How to use dictation in Microsoft Word on a Mac Skip to main content Voice Type Pricing Learn Enterprise Trust Blog How-to Dictation in Microsoft Word on a Mac Use Word’s Dictate feature (Microsoft 365) or macOS Dictation. Pick the one that matches your privacy and reliability needs. ← Back to Learn | Mac Dictation guide You can dictate into Microsoft Word on macOS in two common ways. The practical difference is where speech recognition happens (Word/Microsoft 365 vs macOS). Option A: Use Word’s built-in Dictate (Microsoft 365) Word includes a Dictate feature. Microsoft’s documentation describes it as speech-to-text that works with a microphone and a reliable internet connection. Open Word and sign in (if prompted). Find the Dictate button in Word’s toolbar (feature availability varies by license/version). Click Dictate, speak, then stop dictation to insert text. Option B: Use macOS Dictation in Word (system-wide) macOS Dictation works anywhere you can type — including Word. This is useful if you want a single shortcut that works across Word, email, Slack, and everything else. Enable Dictation: System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → On. Click into your Word document where you want text. Start Dictation (microphone key if present, or the Dictation shortcut — often Fn twice). Speak, then stop Dictation to finalize. If you dictate daily (privacy + consistency) If your priority is a consistent hotkey workflow and on-device processing, Voice Type is designed for exactly that: hold a hotkey, speak, release to finalize — anywhere on macOS. Voice typing for Mac (hub) Pricing and free trial Sources Microsoft: Dictate your documents in Word Apple: Dictate messages and documents on Mac Try Voice Type (7‑day free trial) Voice Type Learn All guides Speech to text on Mac Answers (quick fixes) Voice Type vs Apple Dictation Dragon alternatives For writers For developers For remote work For productivity For RSI Notion on Mac Latency demo Press kit Company Enterprise Trust Center Pricing Blog Company Terms of service Privacy policy Contact us © 2025 Careless Whisper Inc.