If you came here from a phone search, Google’s own help page is the place for phone steps. Everything below is for a computer.
How to voice type in Google Docs
- Check your computer’s microphone is on and working. Google lists this as the first step.
- Open your document in a recent version of Chrome, Edge or Safari.
- Click Tools in the menu bar, then Voice typing. A microphone box appears.
- When you are ready, click the microphone and talk, clearly and at a normal volume and pace.
- When you are done, click the microphone again.
Those steps come from Google’s help page for voice typing, which we read on 6 November 2026. Google says your web browser controls the speech-to-text service, and those three are the browsers it lists.
If you make a mistake, you do not need to stop. Google says you can move the cursor to the mistake, fix it with the microphone still on, then move the cursor back and carry on.
Dictate in Google Docs: what you can say
Google’s page lists these spoken punctuation words:
| Say | You get |
|---|---|
| “period” | a full stop |
| “comma” | a comma |
| “question mark” | a question mark |
| “exclamation point” | an exclamation mark |
| “new line” | a new line |
| “new paragraph” | a new paragraph |
Google warns that punctuation might not be available in every language. Its page lists the languages and accents voice typing works in, so check yours there. Voice typing also works for speaker notes and captions in Google Slides.
The same page lists voice commands to select, format and edit text, such as “select all”, “bold”, “copy” and “delete”, plus “stop listening” and “resume”. Voice commands work only in English, and Google says your account language and document language must both be English.
Tips for cleaner voice typing
- Say punctuation as you go. “Thanks for your help period” types a full stop.
- Say “new paragraph” or “new line” when you want to start a fresh line.
- Pause before and after each command, as Google suggests. The command’s words may show in the document for a moment.
- Read back what you wrote after each section. Voice typing can mishear names and unusual words, so check them.
If it still doesn’t work
Start with three quick checks from Google’s page: move to a quiet room, make sure no other app is using the microphone, and adjust the microphone’s input volume. If your browser asks to use the microphone, allow it. The full list, including Chrome’s microphone setting and your computer’s own permission, is in Google voice typing not working.
Voice typing in Docs, and voice typing everywhere else
Google voice typing is built for Google Docs. If most of your writing happens there, it may be all you need, and there is nothing to install. We compare the two in full on Google voice typing alternative for any app, so this section is short.
Talkativ is a dictation app for Windows and Mac. It adds one thing: it types into any app where you can type, including Google Docs, your email and chat. Press Ctrl + Space on Windows, ⌥ Option + Space on a Mac, talk, and press again to stop. Punctuation and capital letters come by default, so you do not say “comma”. If you also write in Word, our guide to dictating in Microsoft Word covers Word’s own Dictate button. Read about Talkativ for Mac too.
It does not do everything. Talkativ needs the internet, has no offline mode, cannot transcribe an audio file, has no phone app, and the shortcut is fixed. You press once to start and once to stop, not hold to talk. If you only ever write in Google Docs, stay with Google. If you also write in email, Word or chat, try the Free plan: 2,200 words a week, no card.