Glossary
Voice typing (Google Docs)
Voice typing in Google Docs is a built-in speech-to-text tool that types as you speak. You start it from the Tools menu in a supported browser, and the browser controls the speech-to-text service.
Updated October 17, 20266 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called Google Docs voice typing.
Voice typing in Google Docs is Google's built-in dictation for documents. You speak, and the words appear in the document at the cursor. It is part of Google Docs itself, so you do not need to install an add-on for the basic feature.
You start it from the Tools menu
Open a document in a supported browser, then choose Tools, then Voice typing. A microphone box appears, and you click the microphone when you are ready to speak 1. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + S on Windows or Command + Shift + S on a Mac, which Google lists as available in Chrome browsers 2.
The browser decides the speech service
Google says voice typing works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari, and that your web browser controls the speech-to-text service 3. That is a practical point: the browser you use is part of the dictation system, so a browser update can change how it behaves.
Google's help page has changed over time. A December 2020 archived copy said voice typing was only available in Chrome browsers 4. The current page lists three browsers. If you read an older tutorial, check its date before you follow it.
An example: dictating into a draft
Suppose you are drafting a report in Chrome. You open the document, choose Tools > Voice typing, and speak the first paragraph. The words type at the cursor. When you want to format or edit by voice, you use Google's commands. Google's 2020 help page says voice commands for editing and formatting are available only in English 5, so check the current page for your language before you rely on them.
Voice typing also works in Google Slides speaker notes, but voice commands do not 6. In notes, you can speak the text but not the editing commands.
Why it matters for dictation
Voice typing is built in, which makes it the first thing to try. Its limits are the browser requirement, the language and command support, and the fact that it depends on the browser's speech service. If it does not respond, the usual causes are the microphone, the browser and the language setting. Our guide on Google Docs voice typing walks through them. For dictation in other apps, a system-wide tool may be needed, as explained in dictation into any app.
Related terms
- Voice typing: the general name for built-in dictation in an operating system or product.
- Text insertion: how dictated words reach the cursor.
- System-wide dictation: dictation that works in any app, not one.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
Related terms
- Voice Typing in Google Docs, Word and Every Other AppThe topic this term belongs to
- Connected experiences (Microsoft 365)Connected experiences are Microsoft 365 features backed by cloud services, and Dictate is one of the experiences that analyze your content. You can turn them off in Manage Settings, but that setting also turns off other services.
- CursorlessCursorless is a spoken language for structural code editing that lets developers code by voice. Every command is an action performed on a target in the code, and it runs on Talon with a VS Code extension.
- Dictate (Microsoft 365)Dictate is the speech-to-text feature in Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Outlook and PowerPoint. It needs a Microsoft 365 subscription, a microphone and a reliable internet connection.
- Dictation (ChromeOS)Dictation on ChromeOS is a built-in accessibility feature that types recognized speech into an editable field. You turn it on with Search + D or the microphone icon in the status tray.
- Site microphone permissionSite microphone permission is the browser's setting for each website that decides whether that site may use your microphone, usually chosen when the browser prompts you. It works alongside the operating system's own microphone setting, so both must allow the microphone before a site can listen.
- Talon VoiceTalon Voice, usually called Talon, is hands-free input software for writing, coding, browsing and gaming. It runs alongside a speech-recognition engine, and it is used for voice coding, often together with the Cursorless editing language.
- Text insertionText insertion is the step where dictation software places recognized words into the text field that has the cursor. It is done either by simulating keystrokes or by pasting the text from the clipboard.
- Transcribe (Microsoft 365)Transcribe is a Word for Microsoft 365 feature that turns an uploaded audio file into text in the Transcribe pane, rather than typing your speech into the document. Its monthly limits depend on your license.
- Vibe codingVibe coding is building software by describing what you want to an AI model and accepting the code it writes, without reviewing that code. Andrej Karpathy introduced the term, and the developer Simon Willison argues for a narrower meaning than the broad one now in use.
- Voice codingVoice coding, also called programming by voice or coding by voice, is writing and editing source code by speaking instead of typing. It needs a speech-recognition engine and a separate platform that turns spoken words into code editing actions.
- WaylandWayland is the display system that Linux desktops are moving to in place of the X Window System, called X11. Its compositor delivers input to each app, so a typing tool that worked on X11 may not type on a Wayland desktop.
- Web Speech APIThe Web Speech API is a set of browser interfaces that let a web page start speech recognition and receive the recognized words as text, through an object called SpeechRecognition. Where the recognition runs, on your device or on a server, depends on the browser.
Pages that use this term
- Voice Typing in Google Docs, Word and Every Other AppTopic
- How to Turn On Voice Typing on Every DeviceGuide
- Speech to Text in Chrome: Built-in Options and ExtensionsGuide
- Does Google voice typing use AI?Question
- Is there a speech to text extension for Google Docs?Question
- What is the keyboard shortcut for Google Docs voice typing?Question