How to Dictate in Word on Mac and Windows

To dictate in Microsoft Word on Mac or Windows, open a document, click where you want text, then choose Home > Dictate. Allow microphone access if prompted and start speaking. Click the microphone again to stop. According to [Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dictate-your-documents-in-word-3876e05f-3fcc-418f-b8ab-db7ce0d11d3c), built-in Dictate requires a microphone, a reliable internet connection and a Microsoft 365 subscription.

We build Quiet Dictation, a paid offline dictation app for Mac and Windows. We cover it below as an alternative, so keep that bias in mind. If you already subscribe to Microsoft 365 and usually work online, Word's own Dictate is a sensible place to start.

Use Word's built-in Dictate on Mac or Windows

• 1. Open Word and sign in with the account attached to your Microsoft 365 subscription. Open an existing document or create a blank one.
• 2. Put the cursor where the dictated text should appear. Select Home > Dictate and wait for the microphone to start listening.
• 3. Grant microphone permission if asked. If Word cannot hear you, check that your intended microphone is selected in your computer's sound settings.
• 4. Speak a short sentence at a natural pace. You can say punctuation such as 'comma' or 'period', and say 'new paragraph' to separate paragraphs. Available commands depend on the dictation language.
• 5. Click the microphone control to stop. Read the passage back before continuing, especially names, numbers and punctuation.
• Tip: Try one paragraph first. Use a quiet spot and keep a steady distance from the microphone rather than changing your speaking volume.

Dictate into Word offline with Quiet Dictation

• 1. Install Quiet Dictation on your Mac or Windows laptop and complete the one-time setup.
• 2. Open your Word document and click where you want to write.
• 3. Hold the Quiet Dictation hotkey, speak, then release it. Clean text appears at the cursor in Word.
• 4. Review the result. The personal dictionary learns names and preferred spellings from corrections, and you can add entries manually.
• Use the same hotkey workflow in other apps, too. See our [Word dictation page](/dictation/word) for more about using Quiet Dictation with Word.

Word dictation FAQ

• Why can't I see Dictate? Check that you are signed in with an active Microsoft 365 subscription and that Word is up to date. Microsoft's support page lists availability requirements and troubleshooting steps.
• Does Word's Dictate work without internet? No. Microsoft's built-in Dictate requires a reliable internet connection. Quiet Dictation handles speech recognition locally after setup, so it can enter text into an open Word document offline. It does not change Word's own licensing or connectivity requirements.
• Do I need another paid app if I already have Microsoft 365? Not necessarily. Start with built-in Dictate if an internet connection is available and it meets your needs. Consider a separate app if offline speech recognition matters to you.
• How do I get better results? Speak in manageable chunks, pause between ideas and check each paragraph. Review unfamiliar names and technical terms carefully. In Quiet Dictation, add recurring terms to your personal dictionary.
• Can Quiet Dictation summarise a meeting into Word? No. It can record and transcribe meetings, but it does not create summaries.
• Does Quiet Dictation work on phones? No. It is available for Mac and Windows only.

Want to write in Word without sending speech away for recognition? Try Quiet Dictation's [14-day free trial](/dictation/word), with no credit card required. Start with a paragraph you would otherwise type and see how the hotkey workflow feels.