Voice to Text in Teams, Slack and Notion

On their own help pages, Teams, Slack and Notion do not offer dictation into a normal message box. Teams and Slack record voice as clips, and Slack can add a transcript to a clip on request. Notion's voice input is described as a way to talk to Notion AI. To type by voice in any of the three, use the dictation that comes with your operating system, which types into whatever text box has the cursor, or a system-wide dictation app. This guide sets out each route and its limits, as we checked them on 2026-10-17. For the broader picture, start with our overview of dictation in your apps.

In one controlled study of short messages, speech was much faster than typing. On an iPhone, English text entered by speech reached 153 words per minute, against 52 on the built-in keyboard ^{1 2}. The study used short phrases in a quiet laboratory, with one phone and one recognizer, and its authors say results in non-laboratory settings still need study ³. Read the gap as a sign of what speech can do, not a promise for your desk.

Teams, Slack and Notion record voice more often than they type it

The three apps have voice features, but most of them produce a recording, a transcript or a summary. Apart from the Slackbot prompt box, the operating system route is the one that puts your spoken words straight into a message. The table lists what each app's help pages describe.

Each app changes its features over time, so read the page for your version before you plan around any of them. The sections below take the apps one at a time, then cover the routes that work across all three.

Teams has clips and meeting transcripts, and typed dictation comes from your operating system

Teams has two voice features in Microsoft's documentation. The first is an audio or video clip that you record and post in a chat or channel. Microsoft says an audio clip can run for up to one minute ⁴. To record one, select Actions and apps underneath where you type a message ⁵. A clip is sent as a recording, so nothing you say is typed into your message. If you want a clip with a transcript, Microsoft's pages do not describe one, so do not assume the transcript exists.

The second is live transcription in a meeting. When it starts, all participants see a notification ⁶. A meeting transcript records the call itself, so it does not help you draft a message.

We found no Microsoft page that describes dictating a typed message into a Teams chat box, as of 2026-10-17. Some vendor pages say the Teams message box has its own dictation microphone. We could not confirm that in Microsoft's documentation, so do not rely on it until you see it in your own Teams app. The route Microsoft does document is Windows voice typing, which needs the cursor in a text box ⁷. Our direct answer on whether Teams has speech to text covers the same ground in short form.

On Windows, Win+H types into the Teams message box

1. Click in the Teams message box, so the cursor sits in the text box.
2. Press Windows key + H ⁸.
3. Speak. Voice typing needs a working microphone and an internet connection ⁹. Microsoft says it uses online speech recognition ¹⁰.
4. Say Stop listening, or press the microphone button on the voice typing menu ¹¹.

If the wrong words appear, check the microphone first, as the troubleshooting section below explains. Test the setup in a short message before you rely on it in a live conversation. The guide to dictating into any app covers the same routes in other apps.

On a Mac, Dictation types anywhere you can type

Apple says that with Dictation on a Mac, you can speak to enter text anywhere you can type it ¹². Dictation may need an internet connection, and Keyboard settings show whether your dictation is processed on the device ¹³. We did not test each of the three apps on each version of macOS, so run a short test in the one you use. For setup and the shortcut, see how to use Dictation on a Mac.

Slack clips are recordings, not dictated messages

Slack's voice features are audio and video clips, and huddle notes. A Slack clip can run up to five minutes ¹⁴, which is five times the one-minute limit on a Teams audio clip ¹⁵.

A transcript is not automatic. To include one, click the Generate transcript icon ¹⁶. Slack's help page gives these steps for the desktop app, so check its mobile steps before you use a phone. The transcript is a step after recording, so it does not help you type as you speak.

Huddle notes are a separate feature, and Slack's help page sets its limits. Notes are for paid plans, and all members can use them, but not guests ¹⁷. They cannot be used in huddles with external people ¹⁸. The transcript is embedded in the notes canvas and does not show up in search results ¹⁹.

The prompt box for Slackbot has a microphone too. Slack's help center says it has a microphone icon that dictates a prompt instead of typing it ²⁰. That is voice input for questions to Slack's assistant, not for a message to a colleague. To write a Slack message by voice, use the operating system route in the Windows and Mac sections above. Our answer on how to use voice to text in Slack sets out the same choice.

Notion's voice input feeds its AI, not your pages

Notion announced that voice input for Notion AI was on desktop on April 6, 2026 ²¹. The release describes dictating a longer prompt, or talking to the Agent ²². It does not say that your speech goes into page text, so we do not count it as dictation for your pages. Our direct answer on dictating in Notion explains the same limit.

