What voice commands work with Gboard voice typing?

Gboard voice typing accepts voice commands. You can say the command, or tap one of the suggestions in the toolbar instead ¹. The phrases Google gives as examples are mostly punctuation and new-line phrases: Period, Comma, Exclamation point, Question mark, New line and New paragraph ². Google's list is partial ², so the commands that matter are the ones your own phone and language offer.

The commands the help names are punctuation and line breaks

The phrases in Google's list are the clearest commands in the help material. They add a mark, such as Comma, or start a new line or paragraph, such as New paragraph ². Google presents them as examples, and it warns that punctuation might not be available in every language ³.

A typical use looks like this. You say "Thanks for the update comma I will check the numbers period," and the text should read "Thanks for the update, I will check the numbers." Read the result before you send it, because the exact output depends on your language and phone. The question on dictating punctuation on Android covers the marks in more detail.

Checking the full list means checking your own phone

The help material we could check names only a few phrases, and it does not print a complete list of commands. The list that applies to you is the one your phone offers in the voice toolbar, in your language. Open the voice toolbar and look for its menu or the suggestions it shows, since the exact names may differ by phone and version.

The toolbar suggestions are the second route to a command. If you do not want to say a phrase aloud, tap the suggestion instead ¹. This is useful in a quiet office, where saying a command out loud may feel awkward.

Commands depend on the language you speak

Gboard lets you switch languages from the toolbar, but only after you have enabled more than one language. Google's help says that you tap the abbreviation for your default language at the bottom left of the toolbar to choose another ⁴. Before you rely on a command, check that the language on the toolbar is the one you are speaking.

Language also limits which phrases work. Punctuation phrases might be missing in some languages ³, so a phrase that works in English may do nothing in another language. Test the commands you need in the language you dictate in, not only in English.

Saying a command word can change the text you meant to write

Because Period and New line are spoken words, you need to say them only when you want the mark or the break. If you want the word "period" in your text, for example in a note about a school schedule, type that word or say it in a sentence where Gboard is less likely to read it as a command. Read the draft once after you dictate it, and watch for marks in places you did not intend.

Pixel phones may have different commands

On some Pixel devices, Google's help points you to Advanced voice typing ⁵. We could not open Google's separate page on that feature, so we did not check whether its commands and punctuation match the standard list. Check the commands shown on your phone rather than relying on an older list.

Where to go next

For the setup steps, see where voice typing is on Android. For the full set of steps, see the guide to voice typing on Android. For commands that edit text on a computer, which follow a similar idea, see dictation commands for editing and formatting. The voice command entry explains the term.