Dictate in Word: Voice Typing on Web, Windows and Mac

Word has a built-in voice input called Dictate. You find it on the Home tab, and it types what you say into the open document. Microsoft says the feature is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers ¹, and it needs a microphone and a reliable internet connection ². You can start it with the button, or with a keyboard shortcut on Windows and on a Mac.

This guide gives the steps for each platform, the rules for one-time Office versions, the settings that matter, and where Dictate stops and Transcribe starts. The steps follow Microsoft's support articles for Word, as we read them for this guide. Microsoft does not state a version number for the desktop steps, so if your menus look different, check the Microsoft 365 version you have installed.

Yap, which we make, is a dictation app for Mac and Windows. If Word's Dictate is not available to you, the last section covers the built-in options that remain.

Dictate is built into Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, Mac, the web and mobile

Microsoft documents Dictate for four places. The steps are close, but the keyboard routes and requirements differ, so the table gives the quick view and the text below gives the source for each row.

On Windows and Mac, Microsoft's steps say to open a new or existing document and go to Home > Dictate while signed into Microsoft 365 on a mic-enabled device ³. Microsoft's guide for screen-reader users lists Alt+H then D, or Alt+`, as keyboard routes in Word for Windows ⁴. On a Mac, Microsoft gives Option + F1 as a shortcut for starting dictation ⁵.

In Word for the web, the steps are the same menu route: Home > Dictate, while signed into Microsoft 365 on a mic-enabled device ⁶. The web article's steps do not list a keyboard shortcut.

On mobile, Microsoft's Word Mobile article covers Word for iPad, Word for iPhone, and Word for Android tablets and phones ⁷. You start dictation by tapping the microphone icon ⁸.

Starting Dictate takes one click on the Home tab or one shortcut

Use the menu route the first time, so you know where the button is. After that, the shortcut is faster.

1. Open a new or existing document.
2. Sign in to Word with your Microsoft 365 account. Microsoft's steps require this sign-in on a device with a microphone ³.
3. Select Home > Dictate, or press Option + F1 on a Mac.
4. Wait for the Dictate button to turn on and start listening.
5. Speak. Text appears in the document as you talk.

Check that the Dictate button is on before you speak a long passage.

If nothing appears, the causes fall into three groups: the document, the account and the microphone. The checks are in the section on why Dictate is not working in Word. For the menu question on its own, see where the Dictate button is in Word.

Dictate needs a Microsoft 365 license, a sign-in and an internet connection

Three requirements decide whether the button works: a Microsoft 365 subscription, a sign-in, and an internet connection. Microsoft's rule is the subscription, and the exceptions for one-time Office versions are not clear from a single sentence, as the next two parts show.

A one-time Office 2016 or 2019 for Windows does not include Dictate

Microsoft says that Dictate is not available in Office 2016 or 2019 for Windows without Microsoft 365 ⁹. The same article's Applies To list also names Word 2019 and Word 2016 ¹⁰. That is a conflict inside one article. We read the troubleshooting as the rule: a one-time Office 2016 or 2019 for Windows lacks Dictate unless a Microsoft 365 subscription is in place.

Microsoft's article does not settle one-time Office 2021 and 2024 in one sentence

The subscription rule still applies to Dictate, because Microsoft says the feature is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers ¹. Microsoft does not state the rule for a one-time Word 2021 or 2024 on Windows in a single sentence.

The practical test is simple. If you are not signed in to a Microsoft 365 account, the missing button is the expected result, not a fault. If you are signed in and still see no button, go through the checks in why Dictate is greyed out in Word.

Speech goes to Microsoft, so Dictate needs the internet

Dictate needs a connection, because the speech is sent to Microsoft to become text. Microsoft says that the service does not store your audio data or transcribed text, and that your speech utterances are sent to Microsoft and used only to provide text results ¹¹.

Windows voice typing also needs an internet connection ¹², so the Windows built-in route does not help when the network is down. For a tool that works without a connection, see the section on system dictation below.

Punctuation can be automatic or spoken, and a short command list covers editing

Dictate can add punctuation for you, or you can speak it. Microsoft gives you one setting and one command table.

Auto Punctuation is a checkbox in Dictate's settings. Microsoft says it can be turned on or off, but only where it is available for the language you chose ¹³. If a language has no Auto Punctuation option, you speak the marks.

When you speak them, Microsoft's English command table gives these:

Microsoft's English command table lists period, comma, question mark, exclamation mark and new line as spoken punctuation or formatting ¹⁴. Check the result after each command, because a misheard command can add a word instead of a mark.

Editing works by voice too. Saying delete by itself removes the last word or punctuation mark before the cursor ¹⁵. For the full list of commands, including formatting and symbols, see the question on dictation commands in Word. Word's command list changes with the language, so check the list for yours.

