Practical guide · about 5 minutes
How to use voice to text on Mac — in any app.
Install once, press a global shortcut, speak, and your words appear wherever the cursor is. The default models work offline on Apple Silicon.
Quick start
Set up Mac voice typing in four steps.
VoiceToText works system-wide rather than inside one editor. Once the permissions are granted, the same shortcut works anywhere macOS shows a text cursor.
Install VoiceToText
Download the DMG, open it, and drag VoiceToText into your Applications folder. The app is signed and notarized for macOS.
Grant two permissions
Microphone lets the app hear you. Accessibility lets it paste the finished transcript into the app where your cursor is. You can revoke either permission in System Settings.
Put the cursor anywhere and press Option plus Space⌥Space
Open Mail, Notes, Slack, a browser, a terminal, or any other Mac app. Click where you want the text, press the shortcut, and speak naturally. Press Esc to cancel.
Stop, review, and paste
Press the shortcut again. Edit the transcript if needed, then press Return to paste it at the cursor. If you prefer zero friction, turn off review and the text will paste immediately.
Make it yours
Choose the dictation flow that feels natural.
Start with the defaults, then change only what removes friction from your own workflow.
Toggle or hold to talk
Tap the shortcut once to start and again to stop, or switch it to push-to-talk and hold the key only while speaking.
Local by default
Choose Parakeet or Whisper and transcription runs on your Mac after the model download. Your recording never leaves the device.
Review or instant paste
Keep the review panel for edits and AI actions, or disable it when speed matters more than a final check.
Use it anywhere
Dictate into Mail, Notes, Slack, browsers, and coding tools.
The focused text field receives the transcript. That includes documents, chat apps, browser search boxes, terminals, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, and nearly any native or web app.
- Notes
- Slack
- Notion
- Google Docs
- ChatGPT
- Cursor
- Terminal
Need longer-form capture? VoiceToText can also record and transcribe meetings on your Mac.
Troubleshooting
Three quick checks solve most setup issues.
The shortcut does nothing
Open VoiceToText Settings and confirm the shortcut is enabled. If another app owns the same combination, rebind it to a different key or use Right Control.
The app can hear you but cannot type
Re-open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and enable VoiceToText. This permission is what lets the app paste at the focused cursor.
Transcription is slow or inaccurate
Try Parakeet for speed, Whisper Large v3 for offline accuracy, or a smaller Whisper model if memory is tight. A cloud model is optional when you need maximum accuracy or live words.
For model, privacy, and language details, read the complete VoiceToText FAQ.
Ready to speak
Try voice to text in the app you already use.
Free, open source, and local by default. Download the DMG and dictate your first sentence in a few minutes.