Can Chrome do speech to text offline?

No, not by default. Speech recognition in Chrome for a web page goes to a server, so it stops working when you lose your connection. Offline recognition in Chrome is possible in one narrow case: the website asks for on-device recognition, and the matching language pack is already on your computer. You cannot choose that for a site yourself, so for dictation you control, an operating system tool that runs on the device is the more reliable offline choice.

By default, Chrome's speech recognition needs a connection

The Web Speech API is the browser feature that websites use for speech input. Its default path is server-based. MDN, the reference maintained by Mozilla, says that using speech recognition on a web page sends your audio to a web service for recognition, so it does not work offline ¹. That is the path a typical website microphone button uses, unless the site has been written otherwise.

The API also has an option that leaves the choice to the browser. When the page does not set the on-device option, the browser may run recognition locally or remotely, and the page cannot tell which path was taken. For that reason you should assume a connection is needed unless a site says otherwise.

On-device recognition needs a page that asks for it and a language pack

Chrome 139 added on-device speech recognition to the Web Speech API. The release notes say it lets websites make sure neither audio nor transcribed speech is sent to a third-party service for processing ². This is a choice the website makes, not a setting in Chrome that you can switch on for every site.

The on-device path also needs the language on your computer. MDN's worked example says that if a page sets the on-device option but the correct language pack is not installed, the recognition call fails with a language-not-supported error ³. So the pack must be downloaded before you go offline. Support for this option is still new, and it can change with each Chrome release, so an offline test in your own Chrome is the only reliable check.

Live Caption works offline, but it captions and does not type

Chrome's Live Caption is often mentioned in this context. Google says it works offline, including for audio and video files saved on your computer ⁴. It shows captions on your screen while media plays. It does not type your words into a text box, so it is not a dictation tool, and it cannot replace dictation for writing an email or a document.

For offline dictation into any app, use a tool that runs on the device

The reliable offline options come from the operating system, not from Chrome:

• On a Mac, general text Dictation can be processed on the device, and you can check this in Keyboard settings. Apple's on-device list covers 48 language and regional variants, and each one requires a download of speech models ⁵. A language not on that list is sent to Apple's servers, so check your language before you rely on it offline.
• On Windows, Voice Access lets you write text by voice without an internet connection ⁶. Its first-time setup needs an internet connection, so install it and download your language while you are online ⁷.
• Windows voice typing does not work offline. It needs an internet connection, a working microphone and the cursor in a text box ⁸. So the Windows key and H shortcut in Chrome is not an offline option.

Voice Access and the Windows key and H shortcut are separate tools. If Voice Access is running, pressing the Windows key and H does not start voice typing, so close Voice Access first if you want the shortcut.

It depends on your language, your computer and the site

Four cases change the answer:

1. Your language is not in the on-device list. Recognition for that language goes to a server even if the operating system can run other languages offline.
2. The site does not ask for on-device recognition. The default server path applies, and no setting on your side changes it.
3. Your computer has not downloaded the language pack. The on-device path fails until the pack is installed, so test while you are online.
4. The text is sensitive. An offline tool that you control is easier to verify than a website's choice of processing path.

How to check offline dictation before you need it

1. Connect to the internet, then install the tool and its language.
2. Turn off Wi-Fi and disconnect Ethernet.
3. Dictate a short test passage into the app you actually use, such as your email or your document.
4. Count the words you need to correct, and compare the result with the same passage typed.

If you need a dictation tool that types into any app, Yap, which we make, is an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows. It is one option to test in the offline check above. Check the download page for the current versions, and see offline speech to text on Windows for the Windows options in more detail. For the browser itself, the question of whether an extension is the best choice covers the extension routes, and why dictation is not working in Chrome covers the errors you may see when a connection is missing. For the full set of routes, read our guide to speech to text in Chrome, and the Web Speech API entry for how websites request recognition, and online speech recognition for what a server-based path means.