What is the keyboard shortcut for Google Docs voice typing?

Google Docs voice typing starts with a keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + S on Windows, and Command + Shift + S on a Mac ¹. Press it in an open document in a supported browser to start voice typing. If nothing happens, the Tools menu gives the same feature with mouse clicks.

The shortcut starts voice typing on both Windows and Mac

Google's keyboard shortcut list for Docs gives the same action two keys, one for each system. On Windows the key combination is Ctrl, Shift and S. On a Mac it is Command, Shift and S ¹. The list names the action "Start voice typing", which is the feature the Tools menu starts ².

The shortcut is a faster way to start the feature, not a different feature. Google's list does not say whether the shortcut opens the microphone box, so check for the box after you press the keys.

Google's two pages disagree about which browsers have the shortcut

The shortcut list marks voice typing as "available in Chrome browsers" ¹. The voice typing help page says the feature works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari ³. Those two statements do not match. Google's page does not say that the shortcut is missing in Edge or Safari, and it does not say that it works there either.

In practice, the safest choice is Chrome, which both pages support. If you use Edge or Safari, test the shortcut on a blank document before you rely on it. Firefox is not on Google's list of browsers, so the shortcut is not a route in Firefox ³. Our guide to voice typing in Google Docs covers the browser list in full.

Test the shortcut before you dictate a long document

A short test shows whether the shortcut works on your computer, and it takes about a minute.

1. Open a blank document in Chrome, Edge or Safari.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + S on Windows, or Command + Shift + S on a Mac.
3. Look for the microphone box. If it does not appear, open the Tools menu and choose Voice typing instead.
4. Click the microphone and say one sentence. Check that the words appear in the document, then click the microphone again to stop.

The microphone must be on and working before any of this works ⁴. When a website asks to use the microphone, Chrome offers three choices: Allow while visiting the site, Allow this time, or Never allow ⁵. If you choose Never allow, the site cannot use the microphone until you change that setting in Chrome. Our answer on where voice typing is in Google Docs gives the menu steps in more detail.

Keep the Mac's own Dictation shortcut separate

A Mac has its own Dictation feature, and it has its own shortcut. Apple says you can customize the key combination that starts and stops Dictation ⁶. Apple's Dictation and Google's voice typing are two different tools, so the two shortcuts do different jobs. Check which one you started if the words appear in an unexpected way.

Our answer on whether Mac dictation works in Google Docs explains which tool does what.

When the shortcut does nothing

A shortcut that does nothing can have one of four causes, and each one has a different fix.

• The browser is not on Google's list. Use the latest version of Chrome, Edge or Safari ³.
• An administrator has turned the feature off. Google's tip says that if the feature is not enabled in your organization, an administrator may have turned it off ⁷. On a managed work or school account, you may need your administrator to change it.
• The microphone is not available. Google asks you to check that the microphone is plugged in and is not being used by another application ⁸.
• You want to edit by voice in another language. The shortcut starts the feature, but the editing commands are different. Google says voice commands are available only in English ⁹.

We did not find a Google page that explains what happens when another program already uses the same keys. If the shortcut does nothing and the menu works, use the menu and move on. The Google Docs voice typing commands question lists what you can say once it starts, and why voice typing is not working covers failures after the microphone box has appeared.

What to do

Use Ctrl + Shift + S on Windows or Command + Shift + S on a Mac in Chrome, and use the Tools menu if the shortcut does nothing. In Edge or Safari, test the shortcut first, because Google's two pages do not agree on it. Check the microphone before you start a long draft, and keep the English-only limit for commands in mind if your document is not in English.

For the broader guide to voice typing in Docs, including the limits and the evidence behind them, read our overview of Google Docs voice typing. Our overview of dictation in your apps compares it with the dictation tools built into your computer.