OTAN News

Google Voice Typing

An amazing tool accessed in Google Docs and Slides is the Type & edit with your voice. It has come a long way since its inception with each additional iteration making the tool more accurate and easier to use. Accessibility is for everyone, and this tool allows a person’s voice to type and edit in Google Docs and add speaker notes and captions in Google Slides.

This feature works in the latest version of Chrome, Edge and Safari. If this feature is not enabled in your organization, then it may need to be turned on by your administrator.

Many languages and accents work with voice typing though punctuation may not be available in every language.

See full directions for using voice typing for Step 2 below from the Google Docs Editors Help. Steps 1 and 3 summarized for this article.

Step 1: Turn on your microphone. Microphone settings are typically in Systems Preferences on a Mac or the Control Panel on a PC.

Step 2: Use voice typing

Start voice typing in a document

1. Check that your microphone works.
2. Open a document in Google Docs with a Chrome browser.
3. Click Tools  Voice typing. A microphone box appears.
4. When you are ready to speak, click the microphone.
5. Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace.
6. When you are done, click the microphone again.

Start voice typing in Slides speaker notes

1. Check that your microphone works.
2. Open a presentation in Google Slides with a Chrome browser.
3. Click Tools  Voice type speaker notes. The speaker notes open, and a microphone box appears.
4. When you are ready to speak, click the microphone.
5. Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace (see below for more information on using punctuation).
6. When you are done, click the microphone again.

Correct mistakes while voice typing

• If you make a mistake while you are typing with your voice, you can move your cursor to the mistake and fix it without turning off the microphone.
• After you correct the mistake, move the cursor back to where you want to continue.
• To see a list of suggestions, right-click words underlined in gray.

Step 3: Use Voice Commands

A complete list of voice commands available only in English are listed with directions and an extra section for accessibility. Voice commands are not available in Slides speaker notes.

Complete Google Docs Editors Help List assists with support for teaching this tool to anyone who needs or would like this technology.