Dictate settings control the language, auto-punctuation and the microphone

The Dictate settings list three things: Spoken Language, Microphone and Auto Punctuation. Of these, the language decides which commands and which punctuation rules apply. Microsoft says that, by default, Dictation is set to your document language ¹⁶.

When you do need another language, Microsoft's list has 15 languages and regional variants before its preview group ¹⁷. The preview group is a separate set. Microsoft warns that preview languages may have lower accuracy or limited punctuation support ¹⁸.

Compare that with the Windows built-in tool. Windows 11 voice typing lists 46 languages and regional variants ¹⁹. The two lists are for different features, and Microsoft's pages do not say how either list was counted, so read the numbers as a rough comparison of coverage.

To change the language, see how to change the dictation language in Word. For the language support across the wider Windows tool, see the overview of dictation on Windows.

Transcribe is a separate tool for recordings, not live speech

Word has a second feature, Transcribe, and it is easy to confuse with Dictate. Dictate types your live speech into the document. Transcribe turns a recording into a transcript, and Microsoft says it works differently: unlike Dictate, Transcribe doesn't automatically add the audio to the document ²⁰. You review the transcript and add the parts you want.

Transcribe takes a recording made in its pane, or an audio file you upload. Microsoft says uploads support .wav, .mp4, .m4a and .mp3 files ²¹. The audio file, whether you record it in the pane or upload it, is saved to a Transcribed Files folder in OneDrive ²².

Transcribe also has monthly caps. A Microsoft 365 subscriber can transcribe a maximum of 300 minutes of uploaded audio per month ²³. A user with a Microsoft Copilot license can transcribe a maximum of 30,000 minutes of uploaded audio per month ²⁴. Dictate has no comparable cap in its article.

Microsoft's note at the top of its Transcribe article says the feature is currently available only in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows in commercial tenants ²⁵. Its web section, however, describes a browser route: sign in to Microsoft 365 using the new Microsoft Edge or Chrome ²⁶. The two statements do not fully agree, so check which one applies to your account.

For the direct answer to whether Word can transcribe a file, see can Microsoft Word transcribe an audio file. For free transcription in the browser without Word, see free audio to text. For the wider subject, see the overview of transcription.

Word on the web, Windows, Mac and mobile do not have identical features

The core of Dictate is the same on every platform, but the edges differ. The keyboard routes are the biggest difference, and the Transcribe feature is not on every platform.

The rows come from the steps and notes in Microsoft's articles, which are cited above and in the Transcribe section. "Not listed" means Microsoft's Transcribe note does not mention that platform, so we cannot confirm Transcribe there.

The routes are not interchangeable. Choose one before you rely on it:

For the wider comparison of how each app handles dictation, see how to dictate into any app. For the other Microsoft apps, see dictation in PowerPoint, OneNote and Excel and dictation in Outlook and Gmail. For the first question people ask about Microsoft's tools, see does Microsoft have dictation software.

Pick the route that matches your license and your input

Three situations cover most readers. Find yours, then read the section that matches.

• You have Microsoft 365 and want to talk while you write. Use Dictate. Check the language first, because Dictation follows your document language by default ¹⁶.
• You have a one-time Office 2016 or 2019 for Windows. Dictate is not available in that version without a Microsoft 365 subscription ⁹. Use Windows voice typing, which needs the internet, as described below.
• You already have a recording. Use Transcribe, which makes a transcript rather than typing as you speak ²⁰.

When Word's Dictate is unavailable, system dictation still types into Word

If Dictate is not available to you, the operating system's own dictation can type into the Word document, provided the cursor is in the text. This is the usual fallback, but each system has a different condition.

On Windows, press Windows key + H on a hardware keyboard to turn on voice typing ²⁷. Voice typing needs a working microphone, an internet connection and the cursor in a text box ¹². We did not test voice typing inside Word for this guide, so run a short test phrase in Word before you dictate a long passage.

On a Mac, Apple says that general text Dictation is processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers ²⁸. We did not test Mac Dictation inside Word for this guide, so run a short, harmless phrase in Word before you dictate a long passage. For the Mac side, see dictation on Mac.

The download page lists the current versions of Yap. If you want to compare it with the built-in options, read how to dictate into any app first.

Two of Microsoft's troubleshooting entries are below. Microsoft's check for a greyed-out button is whether the document is in a read-only state ²⁹. Its check for a microphone-access message is whether another app or webpage is using the microphone ³⁰. If your problem is different, the question on why Dictate is not working in Word walks through the rest.

For the rest of the app-by-app picture, start with the overview of dictation in your apps. The guide to Google Docs voice typing covers the other big office suite, and the Chromebook guide covers the built-in tool on those devices.