How do you use voice typing in Google Sheets?

Google's help pages do not describe a voice typing tool for Google Sheets. Google's voice typing, the Tools menu option you may know from Docs, covers Google Docs and the speaker notes and captions in Google Slides ¹. Google's help page for the feature does not mention Sheets. So to put words into a cell by voice, you use your device's own dictation, which types into whichever field has the cursor.

Use your computer's dictation, with the cell selected

Select the cell, then start the dictation your operating system provides. Each one types into the active field, so it can work in a Sheets cell, but test it once before you rely on it, because we did not find a Google or Apple page that documents this specific case.

On a Mac, Apple says Dictation lets you speak to enter text in any place where you can type ⁶. On Windows, Microsoft's voice typing starts with Windows key + H ⁷, and you need a working microphone, an internet connection and the cursor in a text box ². The Windows details are in Windows Voice Typing, and the Mac steps are in How to Use Dictation on a Mac.

On a phone, the keyboard microphone works in a cell

In the Google Sheets app on Android, open a cell and tap the keyboard's microphone. On Gboard, Google's keyboard, the Microphone key sits at the top of the keyboard ⁸. Gboard's voice typing works in any app where you can type, and Google's own examples are Gmail and Keep ⁹. On an iPhone, tap the microphone on the keyboard after turning on Dictation in Settings. The steps for each phone are in How to Turn On Voice Typing on Every Device.

Dictate in Google Docs, then paste into the sheet

When a cell-level tool does not work for you, the most reliable workaround is to dictate into a Google Doc and paste the text into the cell. Google says voice typing in Docs works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari, and that the browser controls the speech-to-text service ¹⁰. In a document, open Tools > Voice typing, click the microphone box, speak, then copy the text into your sheet. This is our suggestion, not a Google instruction. The Docs steps are in Google Docs voice typing.

To start the Docs tool, you can also use the menu path in where to find voice typing in Google Docs.

It depends: what you dictate and where it goes

Dictation is most useful for short entries: a name, a note, a label. Check numbers and formulas after you speak them, because a misheard digit is easy to miss. Your device decides how the speech is processed. On an iPhone, Dictation is processed on the phone in many languages and needs no internet connection ¹¹, while Windows voice typing needs the internet ². If a shared spreadsheet holds confidential data, check the policy of the device and the account before you dictate into it.

What to do when the words do not appear

Work through the same checks as for any app: dictation is turned on, the microphone is allowed for the browser or app, and the cell is in edit mode, which you can confirm by the cursor in the cell or the formula bar. If the Tools menu in Docs is missing, your administrator may have turned voice typing off, which is covered in why Google Docs voice typing is not working. For the broader list of checks, see Dictation Not Working?.

For the Gmail equivalent of this question, see Does Gmail have voice typing?. To change the shortcut you use, see What is the shortcut for voice typing?.