Why is dictation not working in Chrome?

When dictation does nothing in Chrome, the cause is almost always a microphone permission, not a fault in Chrome itself. Two permissions usually decide whether Chrome can hear you: the website must be allowed to use the microphone, and your computer must let Chrome use it. If either is blocked, the page cannot hear you, however well the rest is set up. Work through the checks below in order, because the first two cover most cases.

Check the site's microphone permission first

Chrome asks you before a website can use the microphone. When it asks, you can choose Allow while you visit the site, Allow this time, or Never allow ¹. If you chose Never allow, the site cannot listen until you change that choice in Chrome. Open the site settings from the address bar, find the microphone entry, and set it to allow, then reload the page.

Some pages report this problem with an error code. The not-allowed error means the browser blocked speech input for security, privacy or user preference reasons ². It does not say which reason applied, but a blocked microphone permission is one common cause, so check it first. A company or school may also set the microphone permission for you, in which case you need your administrator to change it.

Check that your computer lets Chrome use the microphone

A blocked permission at the operating system level stops Chrome even when the website is allowed. On Windows 11, Microsoft says desktop apps cannot be turned on or off one by one for the microphone. They are controlled together with the Let desktop apps access your microphone setting ³. Chrome is a desktop app, so if that switch is off, Chrome cannot hear you.

On a Mac, Apple says you can decide which apps are allowed to use the microphone ⁴. Open the microphone section of the privacy settings and make sure Chrome is on. If Chrome is not in the list, open Chrome once and try dictation again so that macOS can ask. Our Mac dictation troubleshooting page covers the Mac side in more detail.

Check the microphone and its input level

If the page is listening but nothing appears, the wrong microphone may be selected. Many laptops have a built-in microphone and a camera with its own microphone, and the computer can pick the wrong one. Select the microphone you want in your sound settings, then speak and watch the level. Microsoft's voice typing steps say that if nothing appears in the text box after you speak, you should adjust the input level of your microphone ⁵. Microsoft wrote that for its own voice typing, but the same microphone and level apply to Chrome on the same computer.

Check the network and the language

Chrome's default speech path needs a connection, so a failure with a network error can mean the connection is missing or blocked. The network error means that network communication needed to finish recognition failed ⁶. Check that you are online, then try again. The error does not say which service was contacted, so a working internet connection is the first test.

If the page turns on on-device recognition, a different failure appears when the language pack is missing. The call fails with a language-not-supported error when the correct language pack is not installed ⁷. Install the language, or switch the page to the language you actually speak, and test again.

Check for a Windows shortcut that is taking over

On Windows, pressing the Windows key and H starts voice typing, but only if Voice Access is not running. Microsoft says that if Voice Access is running, the shortcut does not start voice typing and Windows tells you to dictate with Voice Access instead ⁸. If you press Windows key and H in Chrome and nothing starts, close Voice Access and try again.

Work through the checks in this order

1. Site permission: Set the site's microphone permission to allow and reload the page.
2. Computer permission: On Windows, turn on Let desktop apps access your microphone. On a Mac, allow Chrome in the microphone privacy settings.
3. Input: Select the right microphone and check the input level while you speak.
4. Connection and language: Confirm that you are online, and that the language you speak is installed.
5. Other tools: Close Voice Access if it is running, then try the Windows key and H again.

If the problem is only in one site, such as Google Docs, update Chrome first, because Docs voice typing depends on the browser underneath it. See our guide to Google Docs voice typing for the Docs steps.

If none of these checks fixes the problem, the site may not use the speech API at all, and the dictation you see may come from an extension. Try the operating system's own dictation in the same text box. If that works, the problem is the site or the extension, and our question on the best speech to text extension for Chrome covers how to choose a different one. If you need dictation that works without a connection, see whether Chrome can do speech to text offline.

For the full set of routes and how each one works, read our guide to speech to text in Chrome. The dictation not working guide covers the same checks for other apps, and the glossary entries for site microphone permission and the Web Speech API explain the two pieces that Chrome uses.