Dictation in Windows Apps: Word, Outlook, Browsers

Windows key + H starts voice typing, and it types into the text box where your cursor is ¹. Word, Outlook and Google Docs each have a dictation feature of their own, so the right choice depends on the app you are in. The table gives the short answer for each app. The sections after it give the evidence, the exceptions and the places where you need to test before you rely on dictation.

If you write mostly in Word, use its Dictate button and accept the subscription and the commands that come with it. If you write everywhere else, Windows key + H is the built-in choice, and the requirements Microsoft lists for it name no subscription ¹. Test the rows marked "test" with a sentence before you depend on them, because Microsoft's documentation does not name every app.

Voice typing types into any app that accepts keyboard text

Windows voice typing needs a working microphone, an internet connection and the cursor in a text box ¹. On Windows 11, you start it with Windows key + H on a hardware keyboard, or with the microphone button on the touch keyboard ³. Microsoft's rule is about the text box, not the app. Microsoft says voice typing can start only when the cursor is in a text box ⁴, whereas Voice Access can be started at any time. That difference is why the two tools are not interchangeable, and our guide to Voice Access in Windows 11 covers when to choose it.

The internet requirement matters in every app. Voice typing converts speech to text using online speech recognition ⁵, so the audio leaves your PC even though the text box can be in any app. If you need the words to stay on the device, read the guide to offline speech to text on Windows before you choose a tool.

Microsoft's page does not list apps one by one. The table marks some rows "test" because Microsoft's rule would predict that dictation works there, but Microsoft does not name the app. Type a short test sentence in each app you use most, and check that the words appear before you dictate a long document. Our guide to how to dictate on Windows covers the setup steps. If you are still on Windows 10, its older tool accepts speech in 13 language variants for basic text ⁶, but its commands work only in US English, so check the Windows 10 section of that guide before you test.

Many people ask whether the built-in tool covers every app. The short answer is that it needs the cursor in a text box ⁴, which is what Microsoft documents. Whether it works in any given app is a separate question that needs a test. Does Windows voice typing work in every app? takes the question further.

Word and Outlook have their own Dictate button that works differently from the Windows key + H

Word and Outlook each have a Dictate button. Microsoft says the dictation feature in Word is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers ⁷, and Dictation in Word needs a microphone and a reliable internet connection ⁸. Windows voice typing needs a microphone and an internet connection too, but the requirements Microsoft lists for it name no subscription ¹. So the practical difference is the subscription, plus the command set and language list that come with Word's own tool.

To start Dictate in Word on Windows:

1. Open a new or existing document, and go to Home > Dictate while signed in to Microsoft 365 on a device with a microphone ⁹.
2. Wait until the Dictate button shows that it is listening, then speak.
3. To start from the keyboard on Windows, press Alt + H, then D ¹⁰.
4. If dictation stops, press Alt + ` to resume, or press the mic icon in the floating dictation menu ¹¹.

Word's commands are their own list. Saying "delete" by itself removes the last word or punctuation mark before the cursor ¹². Formatting commands include capitalize followed by a word or phrase ¹³. Auto Punctuation can be turned on or off, but only where it is available for the language you chose ¹⁴, so check that setting for the language you dictate in. Do not assume a voice typing command works in Word, or that a Word command works in other apps. Check the list for the tool you are using. Our guide to Windows voice typing commands and punctuation covers the voice typing list.

Language support is where the two tools differ most. Microsoft's list for Dictate in Word has 15 languages and variants outside its preview group, from Chinese (China) to Spanish (Mexico) ¹⁵. Microsoft also lists a preview group, and it warns that languages in that group may have lower accuracy or limited punctuation support ¹⁶. Windows 11 voice typing lists 46 languages and regional variants ¹⁷. The chart puts the built-in tools side by side on the same count.

Voice Access supports 15 languages and dialects in Windows 11 ¹⁸, so it has fewer languages than voice typing even though it covers control as well. The guide to Windows dictation languages lists each language set in full.

Outlook works the same way in principle. In new Outlook, you start a new email or reply, select the body of the message, go to the Message tab and select Dictate ¹⁹. Classic Outlook uses the same Message tab ²⁰. Outlook's dictation is also only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers ²¹. For more on email specifically, see dictating emails in Outlook and Gmail.

Word's Dictate sends your speech to Microsoft ²², and Microsoft says those utterances are used only to provide text results. Microsoft also says Dictate in Word does not store your audio or transcribed text ²³. For how each Windows option handles your voice, read the guide to Windows dictation privacy.

When the Dictate button is missing or grayed out, Microsoft's troubleshooting suggests a few checks. Make sure you are signed in with an active Microsoft 365 subscription ²⁴, that you have Windows 10 or later ², and that the document is not in a read-only state ²⁵. Office 2016 and 2019 on Windows do not include Dictate without a Microsoft 365 subscription ²⁶. If you see a microphone-access message, make sure no other app is using the microphone ²⁷. More fixes are in the guide to Windows dictation not working. The question which to use, Word's Dictate or Windows voice typing puts the choice in one answer.

