Google has added a new feature to their Google Docs. When you and your students are in Google Documents, click tools in the menu area. You will see a microphone with a next to type with your voice. Click the microphone and start talking to type!
Type with your voice
For an easy way to put words on a page, you can type with your voice in a document. At the moment, this feature is only available in Chrome browsers.
- Before you get started, make sure that you have a working microphone either built in to your device or connected externally.
- In a Chrome browser, open a document.
- Click the Tools menu > Voice typing.
- A pop-up microphone box will appear. When you are ready to speak your text, click the microphone or press Ctrl + Shift + S (Cmd + Shift + S on a Mac) on your keyboard.
- Speak your text clearly, at a normal volume and pace. See below for more information on using punctuation.
- When you're finished, click the microphone again.
Note: While voice typing in Google Docs is only available on computers, many Android and iOS phones and tablets have built-in microphones that you can use with a document. Look for the microphone icon on your mobile keyboard.
Correct mistakes while voice typing
If you make a mistake while you're typing with your voice, you can move you cursor to the mistake and fix it without turning the microphone off. After correcting the mistake, make sure to move the cursor back to where you want to continue voice typing. You can also right-click words underlined in grey to see a list of suggestions.
Use punctuation with voice typing
When you are speaking text in a document, there are several phrases you can use to add punctuation to your text:
- "Period"
- "Comma"
- "Exclamation point"
- "Question mark"
- "New line"
- "New paragraph"
Note: At the moment, this punctuation is only supported in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian.
Troubleshoot voice typing issues
If you are experiencing any of the following issues with voice typing, try following the steps to fix the problem.
The microphone is blocked
If you are using voice typing for the first time, make sure to allow your document to access your camera and microphone.
The microphone isn't working
If you can't get the microphone to work on your computer, try the following:
- Make sure that you have a working microphone. Some laptops and desktops have built-in microphones, while others require external ones.
- Check that your microphone is plugged in and is not being used by another application.
- Move to a quiet room with limited background noise.
- Exit and reopen the tool.
- Restart your computer.
"We're having trouble hearing you"
If you see an error message that says "We're having trouble hearing you," the voice typing tool may not be able to correctly hear the text you're speaking. Try the following:
- Move to a quiet room with limited background noise.
- If available, plug in an external microphone for better results.
- Adjust the input volume on your microphone higher or lower depending on the issue.
Voice typing doesn't understand my language
If your language or accent (for example, Irish English) isn't supported by voice typing, the tool will either be unavailable or won't correctly hear the text you're speaking. You can always change your language in a document by clicking the Filemenu > Language.
Expand the section below to see if your language is supported.
