--- title: "Voice prompts in Cursor on a Mac, and what to do when voice gives no text" description: "How to talk to Cursor's Agent on a Mac with the microphone in the chat box, what to check when the waveform moves but no text appears, and how a system-wide dictation key works in Cursor and everywhere else." url: "https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-prompts-cursor-mac" --- # Voice prompts in Cursor on a Mac Explaining a change out loud is often faster than typing it, and a spoken prompt usually has more useful context. Cursor's chat box has a microphone for this. Here's how to use it, what to check when it records but types nothing, and the other way to do it. By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Checked on 14 October 2026. > ### The short version > > - **Click the microphone** in Cursor's Agent chat input, allow microphone access, talk, then check the text and send. > - **No text after recording?** Update Cursor, check the microphone permission and input device, and test the mic in another app. > - **A dictation app** types into Cursor's chat, the editor, the terminal and your browser with the same key. ## Use Cursor's voice input 1. Open the Agent chat. 2. Click the **microphone** in the chat input, or press **⌘⇧Space**. In the Agents window of newer versions you can also hold **⌃M** while you speak. You can change both in **Keyboard Shortcuts**. 3. Allow microphone access when macOS asks. 4. Describe the change the way you would to a colleague: which file, what's wrong, what you want instead. 5. Read the transcript, fix anything misheard, and send. Cursor's voice input turns speech into text in the prompt box. The Agent answers in text; it is not a spoken conversation. ## When the waveform moves but no text appears This shows up on Cursor's forum regularly. Things to check, in order: 1. **Update Cursor.** Several reports were fixed by new versions. 2. **Microphone permission.** **System Settings**, **Privacy & Security**, **Microphone**: Cursor must be on. 3. **Input device.** **System Settings**, **Sound**, **Input**: pick the mic you're actually using and watch the level move. 4. **Test elsewhere.** If dictation works in another app, the problem is in Cursor; if not, it's the Mac or the mic. 5. **Try the shortcut instead of the button,** or the other way round, to see whether one path is broken. ## Use a system-wide dictation key instead You don't have to use Cursor's microphone at all. Any Mac dictation that types at the cursor works in Cursor's chat box, because it is a text field like any other. In SpeechBee, which we make, you hold the right ⌘ key in the chat, talk, and let go; the prompt appears, and you send it when you're ready. It transcribes on your Mac, removes filler words in 61 languages, and fixes names from your dictionary, so function names, libraries and your project's terms come out right after you fix them once. The same key works in the editor, the terminal, the browser and Slack. It doesn't send the prompt or drive Cursor for you. It types what you said, and you stay in control of what the Agent receives. ## Write better spoken prompts - **Say the goal first,** then the context: "Make the export button work offline. It currently calls the API on every click." - **Name the file and function.** Add them to your dictionary once if they get misheard. - **Say what not to change.** Spoken prompts make that easy to add. - **Read before you send.** A misheard file name sends the Agent to the wrong place. ## Questions ### Does Cursor have voice input? Yes. Click the microphone in the Agent chat input and talk. Cursor transcribes your speech into the prompt box, and you send it. ### Why does Cursor voice show audio waves but no text? Usually an outdated version, a missing microphone permission or the wrong input device. Update Cursor, check Privacy & Security, Microphone, and test the mic in another app. ### Can I use Mac dictation in Cursor? Yes. Apple Dictation or any dictation app that types at the cursor works in Cursor's chat box and editor. ## Keep reading - [Dictation for developers](https://speechbee.app/guides/dictation-for-developers) - [Dictate in VS Code on a Mac](https://speechbee.app/guides/dictation-in-vs-code-mac) - [Talk to ChatGPT on a Mac](https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-to-chatgpt-mac) ## More on dictation - [Every dictation guide and comparison](https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-typing-mac) - [Google Docs voice typing](https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-typing-google-docs) - [Voice typing on iPhone keyboards](https://speechbee.app/guides/voice-typing-iphone-keyboard) - [Writing Tools vs dictation cleanup](https://speechbee.app/compare/apple-intelligence-writing-tools-vs-dictation) - [OpenWhispr alternatives](https://speechbee.app/compare/openwhispr-alternatives) - [Willow alternatives](https://speechbee.app/compare/willow-alternatives) - [Every read-aloud guide and comparison](https://speechbee.app/guides/read-text-aloud) ## Sources Checked on 14 October 2026. - [Cursor docs: Prompting agents](https://cursor.com/docs/agent/prompting) - [Cursor docs: Keyboard shortcuts](https://cursor.com/docs/reference/keyboard-shortcuts) - [Cursor changelog 3.1: upgraded voice input in the Agents window](https://cursor.com/changelog/3-1) - [Cursor forum: voice mode shows audio waves but no text](https://forum.cursor.com/t/voice-mode-not-working-audio-waves-show-but-no-text-output-on-stop/158735) - [Cursor forum: voice dictation doesn't enter text in chat](https://forum.cursor.com/t/why-does-voice-dictation-not-enter-text-in-chat/170316) - SpeechBee facts from our [homepage](https://speechbee.app/) and [privacy policy](https://speechbee.app/privacy)