How to use voice typing in Google Docs

Start voice typing

1. Check that your microphone works.
2. Open a document in an up-to-date Chrome, Edge or Safari.
3. Click Tools → Voice typing. A microphone box appears.
4. Click the microphone and speak.
5. Click it again or say "stop listening" when you're done.

The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + S on Windows and ChromeOS, or ⌘ + Shift + S on Mac. Google's shortcut list notes that it's available in Chrome.

Languages

Click the language name above the microphone to choose from more than 100 languages and accents. Typing works in all of them. Voice commands for editing and formatting only work in English, and both your Google account language and the document language need to be English.

Editing and formatting by voice

Google Docs has the most complete set of voice commands of any free option. You can select text, apply bold and headings, make lists, insert tables and move around the document. Some examples:

• "Select last word", then "bold"
• "Apply heading 2"
• "Create bulleted list"
• "Insert table 3 rows by 4 columns"
• "Go to end of document"

See every command on the Google Docs voice typing commands page.

In Google Slides

Use Tools → Dictate speaker notes to dictate notes for the current slide. Voice commands don't work in speaker notes.

If it isn't working

• Check the browser has permission to use the microphone.
• If you use a work or school account, an administrator may have turned voice typing off.
• After a voice command does something unexpected, say "undo".