How to dictate in Google Docs on Windows
Voice typing, step by step
Open your document in Chrome or Edge, choose Tools > Voice typing, and click the microphone. Allow microphone access when the browser asks, speak at a normal pace, and click the microphone again to stop. Voice typing is built into Google Docs, so there is nothing to install. Below are the exact steps, the fixes for a silent microphone, and when a local dictation app is the better fit.
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At a glance
Google Docs voice typing turns speech into text in a document you can edit. It runs in the browser, so on Windows the steps are the same in Chrome and Edge.
- Quickest path
- Tools > Voice typing, then click the microphone. In Chrome you can press Ctrl+Shift+S instead.
- What you need
- A Google Docs document you can edit, the latest Chrome or Edge, and a working microphone that Windows and the browser are allowed to use.
- Where it falls short
- It works only inside Docs (and Slides speaker notes), and its editing commands work only in English.
Turn on voice typing in Google Docs
These steps follow Google's current help for voice typing. Google supports the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari; Safari is not available on Windows, so use Chrome or Edge.
Open the document in Chrome or Edge
Open a Google Docs document you can edit, in an up-to-date Chrome or Edge window on your computer.
Choose Tools > Voice typing
A microphone box appears next to the document. In Chrome on Windows, Ctrl+Shift+S opens it too.
Pick the language you will speak
The microphone box shows a language above the microphone. Click it and choose the language you will speak, including regional variants. Change it while the microphone is off.
Click the microphone and allow access
Place the cursor where the text should go, then click the microphone. The first time, the browser asks to use your microphone. Choose Allow.
Speak at a normal pace
Talk clearly at a normal volume. Words appear as you speak. Say "comma", "period" or "new paragraph" to add punctuation where your language supports it.
Click the microphone again to stop
In English you can also say "stop listening". Then read the text back. Right-click a word underlined in gray to see suggestions, or correct it with the keyboard.
Punctuation, voice commands and language limits
Voice typing does two separate jobs. It types the words you say, in many languages, and it follows editing commands, in English only.
- Punctuation you can say
- Period, comma, exclamation point, question mark, new line and new paragraph. Google notes that punctuation might not work in every language.
- Editing commands
- "Select paragraph", "bold", "apply heading 1", "insert table", "delete", "scroll down", "undo", "resume" and "voice commands list".
- Command requirement
- Voice commands are available only in English. Your Google account language and the document language must both be English.
Dictating in Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean or another supported language works for the words themselves. Plan to select, format and edit with the mouse and keyboard, because the commands will not respond.
If voice typing is not working
Most failures come from a blocked microphone. Check these in order.
Voice typing is missing from the Tools menu
Use an up-to-date Chrome or Edge on your computer, and make sure the document is one you can edit. On a work or school computer, your organization may restrict microphone access for the browser. Ask your IT team rather than working around the policy.
The browser blocked the microphone
In Chrome, open Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Microphone. If docs.google.com is listed under not allowed, select it and set Microphone to Allow. The same page has a menu for choosing which microphone Chrome uses. Edge has an equivalent microphone setting in its site permissions.
Windows blocked the microphone
In Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Turn on Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone, and Let desktop apps access your microphone. Chrome and Edge count as desktop apps.
Docs says it is having trouble hearing you
Close other apps that may be using the microphone, such as a video call. Move somewhere quieter, raise the microphone's input volume, or plug in an external microphone.
Commands get typed as words
Check that your account and document language are both English. Speak slowly, pause before and after each command, and say "undo" if Docs heard the wrong one.
When a local dictation app helps
Native voice typing is the right tool if you dictate only in Google Docs and are happy for your browser and Google to handle the speech recognition. A local dictation app such as Whisperstream is a better fit when:
- You want one shortcut for Docs, email, chat, Word and other apps, not a microphone button in one editor.
- You want speech recognized on your own PC. Whisperstream transcribes on your computer after a one-time model download.
- You dictate in a language where Docs commands do not help. Whisperstream supports 39 languages, and its speech models add punctuation and capitalization as they transcribe.
- You would rather hold a key while you talk than click a microphone on screen.
Built into Docs, nothing to install. Works in a supported browser. Google does not describe it as on-device recognition. Includes English voice commands for selecting, formatting and editing.
Free, open-source Windows app, with a Mac beta. Recognizes speech on your PC. Types into whichever field has focus, in Docs and elsewhere. Has no voice commands for Docs formatting.
Local recognition is not local storage
Whisperstream changes where your speech becomes text, not where your document lives. Google Docs still saves the document to your Google account. Optional cloud enhancement, which is off by default, sends the transcribed text to the provider you choose; Stream-1 Mini cleanup stays on your PC. See how offline dictation works on Windows.
Dictate into Google Docs with Whisperstream
- Install Whisperstream and choose your dictation language. Setup downloads the matching speech model. Wait for it to finish.
- Open your Google Docs document and click where the text should go.
- Hold Right Shift (the default Push to Talk shortcut), speak, then release.
- Whisperstream types the finished text at the cursor, with punctuation and capitalization.
Text arrives when you release the key. See text insertion and compatibility and recording controls.
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