SpeechBee

Guide

Talk to ChatGPT on a Mac

Typing a long prompt is slow, and saying it gives ChatGPT more context. On a Mac you can dictate into the ChatGPT app with its microphone button, or use spoken Voice mode in the browser. Here's how each works, and what changed in 2026.

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

On this page
  1. Dictate a message in the ChatGPT Mac app
  2. What happened to Voice mode on Mac
  3. Write better spoken prompts
  4. One dictation key for every AI app
  5. Questions
  6. Keep reading
  7. Sources

Dictate a message in the ChatGPT Mac app

  1. Open the ChatGPT app and click in the message box.
  2. Click the microphone. Allow microphone access the first time.
  3. Say your message.
  4. Stop recording. Your words appear as text in the box.
  5. Check it, edit anything misheard, and press Send.

OpenAI says dictation records one message at a time and doesn't send anything until you press Send. If the button does nothing, check System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone, and make sure ChatGPT is on.

What happened to Voice mode on Mac

Voice mode, where you talk and ChatGPT answers out loud, was retired from the Mac app on 15 January 2026. OpenAI's release notes say it is still available on ChatGPT.com, iOS, Android and the Windows app. On a Mac, open ChatGPT.com in your browser if you want a spoken back-and-forth.

Dictation and Voice mode do different jobs. Dictation is for writing a prompt you can read and fix before sending. Voice mode is a conversation.

Write better spoken prompts

  • Start with the goal, then give the background. Speaking makes it easy to add the context you'd skip when typing.
  • Say it in one go, then edit. Fixing a few words is quicker than retyping a paragraph.
  • Paste the material, dictate the instruction. Paste the email or document, then say what you want done with it.

One dictation key for every AI app

ChatGPT's microphone only works in ChatGPT. If you also use Claude, Gemini, Cursor or a chat window in your browser, one key that types anywhere is simpler. In SpeechBee, which we make, you hold the right ⌘ key in any text box, talk, and let go. The prompt appears at the cursor, ready to edit and send. Transcription runs on your Mac, so what you say isn't uploaded to transcribe it. Of course, the prompt itself goes to the AI service when you send it.

SpeechBee also reads text aloud. Select ChatGPT's answer and press the right ⌥ key to hear it in a natural voice that runs on your Mac.

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.

Dictate prompts into any AI app. 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

Can I use voice with ChatGPT on a Mac?

Yes. The Mac app has voice dictation: click the microphone in the message box, talk, then send. Spoken Voice mode is available on ChatGPT.com in your browser.

Why is there no Voice mode in the ChatGPT Mac app?

OpenAI retired Voice mode from the Mac app on 15 January 2026. It still works on ChatGPT.com, iOS, Android and Windows.

Why does ChatGPT dictation not work on my Mac?

Check that ChatGPT has microphone access in System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone, and that the right input device is selected in Sound settings.

Can ChatGPT read its answers aloud on a Mac?

ChatGPT.com has a read-aloud button on answers. On any Mac app, you can also select text and use macOS Speak selection (Option-Esc) or a read-aloud app.

Keep reading

Sources

Checked on 14 October 2026.