What is the small microphone icon floating on top of the screen in macOS and how do I turn it off?

Question

I'm not sure how I did this, but I now have this floating over everything:

I'm curious what it is, and how I can turn it off. I'm currently running macOS Catalina.

Answer 1

It's the dictation feature of macOS -- it allows you to speak to the computer and have the spoken words translated into text input and actions. To turn it off go to: System Preferences > Keyboard and press the Dictation tab:

You'll see an option to disable it from there.

• https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203085

Answer 2

This microphone floating on your screen IS NOT the dictation feature. It is the Voice Control.

• Go to System Preferences > Accessibility

• Scroll down until you see "Voice Control"

• Disable Voice Control.