How do you use voice typing in Messenger?

Messenger does not have a voice typing button that we could confirm in Meta's help pages. What works is the dictation your phone or computer already provides, which types into the message box because Messenger is a text field. Dictation is turned on in your device settings, not in Messenger, so the setup is the same as for any other app.

On a phone, the keyboard microphone types into the chat

On an iPhone, Apple says Dictation lets you dictate text in any place where you can type ¹. Open Settings, tap General, then Keyboard, and turn on Enable Dictation ². In a conversation, tap the microphone on the onscreen keyboard and speak, then tap it again to stop. The steps are in How to Turn On Voice Typing on Every Device.

On Android, Gboard's voice typing works in any app where you can type ³. Tap the text box in the Messenger chat, then tap Microphone at the top of the keyboard and speak ⁴.

On a computer, use Messenger in a browser and the system dictation

Messenger on a computer runs in a browser, so the operating system's dictation types into the message box. On a Mac, turn on Dictation in System Settings > Keyboard, click in the message box, and press the Microphone key or the Dictation shortcut. Apple says Dictation on a Mac works in any place where you can type ⁵.

On Windows, press Windows key + H with the cursor in the message box. Microsoft's voice typing needs a working microphone, an internet connection and the cursor in a text box ⁶. The Windows steps are in Windows Voice Typing.

For a Mac in particular, see How to Use Dictation on a Mac. Read each message back before you send it.

It depends: voice notes are not voice typing

Messenger also lets you record a voice message and send the audio. That is a recording, not typed text, and the recipient hears your voice. If you want the words in the message rather than the audio, use dictation into the message box. Meta says it does not use your microphone unless you have given permission and are actively using a feature that requires it ⁷, so check the microphone permission for Messenger in your phone or browser settings.

Privacy is a fair thing to weigh. In August 2019, Facebook said it had paused human review of audio from Messenger and would follow Apple and Google in curtailing the practice ⁸. That history concerns recordings rather than dictated text, but it is a reason to read the current privacy settings before you send anything sensitive by voice.

What to do when nothing appears in the chat box

Check that dictation is turned on for your device, that the microphone is allowed for the app or browser, and that the cursor is inside the message box. The full list of checks is in Dictation Not Working?.

For other chat apps with the same question, see why voice typing is not working in WhatsApp. To turn voice typing off again, see How do you turn off voice typing? For the device-by-device summary, return to How to Turn On Voice Typing on Every Device.