Enabling Voice Typing in Google Docs

To activate Voice typing, click Tools > Voice Typing. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+S in

Windows or Command+Shift+S in macOS.

A window with a microphone icon will appear; click on it when you’re ready to

dictate. You can move the tool out of the way by clicking and dragging the window

wherever you want.

Note: The first time using Voice Typing, you’ll need to grant Chrome permissions to use

your microphone.

If Voice Typing doesn’t automatically load your native tongue, click the three dots and

then use the Language drop-down to select from over 100 languages and dialects.

Speak clearly in your normal volume and at your normal pace so the tool can

understand what you’re saying. Everything you say now appears in the body of your

document. If it’s having trouble understanding you, make sure you have selected the

correct dialect in the languages menu.

Voice typing processes your voice in real-time. When you finish speaking, click the

microphone again to stop listening.

Adding Punctuation

Voice typing even understands when you want to add punctuation to your document if

you use these phrases:

● Period

● Comma

● Exclamation mark

● Question mark

● New line

● New Paragraph

So, for example, you could say “Dictating in Google Docs is easy and fun period You

can even…”

Note: Punctuation only works in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and

Russian.

Using Voice Commands

Using voice typing doesn’t end with the ability to type words and add punctuation. You

can use it to edit and format text and paragraphs inside your document without having

to click anything in the toolbar.

Note: Voice commands are only available in English for Google Docs; they are not

available in Slides speaker notes. Both the account and document language must be

English.

If you mess up and accidentally say something you want to be deleted, you can say

“Delete” or “backspace” to remove the word before the cursor.

Here are some other useful commands to get you started being more productive and

making the most out of Voice Typing:

● Selecting text: Select [word, phrase, all, next line, next paragraph, next word, last

word]”

● Format your document: Apply Heading [1-6], apply normal text, Bold, italicize,

italics, underline

● Change font size: Decrease font size, increase font size, font size [6-400], make

bigger, make smaller

● Edit your document: Copy, cut, paste, delete [word or phrase], insert [table of

contents, bookmark, equation, footer, header, page break]

● Move around your document: Go to start/end of [line, paragraph, column, row,

document], move to next/previous [character, word, page, column, heading, line,

misspelling, paragraph, row]

The number of voice commands almost seems endless, and you can find a full list by

clicking the question mark in the tool’s window or by saying “Voice commands list.”

When you’ve finished with your document and no longer want voice typing to pick up

any of the words you’re saying, say “Stop listening.”