How to control your computer using Voice Control in macOS 14 Sonoma

You can turn overlays on and off at any time using the commands, “Show/hide numbers”, “Show/hide names" or “Show/hide grid” (see more on this in the How to use the Item Numbers/Item Names/Numbered Grid Overlay sections, below). If you’d like overlays to appear without having to ask for them, choose an overlay mode from the drop-down menu for Overlay.

7. To make overlays less intrusive, you can set them to fade after a period of inactivity. Click the toggle switch for Fade overlay after inactivity to turn it on. Set the time that overlays should fade after and set how much they should fade by.

8. When you say a command that doesn’t quite match the system command, Voice Control will show examples of what you can say. These hints appear at the top of the screen.

9. This feature is enabled by default.  If you would like to turn it off, click the toggle switch for Show Hints.

10. If you would like to hear a sound to confirm that Voice Control has recognised a command, click the toggle switch for Play sound when command is recognised to turn it on.

11. To practice using Voice Control, click the Open Guide button.

12. Click one of the Collections to start a practice session.

13. When you are happy with your settings, close System Settings by clicking the Close button (red circle) in the top-left corner of the window or using the Cmd + W keyboard shortcut.

14. You navigate and interact with your computer by speaking commands such as:

15. To see the full list of commands that you can use with Voice Control, say “Show Commands”.

16. Click the Voice Control button in the menu bar and select Voice Control Settings.

17. On the Voice Control settings page, click the Commands button.

18. On the pop-up window, click the + (plus) button.

19. On the right-hand side, type the phrase you would like to use to activate your new command in the When I Say box. Choose which Apps to use this command with, and choose which action it should perform. Click the toggle switch for Active to turn this command on. Finally, click Done to save your changes.

20. If you would like to pause Voice Control so that your computer stops listening for commands, say “Stop listening” or click the Voice Control button in the Menu Bar and select Stop Listening. To resume Voice Control, say “Start listening” or click the Voice Control button and select Start Listening.

21. Using the Item Numbers overlay, you interact with what is on screen by saying the numbers shown next to clickable items, such as menus, buttons, and links.

To show the Item Numbers overlay, say “Show numbers”. Say a number, or say “Click {number}”, to select the corresponding item. To hide the Item Numbers overly, say “Hide numbers”.

Note: Numbers will always appear next to the items in system menus without having to say the “Show numbers” command.

22. Using the Item Names overlay, you interact with what is on screen by saying the name shown next to clickable items, such as menus, buttons, and links.

To show the Item Names overlay, say “Show names”. Say "click {name}" to select the corresponding item. To hide the Item Names overly, say “Hide names”.

23. Using the Numbered Grid overlay, you can interact with areas of the screen that Voice Control doesn’t recognise as being clickable.

To show the Numbered Grid overly, say “Show grid”. To only show the grid over the window you are currently using, say “Show window grid”.

24. Say a grid number to subdivide that grid square into smaller squares. Repeat as many times as necessary until the item or exact area you want to select has its own number. To select the item or area, say “Click {number}”.

25. You can move items when using either of the overlay modes by saying, “Drag { x to y}”

26. When you are in an area where you can type text, for example, when writing an email, or document, Voice Control automatically switches to Dictation mode. In Dictation mode, the words you speak are entered as text.

To perform commands (and to ensure the command isn’t entered as text in your document), switch to Command Mode (say “Command Mode”).  In Command Mode, dictation is paused, and you will see a dark icon of a crossed-out cursor. To return to dictating, say “Dictation Mode”.

You can use Voice Control to format your dictated text using commands. For instance, say “Select {word or phrase}”, then “Bold that”.

Note: If this does not work it could be because your computer settings are managed by someone else (an IT department or administrator for example). If so, you will need to contact them to access these settings or for help.