Command Mode

Edit by Voice

Dictation gets words onto the page. Command Mode changes the words that are already there. Select a sentence, a paragraph or a whole email in any app, press the Command Mode shortcut, and say what you want:

• “make this shorter”
• “fix grammar and spelling”
• “make it more formal”
• “turn this into bullet points”
• “translate to Spanish”
• “sort these lines”

VocaMac replaces the selection with the result. If nothing is selected, Command Mode writes instead: say “write a polite reply” and the text is typed at your cursor. Say “undo that” or “put it back” to restore the original.

If the text can’t be edited, such as a web page or a PDF, you get the answer shown instead of a paste. After an edit, the menu bar keeps Copy Original and Copy Result so nothing is lost.

Turn It On

Command Mode is off until it has a shortcut. Open Settings → Command Mode (under Writing) and either record your own shortcut or click Use ⌃⌥⌘E for the suggested one. Press it once, speak, and press again, or hold it while you speak. Command Mode needs the Accessibility permission to read and replace the selection.

Quick Edits That Need No Model

Some instructions are handled by plain rules, instantly and with no language model at all:

• Case: uppercase, lowercase, title case, sentence case, camel case, snake case, kebab case, Pascal case, constant case
• Lines: sort, reverse, remove duplicates, join lines, trim
• Lists: bulleted or numbered list
• Wrapping: quotes, brackets, backticks, or a code block

That makes Command Mode handy for code as well as prose: select user id and say “camel case” to get userId.

Saved Commands

Instructions you use often can be saved under Saved Commands. Say a saved command’s name in Command Mode, or give it its own shortcut to run it on the selection without speaking at all. One click adds three starters: “Fix grammar”, “Shorter” and “More formal”.

Review Before Replacing

Review edits before replacing shows what changed and waits: press the Command Mode shortcut to replace, or Esc to discard. Choose Never (the default), Long selections or Always.

Some terminals and editors don’t share selected text with other apps. Copy the selection when an app hides it (off by default) copies it with ⌘C and puts your clipboard back right away. Clipboard managers may briefly see the selected text.

Which Model Does the Editing

Rewrites need a language model. You choose which one:

• Apple Intelligence, on macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence turned on. It runs on your Mac.
• A local model that VocaMac downloads and runs on your Mac, from Qwen 2.5 1.5B up to Qwen 2.5 7B. VocaMac suggests one that fits your Mac’s memory.
• A server you run: Ollama, LM Studio or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

With Apple Intelligence or a local model, the selected text and your instruction stay on your Mac. If you choose a server, the selected text and your instruction are sent to the endpoint you configured. Use a server on this Mac (localhost), on a trusted local network, over Tailscale, or over HTTPS; VocaMac requires HTTPS for anything that is not on this Mac or your local network.

Voice Actions (Optional)

Voice actions are off by default. When you turn them on, Command Mode can also act on what you say: “open Safari”, “search the web for…”, “remind me to…” or “run the shortcut…”. Only your spoken words start an action, never the selected text. A web search opens Google in your browser, reminders go through the Reminders app (macOS asks for Automation permission the first time), and only the Apple Shortcuts you list under Shortcuts VocaMac may run can ever run.