need to dictate offline, Apple's Ventura 13 troubleshooting page says to use Voice Control. Apple's Ventura 13 and Sonoma 14 Dictation pages also say that on Apple silicon, supported languages are processed on the device with no internet connection required, while the macOS 15, 26 and 27 pages point to Keyboard settings instead. See offline dictation on Mac for the version-by-version detail.
If you want more than the built-in tool
Pepys Dictate is a Mac app for typing by voice, with spoken corrections, filler words removed and formatting done on your Mac. How it compares with Apple Dictation is on its own page.
Last updated October 5, 2026.