SpeechBee

Guide

Voice typing on a Mac

Voice typing on a Mac can mean five different tools, each working in different places. Some are built in, some live inside one app, some work everywhere. Here's a map of all of them so you can pick the right one, then links to the full how-to for each.

By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Checked on 12 October 2026

On this page
  1. Where each one works
  2. Apple Dictation
  3. Voice Control
  4. Google Docs and Word
  5. Voice typing apps
  6. Questions
  7. Keep reading
  8. Sources

Where each one works

ToolWorks inCostNeeds internet
Apple DictationAny text fieldFreeDepends on language and settings
Voice ControlThe whole Mac, plus dictationFreeNo
Google Docs voice typingGoogle DocsFreeYes
Word DictateWordMicrosoft 365Yes
Voice typing appsAny appFree to paidLocal apps: no

Apple Dictation

Turn it on in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, then press the Microphone key or your shortcut in any text field. It stops after 30 seconds without speech and has no custom dictionary on Mac. Guides: how to dictate on a Mac and the Mac dictation shortcut.

Voice Control

Voice typing plus spoken commands to click, scroll and open apps, with a custom vocabulary. Turn it on in System Settings, Accessibility, Voice Control. Standard Dictation is unavailable while it's on.

Google Docs and Word

Inside Google Docs, choose Tools, Voice typing. Inside Word, choose Home, Dictate or press Option-F1 with Microsoft 365. Both need a connection and only work in their own app. Guides: voice typing in Google Docs and dictation in Word on a Mac.

Voice typing apps

These type wherever your cursor is, usually with one key. They add things built-in dictation lacks on a Mac: no time limit, a dictionary for names, snippets, and often filler removal. Some run in the cloud and rewrite your speech with AI; others transcribe on your Mac. We compare them in the best dictation apps for Mac.

SpeechBee is the one we make. Hold a key you choose, talk, and let go; your words land at the cursor in any app. It transcribes on your Mac, learns names from its dictionary, expands snippets, and removes filler words in English, German, Spanish and French. It also reads selected text aloud.

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.

Voice typing in every Mac 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

How do I voice type on a Mac?

Turn on Dictation in System Settings, Keyboard, then press the Microphone key or press Fn (Globe) twice in any text field and talk.

Is there free voice typing on a Mac?

Yes. Apple Dictation and Voice Control are built in, and Google Docs voice typing is free in Docs. See free speech to text on a Mac.

Can I voice type in every app on a Mac?

Apple Dictation and voice typing apps work in any text field. Google Docs voice typing and Word's Dictate only work in their own apps.

What's the difference between voice typing and dictation?

Nothing, in practice. Both mean speaking and having your words typed.

Keep reading

Sources

All checked on 12 October 2026.