Google Docs voice typing on a Mac.
How to turn it on, and what to do when it fails.

How do I turn on voice typing in Google Docs on a Mac?

To start Google Docs voice typing on a Mac, open a document in Chrome, Edge or Safari, choose Tools > Voice typing, and click the microphone in the box that appears. Talk, then click the microphone again to stop. Google's keyboard shortcut list gives Command + Shift + S for Start voice typing.

The first time, your browser asks to use the microphone: allow it. The words land at the cursor in your document as you speak. Google's help says voice typing supports many languages and accents, including English (UK) and English (US), but that punctuation may not be available in every language.

Which browsers does Google Docs voice typing work in?

Google's help says voice typing works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari. Firefox is not on that list. On a Mac, if you use Firefox or another browser, macOS Dictation and Speaky Box both type into a Google Doc, because they type into whatever field has the cursor.

Many guides say Google Docs voice typing is Chrome only. Google's help, read on 21 October 2026, lists Edge and Safari too.

Google Docs voice typing commands

Google Docs voice typing types punctuation when you say it. Google's help lists "period", "comma", "exclamation point", "question mark", "new line" and "new paragraph". It also has voice commands for editing and formatting, such as selecting and deleting text (Google's help lists the full set), but only in English, and only when both your Google account language and the document language are English.

In Google Slides the feature is called Dictate speaker notes (Tools > Dictate speaker notes) and it types into the speaker notes only, with no voice commands. If a command does the wrong thing, Google suggests saying "undo" and pausing briefly before and after each command.

Google Docs voice typing not working on a Mac?

If Google Docs voice typing is missing or will not hear you on a Mac, check four things: you are in a supported browser (latest Chrome, Edge or Safari), the browser is allowed to use the microphone, the right microphone is selected on the Mac, and no other app is using it. On a work or school account, Google says your administrator may have turned voice typing off.

For the microphone, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and make sure your browser is switched on, then pick the input in System Settings > Sound. If Docs shows "We're having trouble hearing you", Google suggests a quieter room, an external microphone or a higher input volume.

Voice typing not showing in the Tools menu

If Tools > Voice typing is missing, check the browser first: open the document in the latest Chrome, Edge or Safari. On a work or school account, your administrator may have turned voice typing off.

Can you use Mac dictation in Google Docs?

Yes. macOS Dictation types into Google Docs in any browser, Firefox included, because it types wherever the cursor is. Turn it on in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation, click into the document, then press the Microphone key or your Dictation shortcut. Apple's guide says it adds commas, full stops and question marks in supported languages and stops after 30 seconds without speech.

macOS Dictation works the same in Sheets cells, Slides text boxes and Docs comments, which Google's help does not list for voice typing. What it will not do is drop your ums or keep the corrected half of a sentence you restarted. For more on Mac dictation in general, see speech to text on a Mac and how Mac dictation handles punctuation.

macOS Dictation not working in Google Docs?

If macOS Dictation types nothing into a Google Doc, check that Dictation is on in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation, that the right microphone is picked in the Microphone source pop-up there, and that Voice Control is off: Apple says standard Dictation is not available while Voice Control is on. Then click inside the document body so the cursor is blinking before you start.

Google Docs voice typing, macOS Dictation or Speaky Box?

If you write in Docs now and then by voice and use Chrome, Edge or Safari, Google's voice typing is free and the editing commands are useful. macOS Dictation is the free choice when you also want Sheets, comments or Firefox. Speaky Box is for people who draft whole documents by talking and want paragraphs they do not have to clean up. We make Speaky Box. Sources, read 21 October 2026: Google's Type & edit with your voice and Keyboard shortcuts for Google Docs, and Apple's Dictate messages and documents on Mac, Commands for dictating text on Mac and Control access to the microphone on Mac. The full comparison with Mac dictation.

Google Docs voice typing vs Speaky Box: the same paragraph

Google Docs voice typing types every word you say, including a sentence you take back. A status update said into Docs might come out like this:

ok so for this week, um, we shipped the new onboarding and sign ups went up, no wait, I don't have the numbers yet, so just say we shipped it, and the numbers come friday

Google Docs voice typing and macOS Dictation type all of that, including the part you took back. Speaky Box's Smart key sees that Google Docs is the app in front and writes it as document prose:

This week we shipped the new onboarding. The numbers come on Friday.

The claim you withdrew has gone, and Friday has a capital. In Slack the same key keeps it a short message; see Slack voice to text. For Word, see dictating in Word on a Mac.

Tips for dictating into Google Docs

Put the cursor where the text should go

Speaky Box and macOS Dictation type at the cursor, so click into the right paragraph, table cell or comment box first. A comment needs its box open before you talk.

Talk a section at a time

Say one section, read it, then say the next, so any wrong word is fixed while you still remember what you meant.

Put names and terms in the Words list

Client names, product names and acronyms are what dictation gets wrong in a document. Add them to Speaky Box's Words list once and they are spelt your way in Docs, Sheets and every other app.

Use the Dictate key for exact wording

When you want your words as you said them, ums removed and nothing reshaped, such as a quote in a report, hold the Dictate key instead of the Smart key.

The same keys work in Apple Notes for meeting notes and in Mail for emails.