How do you start a new line or paragraph by voice?

Say "new line" to start a new line, and "new paragraph" to start a new paragraph. On the Mac, the two are separate commands. On iPhone, both add a line break, so you may not get the paragraph space you wanted. In Word, the English command list has "new line" but no "new paragraph", so test the phrase in your own document before you rely on it.

On a Mac, "new line" and "new paragraph" do different things

Apple's Mac formatting commands include "new line", which starts a new line, and "new paragraph", which starts a new paragraph. They are listed as separate commands ¹. Use "new line" inside a list, an address or a poem, and "new paragraph" between the paragraphs of a letter or an essay.

If you dictate "Thanks for reading new paragraph Next, the details" on a Mac, the words after the command should begin a new paragraph. Check the spacing in the document after each break, because a line break and a paragraph break can look alike on screen.

On iPhone, both phrases add a line break

On iPhone, saying "new line" or "new paragraph" adds a line break during Dictation ². The page groups the two phrases under one step and does not say that "new paragraph" leaves a blank line, so do not assume it does. If you need the space between paragraphs, test whether a second "new line" gives it, or press the return key on the keyboard after the paragraph. The keyboard is the reliable fallback.

Windows and Word differ in what they list

Windows voice typing lists "new line", "new/next line" and "new paragraph" as line break commands in its English table ³. The page does not say how the three differ in spacing, so test them as you would the Mac phrases.

Word is the exception. The English command list for Dictate in Word includes "new line" among its punctuation and formatting commands ⁴. It has no "new paragraph" entry. That does not prove the phrase fails, because the command list is not a full list of what Word will accept. It does mean the phrase is not a documented command, and you should check it.

Test the phrase before you dictate a long document

Use a short test to see what your app does. The steps are quick:

1. Open a blank document in the app you use.
2. Dictate "First line new line second line new paragraph third paragraph."
3. Check the spacing. Note whether the second and third lines are separated by a single line break or a blank line.
4. If "new paragraph" does not produce the spacing you want, use "new line" twice and check again.

For the rest of the punctuation commands, see the dictation punctuation guide. If you want the full list of editing commands, including how to correct a line you dictated by mistake, read dictation commands.

Which phrase to use in practice

Use "new line" when you only need to end a line, such as in an address. Use "new paragraph" on Mac and Windows when you want a paragraph space. In Word, start with "new line", check the result, and add the space afterward if it is missing. Dictation tools can misrecognize a command as ordinary text, so read the new break before you go on. For the question mark and other marks, see how to say a question mark when dictating. For numbers and symbols, see how to dictate numbers, dates and symbols.

The idea of a spoken command for a break is in the voice command entry, and the dictation overview covers dictation as a whole.

Sources and limits

The command lists were read on 2026-10-16, and they change with the platform version. Google Docs voice typing is not covered here, because its help page did not open during this review. Check Google's own help for its break commands before you use them in Google Docs.