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Course/How to Talk to It

6 min · +90 XP

Speak instead of typing

Claude Code's own dictation, and your system's dictation as a fallback.

By the end of this lesson

You will be able to dictate a full request to Claude Code instead of typing it.

If typing is slow or tiring for you, you can speak your requests. Claude Code has its own dictation built in, and your computer's dictation works as a second option. Spoken requests also tend to be longer and fuller, which helps Claude.

Claude Code's own dictation

Turn it on and speak

  1. 1In the Claude Code prompt, type /voice and press Enter.
  2. 2On a Mac the system may ask whether your terminal can use the microphone. Choose Allow.
  3. 3You will see a line like "Voice mode enabled (hold). Hold space to record." The setting is remembered for later sessions.
  4. 4Hold the Space key. After a short moment the bottom line shows "listening…". Speak while holding it.
  5. 5Release Space. Your words appear in the prompt. Read them, fix anything by typing, and press Enter to send.
  6. 6Changed your mind while recording? Press Esc and the recording is discarded.
ℹWhat dictation needs

You must be signed in with a Claude.ai account (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise); it does not work when Claude Code runs on a plain API key. It needs a microphone on the computer in front of you, so it does not work over SSH or in cloud sessions. Transcription does not use your messages and does not count toward the limits shown in /usage.

›Speaking in another language

Dictation listens in English by default. To speak Russian, Spanish, German or another supported language, set the language setting, for example to russian: ask Claude with the phrase below, or open /config and change it there. The same setting also makes Claude answer in that language.

💬 Switch the language

“Set the language setting in my Claude Code user settings to russian, so that you answer in Russian and voice dictation listens for Russian.”

Claude edits your settings file. If dictation still listens in English, restart Claude Code.

🎙A request, spoken

This is how the request can sound if you dictate it:

“Make me a page for my medicines. A list of what I take, the dose and the time. In the morning I tick what I have taken, and in the evening I see what I missed. Large letters, nothing extra. Build all of it yourself and tell me how to open it.”

Your system's dictation as a fallback

Mac

Mac: built-in dictation

  1. 1Click into the Claude Code prompt.
  2. 2Press the dictation key (a microphone on the top row of many keyboards) or press the Fn (Globe) key twice. The shortcut is shown in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation.
  3. 3The first time, macOS asks whether to turn on dictation. Agree.
  4. 4Speak. The text is typed into the prompt. Press Enter yourself to send it.
Windows

Windows: voice typing

  1. 1Click into the Claude Code prompt.
  2. 2Press Win+H. A small voice typing panel appears.
  3. 3Speak. The text is typed into the prompt. Press Enter yourself to send it.
  4. 4If nothing happens, check that a microphone is connected and allowed in Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
Linux

Linux: there is no standard system dictation across distributions, so use /voice. If the audio module cannot load, /voice says which recorder program is missing. You do not install it yourself: ask Claude.

Linux
💬 Tell Claude

“/voice says it cannot record audio. Install the recorder it needs on this computer, then tell me when I can try /voice again.”

Claude finds the right package for your system and asks before installing it.

How to speak a request

  1. 1Speak as if you were explaining the task to a person sitting next to you.
  2. 2Pauses and repeated words are fine; Claude understands loose speech.
  3. 3Cover the same parts as in a written request: what you want, for whom, and how you will know it is done.
  4. 4Read the text before pressing Enter, especially names and numbers.
For experienced users
✦If you are experienced

Hold mode has a brief warm-up because it detects a held key by key-repeat. To avoid it, switch to tap mode with /voice tap (tap Space to start, tap again to send) or ask Claude to rebind voice:pushToTalk in your keybindings file to a modifier combination such as meta+k. Setting "autoSubmit": true in the voice settings sends the prompt when you release the key. The project and git branch names are added as recognition hints, and dictation also works in the VS Code extension.

Quick check

You run Claude Code with an API key from the Console and /voice does not work. Why?

Facts checked against the official Claude Code docs October 24, 2026 · source

EAEvgenii Arsentev

Author

Evgenii Arsentev

PhD · Chief Executive Officer, digital health