Is there a Google Docs voice typing app for Windows?

You do not install a Google Docs voice typing app on Windows. The feature works inside the browser tab where the document is open, and it is available in the browsers Google lists. If you want speech in other programs, such as Word or Outlook, Google Docs cannot help, and you need a different tool.

Google Docs voice typing runs in the browser

Google says voice typing in Google Docs works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari, and that the web browser controls the speech-to-text service ¹. Safari is a Mac browser, so on Windows use Chrome or Edge. Because the browser does the recognition, the feature belongs to the browser tab, not to Windows. We found no separate Google installer for Windows.

Older advice differs. An archived copy of Google's Docs help page from December 2020 said voice typing was only available in Chrome ². If a guide names Chrome as the only browser, it may be out of date.

How to start voice typing in a Google Doc on Windows

1. Open the document in Chrome or Edge.
2. Choose Tools > Voice typing, then click the microphone box that appears ³.
3. To start it from the keyboard, press Ctrl + Shift + S on Windows ⁴. Google labels that shortcut as available in Chrome browsers, so test it in Edge before you rely on it.

The browser asks for microphone permission for each site. When a site asks for the microphone in Chrome on a computer, choose Allow while visiting the site ⁵. If you chose to block the microphone earlier, Docs will not start voice typing until you change that choice in the browser's site settings.

The feature does not work in other Windows apps

Google Docs voice typing only writes into the Docs editor. It does not dictate into Word, Outlook, Notepad or a chat window. For those apps, use Windows voice typing, which you start with Windows key + H in any text box ⁶. Microsoft's requirements for it are a working microphone, an internet connection and the cursor in a text box ⁷.

If you write in both Docs and Word, you will need two tools. Read Word's Dictate or Windows voice typing to choose for the Word side.

What to check before you rely on it

Test the browser you actually use. Google lists Chrome, Edge and Safari, and older guides may name only Chrome. Check that the microphone works in the browser's own settings, and that the site has permission to use it. If the microphone button does nothing, check the site's microphone permission first.

For more on Docs in a browser, see Google Docs voice typing. For the wider question of whether Google has a voice to text app at all, read does Google have a voice to text app. Our voice typing glossary entry explains the term, and the guide to dictation in Windows apps lists the tools for each app.