© Shutterstock It only takes a few clicks to enable Word's speech-to-text mode. Shutterstock

A common cause of microphone problems is a misconfigured sound input. Head to System Preferences Sound, and then click the “Input” tab. You should see a list of devices you can use as a sound source, including, (hopefully) the microphone you want to use. To use a device, such as “Internal Microphone,” click it.

Macs come with a built-in mic and you can connect an external mic to all Mac models. As with most audio devices, a mic will be plug & play. In fact, it will be easier to set up an external mic on a Mac that it is on a Windows 10 system where the right audio driver may have to be installed. While it is easy to install/set up a mic on a Mac, checking to see if it’s working isn’t as simple. How can I put the internal microphone icon, used for dictation, in ms word for mac, in the quick access task bar? This thread is locked. You can follow the question or vote as helpful, but you cannot reply to this thread.

• You can use speech-to-text on Microsoft Word through the 'Dictate' feature.
• With Microsoft Word's 'Dictate' feature, you can write using a microphone and your own voice.
• When you use Dictate, you can say 'new line' to create a new paragraph and add punctuation simply by saying the punctuation aloud.
• If you're not satisfied with Word's built-in speech-to-text feature, you can use a third-party program like Dragon Home.

While typing is certainly the most common way to create and edit documents in Microsoft Word, you're not limited to using a keyboard.

Word supports speech-to-text, which lets you dictate your writing using voice recognition.

1. Microphone doesn't have access. If you see the message, 'We don’t have access to your microphone,' try these suggestions: Make sure no other application is using the microphone, and try Dictate again. Refresh the webpage, select Dictate again, and give permission for the browser to access the microphone. Microphone isn't working.
2. SpeechMike Premium USB dictation microphone. Best-in-class recording. The SpeechMike Premium takes dictation to a new level. May it be the free-floating studio quality Precision Microphone, a microphone grille with optimized structure, builtin noise-reduction pop filter or the antimicrobial surface.

Speech-to-text in Word is convenient and surprisingly accurate, and can help anyone who has issues typing with a typical keyboard.

You can use speech-to-text in Microsoft Word in the same way on both Mac and PC.

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How to use speech-to-text on Word using Dictate

Make sure you have a microphone connected to your computer. This can be built-in, like on a laptop, or a separate mic that you plug into the USB or audio jack.

It doesn't matter which type you use, though the best kind of mic to use is a headset, as it won't need to compete with as much background noise as a built-in microphone.

Gallery: 6 ways that Apple's next major iPhone OS update makes it much, much more like Android (Business Insider)

1. In Microsoft Word, make sure you're in the 'Home' tab at the top of the screen, and then click 'Dictate.'

2. You should hear a beep, and the dictate button will change to include a red recording light. It's now listening for your dictation.

3. Speak clearly, and Word should transcribe everything you say in the current document. Speak punctuation aloud as you go. You can also say 'New line,' which has the same effect as pressing the Enter or Return key on the keyboard.

4. When you're done dictating, click 'Dictate' a second time or turn it off using your voice by saying, 'Turn the dictate feature off.'

You can still type with the keyboard while Dictate is on, but if you click outside of Word or switch to another program, Dictate will turn itself off.

Want to change languages? You can click the downward arrow on the Dictate button to choose which of nine or so languages you want to speak. You might also see additional 'Preview Languages,' which are still in beta and may have lower accuracy.

Speech-to-text alternatives

You're not limited to using the Dictate feature built into Word. While not as popular as they once were, there are several commercial speech-to-text apps available which you can use with Word.

The most popular of these, Dragon Home, performs the same kind of voice recognition as Word's Dictate, but it also lets you control Word, format text, and make edits to your text using your voice. It works with nearly any program, not just Word.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

Mac Word 365 and Outlook 365 have the same powerful ‘Speech to Text’ option, Dictate, that’s in the Windows version of Word and Outlook. No compromises or differences except the setup is a LOT easier.

Dictate is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers with Office 365 software for Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android devices. In this article we’ll look at how Dictate works in Word and Outlook for Mac.