Notion's separate AI Meeting Notes records a meeting and summarizes it. It needs a Business or Enterprise plan, with an exception for eligible mobile subscriptions ²³ and version 4.7.0 or higher of the desktop app ²⁴. The browser version can only pick up audio from your microphone ²⁵. A summary needs at least one minute of recorded audio ²⁶.

To type into a Notion page by voice, use the operating system route, and test it in a short paragraph first. We did not test each Notion block type on each version of Windows or macOS, so check the block you need before you rely on it.

Operating system dictation types into all three

The operating system route is the one that works in any text box. Each platform has its own shortcut or microphone, and each has its own internet rule. The table gives the route and whether it needs a connection, using the sources we checked.

A system-wide dictation app is the other option. It types into whichever text field has focus, which helps where the built-in choice is missing or weak. Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows. The Windows page and the Mac page describe what it does. If you want to compare it with other tools first, see our guide to the best dictation software.

On phones, the keyboard's microphone works in every one of them

On an iPhone, Apple says Dictation is processed on the device in many languages, and that no internet connection is required ²⁷. On Android with Gboard, you tap a text field, tap the microphone at the top of the keyboard, and speak when you see "Speak now" ²⁸.

Because the microphone is part of the keyboard, it should appear in any app that uses that keyboard, including Teams, Slack and Notion. We did not test each app on each phone, so check the microphone key the first time you open a message. To switch voice typing on, see how to turn on voice typing on every device.

Meeting transcription is a separate job from dictation

Dictation types what you say into a text box. Meeting transcription records what other people say, so that someone can read it later. Teams, Slack and Notion each handle it with their own tool. Teams tells every participant when live transcription starts ⁶. Use the meeting tool when you need a record of a call. Use the operating system route when you are writing text yourself.

The two jobs can look alike on a screen. The difference is in what gets produced: a message you send, or a transcript that others read. For a plain explanation of the terms, see dictation vs transcription and the glossary entries for voice typing and system-wide dictation.

Privacy depends on the route you pick

Where your speech is processed depends on the route, so check it before you dictate anything sensitive. Windows voice typing uses online speech recognition ¹⁰.

On a Mac, Apple says that for general text Dictation, voice inputs and transcripts are processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers ²⁹. Check this in Keyboard settings before you dictate client or patient details, because Apple's statement covers general text Dictation.

When voice typing does nothing, check the microphone and the language first

Microsoft's troubleshooting starts with the microphone. It asks you to make sure the microphone you want to use is selected in Settings, under System, Sound, Input ³⁰.

Check the language second, and confirm that the language you speak is the one voice typing is set to use.

Whatever the route, read the text before you send it. Punctuation, capitals and small words can differ from what you said, and the fix takes a few seconds.

A short test before you rely on any route

Test a route in the app you will use, not only in Notepad. The test takes a few minutes and checks the three things this guide covers: the microphone, the language and the punctuation.

1. Open a blank message, such as a direct message to yourself in Slack or a new Teams chat with only you in it.
2. Start the route: Windows key + H on Windows, or your Dictation shortcut on a Mac.
3. Say one sentence that has a name, a number and a question at the end.
4. Read the text back and correct anything wrong before you send, using the keyboard if needed.

Choosing the right route for each job

The right route depends on what you are making, not on the app. The table matches each job to a route, and the sections above give the limits.

Three rules cover most cases

Keep these three rules in mind, and most choices in this guide follow from them.

1. Use the operating system route when you are writing text in Teams, Slack or Notion, because the help pages we checked for all three do not describe a dictation button for a normal message.
2. Use the clip, transcript or notes feature when you need a recording or a summary for other people, and check its limit and plan first.
3. Test the route in the app you will use, because the microphone, the language and the internet connection decide most failures.

What we could not confirm

Some claims in this area are reported by vendors or by third-party guides, and we could not check them against a primary source. We have left them out of the guide's conclusions. The list below names the gaps, so you know what to test yourself.

• Whether a dictation microphone appears in the Teams message box in your version of Teams. Some vendor pages say it does, and Microsoft's documentation we checked does not describe it.
• Whether Notion's voice input can type into page text, rather than only into AI prompts. Notion's release describes prompts.
• How each Notion block type and each Slack app on a phone behaves with the operating system route. We tested none of them.

Related guides

• Dictate Into Any App: Built-in vs System-Wide
• Dictate in Word: Voice Typing on Web, Windows and Mac
• Google Docs Voice Typing: How to Use It and Its Limits
• Dictation in ChatGPT and Claude: Speaking Your Prompts
• Does Microsoft have dictation software?