Can you use talk to text on a computer?

Yes. Talk to text on a computer is called voice typing or dictation on most systems, and it is free. Windows, Mac and Chromebook each have it built in, and Google Docs and Word have their own versions. You speak, and the words appear where the cursor is. The only requirements are a working microphone and, for some systems, an internet connection or a language that matches the device.

Every major computer has talk to text built in

Each of these types into the place you choose, except Google Docs and Word, which type only into their own document. The steps for each are in How to turn on voice typing on every device.

Windows needs the internet, and a Mac can process speech on the device

Windows voice typing needs a working microphone, an internet connection and the cursor in a text box ¹. If you write somewhere without a connection, Windows voice typing will not help, and you need a different tool. See Windows Voice Typing for the full list of commands.

On a Mac, Apple says that voice inputs and transcripts for general text Dictation are processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers, and that you can check this in Keyboard settings ². Apple's Mac Help says you can check whether this holds for your language ³. Mac Dictation also has no length limit on the text: it accepts text of any length without a timeout, and you stop it with Escape, the Microphone key or the shortcut ⁴. It does stop by itself after 30 seconds without speech ⁵.

Chromebook works only when the language matches the device

On a Chromebook, dictation does not work if the language you speak does not match the device language ⁶. To dictate in another language, change the device language first. The Chromebook steps are in Chromebook Dictation.

Google Docs and Word have their own talk to text

Google Docs voice typing runs in the browser. Google says it works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari, and that the browser controls the speech-to-text service ⁷. It types only into the open document. More in Google Docs Voice Typing.

On the Word desktop app, Dictate is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers ⁸. Microsoft also says dictation needs a microphone and a reliable internet connection ⁹. If your copy of Word has no Dictate button, use the operating system's tool instead: Windows key + H on Windows, or Dictation on a Mac. Both type into Word like any other app.

Which computer tool to choose

• For one tool in every app, use the built-in one on your computer. It is free.
• For on-device processing on a Mac, the built-in Dictation handles general text on the device, for the languages that support it, as above. Windows voice typing needs an internet connection, so check its requirements first.
• For a single shortcut that works in every app on both a Mac and a PC, a dedicated app can fill the gap. Yap, which we make, runs dictation on the computer with one shortcut in each app ( download). It is one option among several, and the built-in tools are enough for most everyday writing.

The idea of typing into any app with one shortcut is called system-wide dictation. Our guide on free dictation software compares the options if the built-in tools fall short.

Checks before you rely on it

• Allow the microphone. On Windows, apps can use the microphone only when Microphone access is on under Privacy & security ¹⁰. On a Mac, you decide app by app which apps may use it.
• Say one test sentence first. Say "I will be there at six period" and check that the period appears. The full test is in How to turn on voice typing on every device.

For the shortcuts for each computer, see What is the shortcut for voice typing?. To turn it off again, see How do you turn off voice typing?. For the subject as a whole, read our overview of Dictation and Voice Typing, and for the term itself, see voice typing.