SpeechBee

Guide

Dictate in VS Code on a Mac

VS Code can take dictation by itself now. Press ⌥⌘V in the editor and talk. Here's how to set it up, what it's good for, and when a system-wide dictation app saves you switching tools between the editor, the terminal and the chat.

By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Checked on 14 October 2026

On this page
  1. Use VS Code's built-in dictation
  2. What dictation is good for in code
  3. A dictation key for every app
  4. Questions
  5. Keep reading
  6. Sources

Use VS Code's built-in dictation

  1. Put the cursor where you want the text: a comment, a Markdown file, a commit message.
  2. Press ⌥⌘V or run Voice: Start Dictation in Editor from the Command Palette.
  3. Allow microphone access the first time.
  4. Talk, then stop with Voice: Stop Dictation in Editor or the microphone control.

On Apple silicon Macs this is built into VS Code. The first time, VS Code downloads a local speech model; after that, transcription runs on your Mac and works offline. On Intel Macs, install the VS Code Speech extension, which also processes audio locally. One setting to know: if you turn on the experimental AI cleanup for dictation, the transcript text may be sent to a Copilot language model for punctuation, even though the audio itself stays local. To change the shortcut, open Keyboard Shortcuts (⌘K ⌘S) and search for "Start Dictation in Editor". The same docs cover voice in the chat view for Copilot.

What dictation is good for in code

Nobody dictates code syntax well. Brackets, camelCase and indentation are faster to type. Dictation earns its place in the prose around code:

  • Comments and docstrings that explain why, not what.
  • README and docs in Markdown.
  • Commit messages and pull request descriptions.
  • Prompts for Copilot or another AI assistant, where a spoken paragraph of context beats a typed one-liner.

A dictation key for every app

VS Code's dictation works in VS Code. If your day also runs through a browser, a terminal and Slack, one key that works everywhere is simpler. In SpeechBee, which we make, you hold the right ⌘ key wherever the cursor is, talk, and let go. It transcribes on your Mac, removes filler words in 61 languages, and fixes names from your dictionary, so your framework, your repo and your colleagues' names come out right after you fix them once. Snippets expand phrases you type often.

SpeechBee doesn't write code for you and doesn't control the editor. It types what you said. More in dictation for developers.

Voice to text
New message

Hi Maya, I'll send the revised proposal tomorrow morning.

SpeechBee's listening indicator on Mac
Hold your key, talk, let go. The text lands at the cursor.
Text to speech
Article

Most people read faster than they speak. SpeechBee reads the sentence you selected out loud, while you keep working.

SpeechBee's Read Aloud player on Mac
Select text, press your reading key, listen.

One dictation key for the editor and everything else. Free for 7 days.

Voice to text and Read Aloud on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. After the week, $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once. Every plan has every feature.

Download for MacGet it for iPhone & iPad

Questions

Does VS Code have voice dictation?

Yes. Run Voice: Start Dictation in Editor, or press ⌥⌘V on a Mac, and talk. On Intel Macs, install the VS Code Speech extension first.

Does VS Code dictation work offline?

On Apple silicon, yes: Microsoft says the built-in dictation transcribes locally and works without internet once the speech model is downloaded. VS Code for the Web uses cloud transcription.

Can I dictate code in VS Code?

You can, but syntax is slow to say. Dictation works best for comments, docs, commit messages and prompts to an AI assistant.

Keep reading

Sources

Checked on 14 October 2026.