--- title: "How to dictate in VS Code on a Mac" description: "VS Code has its own voice dictation: Voice: Start Dictation in Editor, ⌥⌘V, with a local model on Apple silicon. How to use it, where it stops, and when a dictation app that also works in your browser and chat is easier." url: "https://speechbee.app/guides/dictation-in-vs-code-mac" --- # 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. > ### The short version > > - **VS Code's own dictation:** run **Voice: Start Dictation in Editor**, or press **⌥⌘V**. > - **It runs locally on Apple silicon.** After the speech model downloads, it works without an internet connection. Intel Macs need the VS Code Speech extension. > - **A dictation app** helps if you also want to talk into Copilot Chat, the terminal, the browser and Slack with one key. ## 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](https://speechbee.app/guides/dictation-for-developers). ## 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 - [Dictation for developers](https://speechbee.app/guides/dictation-for-developers) - [Voice prompts in Cursor on a Mac](https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-prompts-cursor-mac) - [Mac dictation punctuation commands](https://speechbee.app/guides/mac-dictation-punctuation-commands) ## More on dictation - [Every dictation guide and comparison](https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-typing-mac) - [Dictation in Word on Mac](https://speechbee.app/guides/dictation-in-word-mac) - [Dictation questions](https://speechbee.app/guides/dictation-questions) - [Mac dictation shortcut](https://speechbee.app/guides/mac-dictation-shortcut) - [Offline dictation on Mac](https://speechbee.app/guides/offline-dictation-mac) - [Talk to ChatGPT on Mac](https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-to-chatgpt-mac) - [Every read-aloud guide and comparison](https://speechbee.app/guides/read-text-aloud) ## Sources Checked on 14 October 2026. - [Visual Studio Code: Voice support](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/configure/accessibility/voice) - [VS Code Speech extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode.vscode-speech) - [Visual Studio Code: Keyboard shortcuts](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/configure/keybindings) - SpeechBee facts from our [homepage](https://speechbee.app/) and [privacy policy](https://speechbee.app/privacy)