Google Docs voice typing: a step-by-step guide

In shortIn Google Docs, start voice typing from Tools › Voice typing (in Chrome you can also press Ctrl + Shift + S, or ⌘ + Shift + S on a Mac). According to Google's help, it works in the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari, supports a long list of languages, and lets you say punctuation such as “period” and “comma”.

What is voice typing in Google Docs, and what do you need?

Google Docs' built-in dictation feature is called Voice typing. Many people search for it as “Google Docs dictation” or “speech to text in Google Docs”, but it's the same feature: you speak into the microphone, and Google types what you say at the cursor in your document. You don't need a separate program, extension or subscription – if you have a Google account and can open Docs, you can use it.

What you need:

• A supported browser. According to Google's help, the feature works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari. In other browsers (Firefox, for example) the help doesn't promise it's available.
• A working microphone. A built-in laptop mic is enough, but a headset or external microphone helps a lot with accuracy in noisy places.
• Microphone permission for the browser. The first time, the browser asks whether docs.google.com may use the microphone – you have to allow it.
• An internet connection. Google Docs is an online service, and recognition happens over the network too.

If you're just getting started with dictation, read our overview of dictation tools, which puts the different options side by side.

How do you start voice typing, step by step?

1. Open a document in Google Docs in a supported browser (Chrome, Edge or Safari).
2. In the menu bar, click Tools, then choose Voice typing. A small box with a microphone icon appears next to the document.
3. Check the language in the box (more on this in the next section).
4. When you're ready to speak, click the microphone.
5. Speak at a normal volume and pace. The text keeps appearing at the cursor.
6. When you're done, click the microphone again to stop.

Keyboard shortcut: according to Google Docs' keyboard shortcut list, you open voice typing with Ctrl + Shift + S on Windows, ⌘ + Shift + S on a Mac, and Ctrl + Shift + S on a Chromebook. On Windows and Mac, the list marks this shortcut as available in Chrome – in Edge and Safari, start it from the menu.

How do you choose the language?

Google's help lists a long range of supported languages and accents, including several variants of English (US, UK, Australia, India and more), so you can dictate in many languages besides English. Recognition is only accurate if the selected language matches the one you're speaking: if the setting is English and you speak Spanish, the system tries to interpret your sentences as English words, and the result is unusable. For English, it's worth picking your own accent variant too.

The language picker usually appears in the microphone box, above the microphone icon: click the language name and choose yours from the list. To be honest, Google's current help page doesn't describe the steps for choosing a language – it only lists the supported languages. If you don't see a language picker in the box, check the document language under File › Language, and your Google account's language settings.

If you work in more than one language in a document (for example English text with quotations in another language), you can change the language as you go. Stop the microphone, switch the language, and start again – that way no sentence ends up in the wrong language.

How do you say punctuation?

Docs doesn't work out punctuation by itself, but according to the help you can say it out loud. In English, these words are supported:

The help also notes that punctuation might not be available in every language. Colons, parentheses, quotation marks and dashes aren't on the list – it's easier to type those with the keyboard afterwards.

Practical advice: say the punctuation where it belongs in the text (“see you at ten tomorrow period”). If Docs sometimes writes “period” as a word, slow down a little and pause for a moment before it. “New line” and “new paragraph” are especially useful when you dictate longer text, such as notes or an outline, because you can structure it while you speak.

How do you correct and edit while dictating?

You don't have to turn off the microphone to make corrections. According to the help, you can move the cursor to the wrong word, fix it with the keyboard, and move the cursor back to where you want to continue – voice typing keeps running. If Docs underlines a word in gray, it had more than one possible interpretation; right-click it to see suggested alternatives.

Voice commands: English only

Google Docs also understands voice commands for editing, formatting and navigating (for example selecting text, italics, going to the end of the line, undo), but the help is clear: these work only in English, and only when both your account language and the document language are English. With any other language, don't count on commands – spoken punctuation may work, but you'll do the editing with the keyboard and mouse.

If you work in English, a few commands from the help: “Stop listening” stops voice typing, “Resume” restarts it at the end of the paragraph, and “Voice commands list” opens the full list of commands. If Docs misheard a command, “Undo” reverses it.

