Mac Voice Control commands are short phrases such as "Open Mail", "Scroll down", "Click Done" and "Show numbers" that control apps, the pointer and text by voice. The tables below group the commands Apple documents by task. The complete list lives on your Mac: say "Show commands" while Voice Control is on, or open System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control → Commands, where you can search every command and see Apple's own examples.
Everything here comes from Apple's Mac User Guide page Use Voice Control commands to interact with your Mac, macOS 27 edition, unless noted. Older versions differ in places, as noted. The phrases are English; other languages use their own wording.
How do you see the full Voice Control commands list on a Mac?
Two ways, both built in:
- Say "Show commands." Apple says the available commands "vary depending on the app you're working in and what you're doing."
- Open the Commands list. Choose Apple menu → System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, click Voice Control (you may need to scroll down), then click Commands.
Apple's Customize Voice Control page says that in the Commands list you can:
- search for a command by typing a word or phrase in the search field
- click a command to see "a description and examples of how to use the command" on the right
- choose another language from the Show commands for pop-up menu, if you added one
- turn a command off by deselecting its checkbox. Voice Control listens only for selected commands.
Click the Dictation mode or Spelling mode command in that list to see the characters you can enter and what to say for each.
If your screen differs: on macOS 13 and earlier the same list is in System Preferences → Accessibility → Voice Control. Apple's macOS 11 guide names the standard command sets as Basic Navigation, Overlays & Mouse, Dictation, Text Selection, Text Navigation, Text Editing, Text Deletion and Accessibility, so look for those headings in the list.
Commands to start, pause and learn Voice Control
| Say | What it does |
|---|---|
| Stop listening | Pauses Voice Control so your words are not taken as commands or text |
| Start listening | Resumes listening |
| Show commands | Shows the commands available in the current app |
| Make this speakable | Opens the New Voice Control Command window to create your own command |
| Add to vocabulary | Adds the selected word or phrase to your custom vocabulary |
On macOS 11, Apple's guide used "Go to sleep" and "Wake up" instead.
To practise, Apple points to a built-in tutorial: System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control → Open Tutorial. The macOS 14 edition calls the button Open Guide.
Commands for opening apps, scrolling and clicking
| Say | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open Mail | Opens an app by name |
| Scroll down, Scroll up | Scrolls the current window |
| Click Done | Clicks a button by its label |
| Press OK | Presses a button |
| Move cursor right 5 pixels | Moves the cursor by a set distance |
| Click Edit menu | Opens a menu (from the macOS 11 guide, which adds that numbers are always shown for menu commands, so you can then say a number) |
Apple's advice for strings of commands: "pause about half a second between commands."
Commands for overlays: names, numbers and the grid
When you do not know what to call something on screen, label it.
| Say | What it does |
|---|---|
| Show names | Shows a name next to each item on screen |
| Show numbers | Shows a number next to each item |
| Show text numbers | Shows number overlays in a text input area |
| Hide names, Hide numbers, Hide text numbers | Turns that overlay off |
| Click 12 (or the item's name) | Clicks the labelled item. You can also just say the name or number |
| Show grid | Lays a numbered grid over the whole screen |
| Show window grid | Lays the grid over the active window only |
| 7 (a grid number) | Shows a finer grid inside that square. Repeat to drill down further |
| Hide grid | Turns the grid off |
| Drag 4 to 9 | Drags an item to a location, using names or numbers ("Drag item to location") |
Apple notes that once an area of the grid cannot be drilled into further, its numbers are no longer framed and "saying a number performs the Click command." In Voice Control → Overlay settings you can keep names, numbers or the grid on screen all the time, and fade it after inactivity.
Commands for dictating and editing text
Voice Control has its own dictation. Apple states: "When Voice Control is on, you use Voice Control to dictate text; standard macOS Dictation isn't available."
| Say | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dictation mode | Words that are not commands are entered as text. This is the default |
| Spelling mode | Enters text character by character, for passwords, web addresses or unusual names |
| Alfa Bravo Charlie | In Spelling mode, enters "abc" using the phonetic alphabet |
| Command mode | Responds only to commands and ignores everything else, so nothing is typed by mistake |
| Swift mode | Writes Swift code as you read it aloud (listed in the macOS 27 guide) |
| Replace cat with dog | Replaces one word or phrase with another |
| Delete 3, Uppercase 3 | Applies the command to numbered text (see below) |
How numbered text works: in a text area with numbers shown, each line gets a number. Select a line or section and each word gets a number; select a single word and each character gets one. Then say a command such as "Delete" or "Uppercase" followed by the number.
