Use a screen reader to dictate a document in Word
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This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.

Use Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to dictate content for a document. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.

You'll learn how to use dictation to quickly create drafts, outlines, and take notes. All you need is a headset and reliable internet connection.

Notes: 

  • New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.

  • To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.

  • By default, dictation is set to your document language in Microsoft 365. We are actively working to improve these languages and add more locales and languages. For the list of supported languages, go to the "Spoken languages supported" section in Dictate your documents in Word.

  • The dictation feature is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers.

  • This service does not store your audio data or transcribed text. What you say will be sent to Microsoft and used only to provide you with text results. For more information about experiences that analyze your content, go to Connected Experiences in Office.

In this topic

Dictate a document

Use your voice and dictate your document content to quickly draft an outline of a document or take notes, for example. You can also dictate punctuation marks, symbols, mathematical and currency signs, and emojis. For more information on what you can say, refer to the "What can I say" section in Dictate your documents in Word. You can keep using your keyboard as usual while you dictate.

  1. Connect your headset to your computer, and make sure you're connected to the internet.

  2. While editing a document in Word, press Alt+H, D or Alt+Back quote (`).

  3. Do one of the following:

    • To dictate in the default language, just start dictating.

    • To change the dictation language, press F6 until you hear "Dictation toolbar," press the Tab key until you hear "Dictation settings," and press Enter. Press the Up arrow key until you hear "Spoken language," and then press the Right arrow key. Press the Down or Up arrow key until you find the language you want, and press Enter. Press the Tab key until you hear "Start dictation," and press Enter. When you hear an audio cue, you can start dictating the content of your document.

      Note: If you select one of the preview languages, the punctuation support might be limited and have lower accuracy.

  4. If you want to insert and dictate a comment, press Alt+N, L. The Comments pane opens, and the focus is on the text field for a new comment. You can now dictate your comment. To save the comment, press Ctrl+Enter. To move back to the document body, press F6 until you hear the document name, followed by "Editing."

  5. To stop dictating, press F6 until you hear "Dictation toolbar," press the Tab key until you hear "Stop dictation," and then press Enter.

Use auto punctuation 

You can use auto punctuation to add punctuation to your dictation. With auto punctuation, you don't have to speak the punctuation marks such as “period” or “comma.” Punctuation is determined by the pauses in dictation, so try to speak naturally and fluidly for the best results.

  1. To display the dictation toolbar, press Alt+H, D or Alt+Back quote (`).

  2. Press F6 until you hear "Dictation toolbar," press the Tab key until you hear "Dictation settings," and press Enter.

  3. You hear: "Auto punctuation, menu item, unchecked." To start using auto punctuation, press Enter. To exit the settings menu, press Esc.

  4. To start dictating with auto punctuation, press the Tab key until you hear "Start dictation," and press Enter. When you hear an audio cue, you can start dictating the content of your document.

See also

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Word

Use a screen reader to add, read, and delete comments in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

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