How do you dictate in Google Slides?

Google Slides has dictation too, but only for speaker notes. According to the help, it works like this:

1. Open the presentation in a supported browser.
2. Choose Tools › Dictate speaker notes. The notes open and the microphone box appears.
3. Click the microphone and speak.

You can't dictate into the slides' text boxes this way, and according to the help, voice commands aren't available in speaker notes. Before a talk, though, it's a great way to capture what you want to say in your natural speaking voice as notes – you only have to tidy them up afterwards.

What should you do if voice typing doesn't work?

Most problems come down to a few simple causes. Work through them in order:

• You can't see the menu item or the microphone: check that you're using the latest version of Chrome, Edge or Safari. In other browsers the feature may be missing.
• The microphone doesn't respond: check in the browser's address bar that docs.google.com has microphone permission, and in your system sound settings that the right microphone is selected. The help also suggests checking that no other app (a video call, for example) is using the microphone, and restarting your computer if nothing else helps.
• A “We're having trouble hearing you” message: move to a quieter room, plug in an external microphone, or turn up the microphone's input volume in your system settings.
• It types in the wrong language: set the right language in the microphone box.
• Commands appear as text: editing commands only work when your account and document language are English; otherwise only punctuation may work.

If the microphone doesn't work at the system level on your Mac either, our article on Mac dictation problems helps you check permissions and the input device.

How do you dictate more accurately in Google Docs?

Speech recognition accuracy depends largely on the conditions. A few proven habits:

• Speak in whole sentences. The system uses context to work out uncertain words, so a continuous sentence gives better results than speech broken into single words.
• Keep a steady distance. Speak at a steady volume, a hand's width or so from the microphone; don't turn away mid-sentence.
• Think the idea through first. If you know what you want to say, you'll have fewer filler words and restarts – and Docs writes those down word for word.
• Expect to fix names and jargon. Recognition often gets rare proper names and abbreviations wrong; it's faster to retype those afterwards.
• Numbers, dates, amounts: always check these, because the written form (digits or words) won't always be what you wanted.

Keep in mind that Docs records what you say word for word: it can write down “um”, “so”, “like” and repetitions too. So for longer text, always plan a review pass. If you're wondering how much time this saves compared with typing, our dictation vs. typing comparison helps you decide when it's worth it.

What kind of work is worth dictating in Docs?

Voice typing isn't equally good for every kind of text. It's strongest where the idea is already in your head and just needs writing down – and weakest where there's a lot of formatting, tables or precise terminology.

Works well

• First drafts. The rough version of a report, blog post or essay is much easier to say than to type. The goal isn't to get it perfect first time, but to have something to edit.
• Notes and ideas. After a meeting or while reading, you can quickly capture what came to mind.
• Longer, flowing text. Descriptions, summaries, letter drafts – where one sentence follows from the next.

Works less well

• Heavily formatted documents. Without English voice commands you can't create headings, lists or tables by voice; you have to do them by hand. Even in English, it's often quicker with the mouse.
• Lots of proper names and abbreviations. With text full of product names, codes or foreign words, fixing can take more time than dictating saved.
• Noisy surroundings. In an open-plan office or a café, background noise and other people's voices hurt recognition.

A good working method is “dictate, then edit”: in the first pass you say the text without stopping, in the second you structure, format and fix it with the keyboard. Separating the two steps helps because you don't lose your train of thought by correcting as you speak.

When isn't Google Docs dictation enough?

Voice typing is free and works well – as long as you're working in Google Docs. Its biggest limitation is that it only works there: it won't type into an email, a chat message, a web form or another word processor. The help describes the feature for Docs in the browser; on a phone, you can dictate with your keyboard's own microphone.

If you work on a Mac and want to dictate the same way in Docs and every other app, Mondi types into Google Docs too: you start it with one key (the right ⌥ Option by default), it cleans filler words out of the text, and it turns spoken punctuation – “period”, “comma” or even “at sign” – into the actual marks. Mondi dictates in English and Hungarian and is currently available on Mac (macOS 13 and later); the Windows version is in the works. Details on the dictation feature page.

Frequently asked questions

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