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When you're signed in to your Office 365 account, turn on your microphone and make sure it works (see Microphone settings).
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Go to Home > Dictate.
(In Outlook, go to Message > Dictate.)
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A red dot on the button and a quick sound let you know that dictation has begun.
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Start talking. As you talk, text appears on your screen.
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Speak clearly and conversationally. Insert punctuation by saying the name of the punctuation mark you want to add.
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If you make a mistake while dictating, move your cursor to the mistake and fix it with your keyboard. No need to turn off the microphone.
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When finished, select Dictate again to stop typing.
Troubleshooting
If dictation isn't working, the problem is likely with your microphone. Here are some things to try.
Microphone isn't working
If your microphone isn’t working, or you see the message, "There is a problem with your microphone" or, "We can’t detect your microphone," try these:
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Make sure the microphone is plugged in.
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Test the microphone to make sure it's working.
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Check your Microphone settings in Control Panel (Windows) or System Preferences (Mac).
Dictation can't hear you
If you get the message, "Dictation can't hear you," or if nothing happens as you dictate, try these:
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Make sure your microphone is not muted.
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Move to a quieter location.
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Adjust the input level of you microphone.
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If you're using a microphone built in to your computer, try switching to a microphone that you plug in to your computer.
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Make sure you’re signed in to Office 365, using Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Turn on your microphone and make sure it works. If the microphone isn't working properly, check microphone settings (Control Panel in Windows or System Preferences on a Mac) or the manual that came with your microphone (see microphone settings).
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Go to Home > Dictate.
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If it’s your first time dictating, give the browser permission to use your mic. A red dot on the button and a quick sound let you know that dictation has begun.
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Start talking. As you talk, text appears on your screen.
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Speak clearly and conversationally. Insert punctuation by saying the name of the punctuation mark you want to add.
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If you make a mistake while dictating, move your cursor to the mistake and fix it with your keyboard. No need to turn off the microphone.
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When finished, select Dictate again to stop typing.
Troubleshooting
If dictation isn't working, the problem is likely with your microphone. Here are some things to try.
Microphone doesn't have access
If you see the message, "We don’t have access to your microphone," try these:
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Make sure no other application is using the microphone, and try Dictate again.
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In a browser (if you're using Word Online, for example), refresh the web page, click Dictate again, and give permission for the browser to access the microphone.
Microphone isn't working
If your microphone isn’t working, or you see the message, "There is a problem with your microphone" or, "We can’t detect your microphone," try these:
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Make sure the microphone is plugged in.
-
Test the microphone to make sure it's working.
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Check your Microphone settings in Control Panel (Windows) or System Preferences (Mac).
Dictation can't hear you
If you get the message, "Dictation can't hear you," or if nothing happens as you dictate, try these:
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Make sure your microphone is not muted.
-
Move to a quieter location.
-
Adjust the input level of you microphone.
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If you're using a microphone built in to your computer, try switching to a microphone that you plug in to your computer.
How to add punctuation
Say the following phrases to add punctuation to your text:
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Period
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Comma
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Question mark
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Exclamation point
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Exclamation mark
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New line
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New paragraph
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Semicolon
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Colon
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Open quote
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Close quote
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Open quotes
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Close quotes
Language availability and system requirements
Dictate works with the language you have set up as your editing language in Office. Currently, supported languages are English as spoken in the United States and Canada, Chinese as spoken in the Peoples Republic of China, and Spanish as spoken in Spain and Mexico.
We are working to have Dictate available in more locales and languages: English in more locales, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.
Operating system requirement: Dictate works in Windows 8.1 and later.
Dictate requires an Internet connection.
Microphone settings
See how to set up and test microphones in Windows 10
Adjust microphone settings on Microsoft Surface running Windows 10
Adjust Microphone settings on Microsoft Surface running WIndows 8.1
To set up and test a microphone on your Mac, go to System Preferences > Sound > Input.
Important information about Dictate
Dictate is one of the Office Intelligent Services, bringing the power of the cloud to Office apps to help save you time and produce better results.
Your speech utterances will be sent to Microsoft to provide you with this service, and may also be used to improve speech recognition services. For more information see, What are Intelligent Services?
