How to Use Voice Control Commands in macOS 13

Voice Control in macOS 13 Ventura allows you to navigate your Mac, dictate text, and edit documents entirely hands-free. This guide covers how to enable Voice Control, utilize basic dictation commands, edit and format text, and view the full library of built-in system commands to streamline your workflow.

How to Enable Voice Control

To start using Voice Control on macOS 13, you must first turn the feature on in your system settings:

  1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings.
  2. In the sidebar, select Accessibility.
  3. Click Voice Control on the right side.
  4. Toggle the switch next to Voice Control to the On position.
  5. If prompted, allow your Mac to download the necessary offline files for your selected language.

A floating microphone icon will appear on your screen indicating that Voice Control is listening. You can pause listening at any time by saying "Sleep" and resume by saying "Wake up."

Basic Dictation and Formatting

To enter text, place your cursor in any text field or document and speak naturally. macOS differentiates between dictation and system commands based on context.

  • Punctuation: Speak punctuation marks directly. For example, say "comma," "period," "question mark," or "exclamation point."
  • Line Breaks: Say "new line" to move down one line, or "new paragraph" to insert a blank line before the next sentence.
  • Capitalization: Say "capitalize [word]" to capitalize the first letter of a word, or "all caps on" and "all caps off" to toggle uppercase text.
  • Numbers: Say "numeral [digit]" (e.g., "numeral 5") to insert a number instead of the written word.

Text Selection and Editing Commands

Voice Control includes precision editing tools that let you correct mistakes and manipulate text without using a mouse or keyboard.

  • Selecting Text:
    • "Select [word or phrase]"
    • "Select previous sentence"
    • "Select next paragraph"
    • "Select all"
  • Correcting and Replacing:
    • "Correct [word or phrase]" to open a list of suggested alternatives.
    • "Replace [word] with [new word]" to swap terms automatically.
    • "Delete that" to remove the last dictated phrase.
    • "Delete previous word" or "Delete next sentence."
  • Moving the Cursor:
    • "Move forward three words"
    • "Go to beginning of line"
    • "Go to end of document"

Voice Control can also control the macOS interface when you are not dictating text.

  • Open Apps: Say "Open [Application Name]" (e.g., "Open Safari").
  • Clicking Items: Say "Click [Item Name]" to select menus, buttons, or links (e.g., "Click File").
  • Show Numbers: Say "Show numbers" to overlay numbers on every clickable element on the screen, then speak the corresponding number to click that element.
  • Show Grid: Say "Show grid" to divide the screen into numbered sections for precise clicking and dragging in areas without standard controls.
  • Scrolling: Say "Scroll down," "Scroll up," "Scroll to top," or "Scroll to bottom."

Viewing the Command Library

To see every command available in macOS 13:

  1. Say "Show commands" at any time to open the built-in reference window.
  2. Filter by categories such as Text Editing, Navigation, or Document Management to find specific phrases.
  3. To add your own phrases, go to System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control, click Commands, and select the Add (+) button to create custom dictation shortcuts.