Apple says Spelling mode "isn't available in all Voice Control languages." For spoken punctuation such as "comma" and "new paragraph", see Mac dictation commands and punctuation, and check the Dictation mode entry in your own Commands list.
Commands for VoiceOver users
Apple's examples are "VoiceOver rotor", "VoiceOver read all" and "VoiceOver select first item". The full set is under the Accessibility commands in the Commands list. Apple suggests headphones so Voice Control hears only you.
Can you say what you see instead of a number?
Not on a Mac yet, as far as Apple documents. Apple's Accessibility mobility page says that with Apple Intelligence, Voice Control "can use your natural language descriptions to take action on the screen instead of memorizing exact labels or numbers." But Apple's Apple Intelligence availability article lists "Use flexible item names with Voice Control commands" for iPhone and iPad only, in English (US, UK, Canada, Australia). On a Mac, use names, numbers or the grid.
How do you make your own Voice Control commands?
From Apple's Customize page: in the Commands list, click the add button, enter a name of two or more words in When I say (Apple's example is "Make text smaller" rather than "Smaller"), choose any app or one app, pick an action such as Paste Text, Press Keyboard Shortcut or Run Shortcut, and click Done. Custom commands can be exported from the menu in the lower-right corner; Apple's standard list does not export.
Is there a Voice Control commands list PDF?
We did not find a downloadable PDF of the Mac command list on Apple's support site. You can make one in under a minute:
- Open Apple's Voice Control commands page, or this page, in your browser.
- Press Command-P.
- Click the PDF button in the bottom-left corner of the Print dialog, name the file, and click Save.
That method comes from Apple's Print documents on your Mac page. For the commands on your own Mac, including any you turned off or created, use the Commands screen; it is the only complete version.
Does a dictation app replace Voice Control?
No. Voice Control is for controlling the Mac and editing by voice, and it is free. Plain dictation apps only enter text.
SuprFlow, which publishes this guide, is one of those plain dictation apps. It has no voice commands for controlling the Mac: it cannot open apps, click, scroll or select text by voice. It is relevant only if you want to dictate text with a hold-to-talk key (hold Fn, speak, release) and do the rest with the keyboard and mouse. If you use both, say "Stop listening" first so Voice Control does not act on the same words. Dictation for RSI and typing fatigue covers how the tools fit together.
Questions people ask
What is the command to see all Voice Control commands?
Say "Show commands". For the complete, searchable list, open System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control → Commands.
How do I make Voice Control stop listening without turning it off?
Say "Stop listening". Say "Start listening" to resume. On macOS 11 the commands were "Go to sleep" and "Wake up".
How do I click something that has no label?
Say "Show numbers" and then "Click" followed by the number, or say "Show grid" and drill down by number until you reach the spot.
Can I turn off a Voice Control command I keep triggering by accident?
Yes. In the Commands list, deselect that command's checkbox. Apple says Voice Control listens only for selected commands.
Related guides
- Mac Voice Control vs Dictation: which one to use
- Mac Voice Control not working? Causes and fixes
- Turn Voice Control on or off: shortcuts
- Mac dictation commands and punctuation
- Dictation for RSI and typing fatigue on a Mac
- Talon Voice alternatives for Mac
Sources
- Apple — Use Voice Control commands to interact with your Mac
- Apple — Use Voice Control commands to interact with your Mac, macOS 14 edition
- Apple — Control your Mac and apps using Voice Control, macOS 11 edition
- Apple — Customize Voice Control on Mac
- Apple — Use a custom vocabulary with Voice Control on Mac
- Apple — Accessibility: Mobility
- Apple — How to get the next generation of Apple Intelligence
- Apple — Print documents on your Mac