Preparing a long document by typing word by word can easily make you boring. Microsoft Word being a most popular documentation software offers simple solution to overcome this situation. It is called “Dictate” feature which helps to convert your speech to text and type on the document. You can use voice typing in Microsoft Word without touching keyboard and finish the document quickly. After finishing the document, you can use Editor to check spelling and grammar to correct mistakes before sharing the document with others.
Voice Typing in Microsoft Word
Before explaining the function in Word, here are the things you should understand.
- Voice typing or dictate function needs internet connection. This means, your voice input is sent to Microsoft and processed for converting to text. Though Microsoft claims they do not store any voice data, you should be aware of this and avoid using dictation for preparing confidential documents.
- The function is available in both Windows and Mac versions of Word as part of Microsoft 365 subscription.
- You do not need to activate voice typing and is available as an in-built feature in Word. Similarly, you also do not need any additional configurations in system level.
- Dictate feature in Word is different than “Voice typing” accessibility feature in Windows operating system and “Dictation” feature in macOS.
Considering voice typing or dictation is part of both operating system and Word, here are the possible ways to use in Word:
- Dictate feature in Word for Windows
- Voice typing feature in Windows OS
- Dictate feature in Word for Mac
- Dictation feature in macOS
1. Use Voice Typing in Word Windows Version (Dictate)
It is super easy to start using dictation in Word.
- Open a blank Word document and go to “Home” tab.
- Click on “Dictate” icon from the ribbon to open a toolbar menu.
- Click the microphone icon in the toolbar and start speaking. Word will automatically recognize your voice input and start converting to text in your document. However, make sure you have stable internet connection for this to work faster.
- For configuring the dictation, click on the gear icon in the toolbar. You have options to select the language, microphone device, adjust volume, enable auto-punctuation and filter sensitive phrases. If you make changes, make sure to click “Save” button to apply your settings.
2. Use Windows Voice Typing in Word
As mentioned above, Windows has a separate feature called voice typing. This works similar as Word dictation and generate text output from voice or audio input. Earlier, you should setup external microphone and configure voice recognition for using Windows voice typing feature. Now, you can simply start using the feature by using a keyboard shortcut on any text input screen.
- Open your Word document and press “Win + H” keys.
- This will open a toolbar showing a microphone, settings and help icons.
- Click the microphone icon and start using voice typing similar to dictation feature in Word.
- For configuring the voice typing, click on the gear icon and change your settings.
3. Use Voice Typing in Word for Mac (Dictate)
Word for Mac (Microsoft 365 subscription) also has a similar setup like Windows version.
- When you are in Word document, go to “Home” tab and click on “Dictate” icon in the ribbon.
- On the pop-up that appears, click on the microphone icon and start talking.
- Word will convert your speech to text and start typing on the document.
- Click on the gear icon to configure the dictate options. Here you can switch the language, select different microphone, set input volume level, enable auto-punctuation and enable avoiding sensitive content while text conversion process.
4. Using macOS Dictation Feature in Word
Mac comes with a “Dictation” feature similar to Windows voice typing. This is by default enabled and you can check and configure the settings if required.
- Click on the Apple logo menu and select “System Preferences…” option.
- Go to “Keyboard” section and then click “Dictation” tab.
- Make sure “Dictation” is “On”, select the language and check the keyboard shortcut keys. By default, pressing function key twice will open dictation feature in Mac.
- Launch Word app to open a blank document and press Fn key twice on your keyboard.
- This will show the microphone and you cat start speaking.
- Mac will convert your speech to text and type on the document.
Remember that when using dictation, Mac will send your voice inputs, contacts and location information to Apple for processing and converting to readable text.
Voice Typing Commands for Word
As we tested, voice typing and dictation features work very well with all the above options for converting your speech to text. However, the problem is that you should understand some basic commands for using these features.
- For example, you need to say “full stop” or “period” to end a sentence and “next line” to start a new line when using “Dictate” in Word. Most of these command also work with voice typing feature in all Windows apps.
- However, these commands are slightly different when using “Dictation” feature in macOS. For example, the command for creating a new line with macOS dictation feature is “new line” and using “next line” command will not work.
Below are the links to get complete list of voice typing commands from official Microsoft and Apple documentations.
- Dictate commands for Word Windows
- Dictate command for Word for Mac
- Voice typing commands for Windows OS
- Dictation commands for macOS
Final Words
We strongly recommend using the “Dictate” feature which comes as part of Word app. This function does not need internet connection and your voice input is not sent to Microsoft/Apple for processing. In case, if you are not comfortable using Word feature, then you can use the system wide “Voice typing” in Windows or “Dictation” in Mac. However, this needs a stable internet connection and your voice input is sent to Microsoft/Apple for processing. In either case, make sure to go through the voice typing/dictation commands and familiarize yourself before using the function.
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