Dictation types what you say into the text field you are in, after you press a key to start it. Voice Control is an accessibility feature that listens all the time while it is on and lets you control the whole Mac by voice: open apps, click buttons, scroll, select and correct text, and dictate. If you only want voice typing, use Dictation. If you want to use the Mac with little or no keyboard and mouse, use Voice Control. You cannot run both at once.
Apple's Dictation guide states the rule directly: "When Voice Control is on, you use Voice Control to dictate text; standard macOS Dictation isn't available." This guide follows Apple's Mac User Guide for macOS 27. On macOS 13 and earlier, look in System Preferences rather than System Settings.
What is the practical difference?
Think of Dictation as a microphone button for your keyboard, and Voice Control as a replacement for the keyboard and mouse.
| Your goal | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Speak an email, a message or a paragraph, then carry on typing | Dictation | Start it with a key, speak, stop it. Nothing else changes |
| Rest your hands for a whole session | Voice Control | It clicks, scrolls, opens apps and edits text by voice |
| Fix a word by voice, such as "Replace cat with dog" | Voice Control | Apple's Dictation command list has no editing commands |
| Spell out a password, web address or odd name letter by letter | Voice Control | Its Spelling mode accepts letters and the phonetic alphabet |
| Get one name right every time | Voice Control | It has a custom vocabulary of up to 1,000 terms. Apple's Dictation guide describes no word list |
| Dictate in a language Voice Control does not support | Dictation | Dictation supports more languages (see below) |
| Use Apple's newest Dictation cleanup on a recent Mac | Dictation | Apple announced it for Dictation, not Voice Control |
The command-by-command contrast is in Mac dictation commands and punctuation, and the full Voice Control list is in Mac Voice Control commands.
How does each one listen?
Dictation waits for you. Apple's Dictation guide says to place the insertion point, then press the Microphone key, use the Dictation shortcut, or choose Edit → Start Dictation. You stop it with Escape, the Microphone key or the shortcut, and it stops by itself "when no speech is detected for 30 seconds."
Voice Control listens until you pause it. Apple's Voice Control commands page says: "To use Voice Control on your Mac, just say a command." Say "Stop listening" when you do not want speech treated as commands or text, and "Start listening" to resume. In a text field, Voice Control is in Dictation mode by default, so "any words you say that aren't Voice Control commands are entered as text." Say "Command mode" when you want it to ignore everything except commands.
That difference matters in an open office or on a call. With Voice Control on and listening, a sentence you say to a colleague can end up typed into the document in front of you. Pause it first.
How do you turn each one on?
Dictation: choose Apple menu → System Settings, click Keyboard in the sidebar, go to Dictation, turn it on and click Enable.
Voice Control: choose Apple menu → System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, then click Voice Control and turn it on. Apple's setup page says a Voice Control icon appears in the menu bar. Turn Voice Control on or off lists the quicker ways, including a keyboard shortcut.
Do they need the internet?
| What Apple says | |
|---|---|
| Voice Control | The first time you turn it on, the Mac must be online for "a one-time file download from Apple. After this download is complete, you don't need an internet connection to use Voice Control." |
| Dictation | It depends. The text below the Dictation switch in Keyboard settings tells you whether general text dictation is processed on your device. Apple's troubleshooting page says "You may need an internet connection." |
Is Mac Dictation private? explains what Apple says is sent when Dictation is not processed on the device.
Which languages does each support?
Apple's macOS feature availability page lists Voice Control in 20 languages and regions, including English (Australia, Canada, India, UK, US), French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Spanish (Mexico, Spain, US), Turkish, Arabic (Saudi Arabia) and Cantonese. Dictation's list is much longer, with more than 60 entries, including Polish, Hindi, Greek, Ukrainian and Vietnamese, which do not appear on the Voice Control list. Check the page for your exact language and region.
Apple also notes that Voice Control's Spelling mode "isn't available in all Voice Control languages," and that custom vocabulary is dimmed when a language does not support it.
What about the new Apple Intelligence Dictation?
Apple's 14 September 2026 announcement says Dictation "now captures what users say as polished text with greater precision, automatically handling capitalization, punctuation, and formatting," on a Mac with M3 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory. The feature availability page lists "More advanced Dictation" for English only. Apple describes this as a Dictation feature; it does not say Voice Control's text entry gets it. Apple Intelligence Dictation on a Mac covers how to check whether your Mac qualifies.
Voice Control's own Apple Intelligence addition, acting on natural language descriptions instead of exact labels, is listed in Apple's Apple Intelligence availability article for iPhone and iPad only, not Mac.
Can you switch between them quickly?
Yes, but not by voice alone in every case:
- To go from Dictation to Voice Control, turn Voice Control on. Standard Dictation is unavailable while it is on, so do not expect your Dictation shortcut to start it.
- To go back, turn Voice Control off. Dictation and its shortcut work again, as long as Dictation is still on in Keyboard settings.
- If you switch often, add Accessibility Shortcuts to the menu bar or use Option-Command-F5, as Apple's accessibility shortcuts page describes.
If Dictation seems broken after you tried Voice Control, check that Voice Control is really off. Mac Dictation not working calls it the cause people miss.
Where does a separate dictation app fit?
Only on the Dictation side. A plain dictation app enters text; it does not control the Mac.
SuprFlow, which publishes this guide, is that kind of app. It has no voice commands for controlling the Mac: it cannot click, scroll, open apps or select and edit text by voice, so it is not a substitute for Voice Control. It is relevant only as an alternative to standard Dictation, for someone who wants to hold a key (Fn), speak, release, and have the text inserted at the cursor, with speech recognised on the Mac. It needs an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later and costs $125 once, with no free tier. Apple's two tools are free, so try them first. SuprFlow vs Apple Dictation covers when the paid app is worth it.
Questions people ask
Can I use Voice Control and Dictation at the same time?
No. Apple says standard Dictation is not available while Voice Control is on. Voice Control has its own Dictation mode, so you can still dictate.
Is Voice Control better than Dictation for dictating text?
Not necessarily. Voice Control adds editing, spelling and a custom vocabulary. Dictation is simpler, needs no commands, supports more languages, and is the one Apple's new advanced Dictation applies to.
Why does my Mac type what I say to other people?
Voice Control is probably on and listening in Dictation mode. Say "Stop listening", or turn Voice Control off if you only wanted Dictation.
Does Voice Control work offline?
After a one-time download, Apple says you do not need an internet connection to use it.
Related guides
- Mac Voice Control commands: a list grouped by task
- Turn Voice Control on or off on a Mac
- How to use voice to text on a Mac
- Mac dictation commands and punctuation
- Dictation for RSI and typing fatigue on a Mac
- SuprFlow vs Apple Dictation
Sources
- Apple — Dictate messages and documents on Mac
- Apple — Use Voice Control commands to interact with your Mac
- Apple — Turn Voice Control on or off on Mac
- Apple — Use a custom vocabulary with Voice Control on Mac
- Apple — Commands for dictating text on Mac
- Apple — If Dictation on Mac doesn't work as expected
- Apple — Quickly turn accessibility features on or off on Mac
- Apple — macOS feature availability
- Apple Newsroom — Siri AI, a profoundly more capable and personal assistant, is here
- Apple — How to get the next generation of Apple Intelligence