Google Docs voice typing runs in the browser, not as a Windows app

Google Docs does not install anything on Windows. Google says voice typing in Google Docs works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari, and that the browser controls speech-to-text ²⁸. An archived copy of Google's help page from December 2020 said voice typing was only available in Chrome ²⁹. If you read older advice that names Chrome as the only browser, that advice predates Google's current list.

To start voice typing in a Google Doc:

1. Open the document in Chrome, Edge or Safari.
2. Choose Tools > Voice typing, then click the microphone ³⁰.
3. On Windows, press Ctrl + Shift + S to start voice typing. Google's shortcut list labels that shortcut as available in Chrome ³¹.

In Chrome, each site needs its own microphone permission. When a website wants the microphone, Chrome on a computer asks you to choose Allow while visiting the site, Allow this time, or Never allow ³². If you chose Never allow earlier, voice typing in Docs will not start until you change that choice.

Microsoft does not document Windows key + H inside Google Docs, so use Google's own button there. The guide to Google Docs voice typing covers its limits, and the question on whether Google Docs has a voice typing app for Windows answers the download question directly.

Browsers, email and chat apps take voice typing wherever a text box accepts the cursor

Browsers, email and chat apps all have text boxes, so Microsoft's rule applies to them ⁴. Two common reasons it will not start: the microphone is blocked, or the language is not available. Voice typing needs access to your microphone, which you turn on under Privacy & security > Microphone ³³. If you see that voice typing is not available in the current language, Microsoft tells you to install a supported language ³⁴.

Each app has its own guide. Our overview of dictation on Windows lists the guides on the subject. For Chrome itself, see speech to text in Chrome. For Gmail in the browser, see dictating emails in Outlook and Gmail. For chat, see voice to text in Teams, Slack and Notion.

The rule to remember is that Windows key + H depends on the text box, while Word and Outlook depend on their own Dictate button. Our guide to how to dictate into any app compares the built-in and system-wide options in more detail.

Some places block or limit dictation: password fields, admin prompts and full-screen games

Some places limit dictation for reasons Microsoft documents, and others it does not. Test those before you need them.

Password and PIN fields turn off fluid dictation

Microsoft says fluid dictation is automatically disabled in secure fields such as passwords or PINs ³⁵. On Copilot+ PCs, fluid dictation is the feature that corrects grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak ³⁶, and the guide to fluid dictation on Copilot+ PCs covers its hardware. The note is about fluid dictation only. Microsoft does not say the same about plain voice typing in a password field, so test the field with a harmless sentence first, and do not dictate a real password until you know how the field behaves.

Voice Access takes the shortcut when it is running

If Voice Access is running and you press Windows key + H, voice typing does not start. Windows shows a message that says you can use Voice Access for typing too ³⁷. Close Voice Access, or dictate with it, before you expect Windows key + H to work.

Admin prompts run on a separate desktop

Windows can show administrator prompts on the secure desktop. Microsoft says only trusted processes running as SYSTEM are allowed to run there, so nothing runs at your privilege level ³⁸. That design suggests a dictation tool running as you would not reach the prompt. Microsoft does not say what voice typing or Word's Dictate does on that desktop, so use the keyboard for credentials and test the rest yourself.

Full-screen games and remote sessions need a test

We did not find Microsoft documentation for voice typing in full-screen games, so test the specific game before you rely on dictation in it. Remote desktop sessions depend on a separate setting. Microsoft's guidance for Azure Virtual Desktop says the RDP property audiocapturemode:i:1 enables audio input redirection, which sends the local microphone into the remote session ³⁹. Microsoft's module does not say whether voice typing or Word's Dictate works over a redirected microphone, so check the redirection setting in your session before you test the dictation itself.

Terminals and code editors accept dictated text but need care with symbols

Microsoft does not document Windows key + H in a terminal, so test it in your terminal before you dictate a command. Symbols are the first thing to check once it works. In English, Microsoft's symbol table gives backquote or backtick for the backtick character and pipe character for the vertical bar ⁴⁰. The table also lists question mark for the ? symbol ⁴¹. Say the name of a symbol rather than the character, and check each line before you run it.

Automatic punctuation adds punctuation based on what you say ⁴². In code, that can put a period or comma into a line where you meant a symbol, so turn the setting off in the voice typing settings before you dictate code. Our guide to spoken punctuation covers how the spoken names work, and voice coding covers programming by voice. For AI coding tools that take voice input, see voice input for Claude Code and other AI coding tools.

A system-wide dictation app is the option when you need one set of commands in every app

Every built-in option has its own rules. Windows key + H follows the text box, Word and Outlook follow their own Dictate buttons, and Google Docs follows the browser. A system-wide dictation app is a separate program that types into whichever app has focus, so one set of commands can apply everywhere. Our overview of the best dictation software for Windows compares the categories of tool.

Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows, so it is one of the options in that comparison. Check its Windows page and test it in the apps you use before you choose it. Whatever you pick, the built-in tools cover the common cases: Windows key + H for text boxes, the Dictate button in Word and Outlook, and Google's button in Docs.