Dictation in Word 365 (and Outlook 365) is cloud based. It’s being improved regularly and isn’t as dependant on the speed of your computer.

It’s also context sensitive, using whole spoken phrases to work out the right words (instead of the old method which converted each spoken word individually).

Another improvement is microphones, especially in laptops, which now pick up speech with better fidelity.

Microphone setup

Make sure the Mac computer and Office can ‘hear’ you. It’s a lot easier on a Mac than in Windows.

If you want to use the in-built or default microphone, just click the Dictate button on the Home tab in Word.

The first time, a standard security warning will appear. Mac blocks apps from using some elements like microphone or camera until the user specifically approves. Click OK.

A microphone in a laptop or webcam should be enough in most cases. Wireless microphones may work. If you’re in a noisy area, a headset with mic close to the mouth might be necessary. Dictate needs to ‘hear’ your voice clearly without distracting background noise.

To choose a specific microphone or check it’s working go to Apple | System Preferences | Sound | Input.

Choose the microphone or device you want to use. The input volume can be adjusted with the slider. As you can see above,

Check the microphone is working with the Input Level ‘VU meter’ bars moving as you speak

Mac users might hear a faint sigh of envy in the distance … that’s millions of Windows users looking at the above image and wondering why it can’t be that easy in Windows! As we’ve noted before, even the Microsoft’s Skype division does a better job of audio/video setup than Windows itself.

Dictate Setup

With a default microphone setup and working try Dictate. It’s on the Home tab.

Pull down the list and choose your spoken language. ‘Preview’ languages aren’t fully developed but should work fairly well. This selection is separate and not linked to any language setting for the Mac.

• Chinese (China)
• Danish
• Dutch (Netherlands)
• English (Australia)
• English (Canada)
• English (India)
• English (United Kingdom)
• English (United States)
• Finnish
• French (Canada)
• French (French)
• German (Germany)
• Italian (Italy)
• Japanese
• Norwegian (BokmÃ¥l)
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Spanish (Mexico)
• Spanish (Spain)
• Swedish (Sweden)

Some of these languages are currently tagged as ‘Preview’. The list can change at any time as Microsoft improves Dictate.

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Does language selection matter for dialects? Probably, though Peter’s Australian accent worked just as well with the setting on English US, UK, Canada or Australia.

If your English dialect isn’t listed, try something close. Our New Zealand and South African friends can try English (Australia) … even though it might seem unpatriotic <g>.

We’d be interested to hear from French speakers about their experience with French (France) and French (Canada). Or Spanish speakers with the Spain or Mexico variants. Can people from Portugal effectively use the Portuguese (Brazil) option?

Dictation Start

Click the Dictate button, wait a second until the button changes with a red dot.

Turn On Mac Microphone

Whatever you say now will be heard and turned into text.

Punctuation

Dictate has Automatic punctuation where the following words insert the symbol of that name.

• Period or Full Stop
• Comma
• Question mark
• Exclamation point or Exclamation mark
• New line or New paragraph
• Semicolon
• Colon
• Hyphen
• Open quote or Open quotes
• Close quote or Close quotes

There are more spoken punctuation phrases and symbols available – see our full Dictate punctuation list.

Privacy

Microsoft now addresses privacy concerns with this statement.

Microphone For Mac Mini

“This service does not store your audio data or transcribed text.

Your speech utterances will be sent to Microsoft and used only to provide you with text results.”

That’s good, as far as it goes. Laws in various countries, including the USA, mean Microsoft can be compelled to monitor and handover data from any customer. That can happen without notice to the customer or even a court warrant.

Troubleshooting

The most common problem with Dictate is the microphone setup. Click the Dictate button, start talking but no typing appears.

This happens a lot less on the Mac because the operating system and hardware are better integrated.

Dictate in Word or Outlook has no controls to choose a microphone. Use System Preferences | Sound to select and check the microphone.

External Microphone For Mac

Dictate voice commands – the full list
Turn talk into text in Word 365 for Windows