text to speech on google docs

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Type & edit with your voice

You can use your voice to type and edit your document in Google Docs and your speaker notes and captions in Google Slides.

This feature works with the latest versions of:

When you turn on voice typing or captions, your web browser controls the speech-to-text service. It determines how your speech is processed and then sends the text to Google Docs or Google Slides.

Tip: If this feature is not enabled in your organization, it may have been turned off by your administrator .

Step 1: Turn on your microphone

To use voice typing or voice commands, your computer microphone needs to be on and working.

Devices and microphones vary, so check your computer manual for instructions. Typically, microphone settings are in the System Settings on a Mac, or the Control Panel on a PC.

Step 2: Use voice typing

Start voice typing in a document.

Check that your microphone works.
Open a document in Google Docs in a supported browser.

When you're ready to speak, click the microphone.
Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace (check below for more information on using punctuation).
When you're done, click the microphone again.

Start voice typing in Slides speaker notes

In a Chrome browser, open a presentation in Google Slides.
The speaker notes open and a microphone box shows.
When you're ready to speak, click the Microphone .
For more information on how to use punctuation, check below.
When you're done, click the Microphone .

Correct mistakes while voice typing

If you make a mistake while you're 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 find a list of suggestions, right-click words underlined in gray.

Voice typing works in these languages and accents:

Arabic (Algeria)
Arabic (Bahrain)
Arabic (Egypt)
Arabic (Israel)
Arabic (Jordan)
Arabic (Kuwait)
Arabic (Lebanon)
Arabic (Morocco)
Arabic (Oman)
Arabic (Palestine)
Arabic (Qatar)
Arabic (Saudi Arabia)
Arabic (Tunisia)
Arabic (United Arab Emirates)
Azerbaijani
Bahasa Indonesia
Bengali (Bangladesh)
Bengali (India)
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Chinese (Hong Kong)
Dutch English (Australia)
English (Canada)
English (Ghana)
English (India)
English (Ireland)
English (Kenya)
English (New Zealand)
English (Nigeria)
English (Philippines)
English (South Africa)
English (Tanzania)
English (UK)
English (US)
Italian (Italy)
Italian (Switzerland)
Portuguese (Brazil)
Portuguese (Portugal)
Spanish (Argentina)
Spanish (Bolivia)
Spanish (Chile)
Spanish (Colombia)
Spanish (Costa Rica)
Spanish (Ecuador)
Spanish (El Salvador)
Spanish (Spain)
Spanish (US)
Spanish (Guatemala)
Spanish (Honduras)
Spanish (Latin America)
Spanish (Mexico)
Spanish (Nicaragua)
Spanish (Panama)
Spanish (Paraguay)
Spanish (Peru)
Spanish (Puerto Rico)
Spanish (Uruguay)
Spanish (Venezuela)
Swahili (Kenya)
Swahili (Tanzania)
Tamil (India)
Tamil (Malaysia)
Tamil (Singapore)
Tamil (Sri Lanka)
Urdu (India)
Urdu (Pakistan)
Exclamation point
Question mark
New paragraph

Step 3: Use voice commands

Voice commands are available only in English. The account language and document language must both be English.
Voice commands are not available in Slides speaker notes.

To select text, say these commands:

Select [word or phrase]
Select all matching text
Select list item
Select list items at current level
Select next character
Select next [number] characters
Select last character
Select last [number] characters
Select line
Select next line
Select next [number] lines
Select last line
Select last [number] lines
Select paragraph
Select next paragraph
Select next [number] paragraphs
Select last paragraph
Select last [number] paragraphs
Select word
Select next word
Select next [number] words
Select last word
Select last [number] words
Select none

Text formatting

Apply heading [1–6]
Apply normal text
Apply subtitle
Apply title
Strikethrough
Superscript

Text color & highlighting

Text color [color]
Highlight [color]
Background color [color]
Remove highlight
Remove background color
Decrease font size
Increase font size
Font size [6-400]
Make bigger
Make smaller

Paragraph formatting

Decrease indent
Increase indent
Line spacing [1-100]
Line spacing double
Line spacing single
Align center
Align justified
Align right
Center align
Right align
Apply 1 column
Apply 2 columns
Apply 3 columns
Column options
Insert column break
Create bulleted list
Create numbered list
Insert bullet
Insert number
Remove formatting
Clear formatting
Remove bold
Remove italics
Remove strikethrough
Remove underline

To edit your document, say these commands:

Delete last word
Delete [word or phrase]
Insert link [then say the URL you want to use]
Delete link
Insert table of contents
Delete table of contents
Update table of contents
Insert comment [then say your comment]
Insert bookmark
Insert equation
Insert footer
Insert footnote
Insert header
Insert horizontal line
Insert page break
If you say "Delete" by itself, you delete the word before the cursor.
If you select the text of a URL and say "Insert link," the selected text becomes a hyperlink.

To add and edit tables, say these commands:

Insert table
Insert table [1-20] rows by [1-20] columns
Insert column
Insert new column
Insert new column on the left
Insert new row
Insert new row above
Insert new row below
Delete column
Delete table
Remove column
Remove table

To move around your document, say these commands:


Example:
Go to Move to	end of start of	paragraph column line row table document
Go to Move to	next previous	character column footnote formatting change heading heading [1-6] image line link list list item misspelling paragraph row table word page
Go Move	forward backward	[number] characters [number] words
Go Move	up down	[number] lines [number] paragraphs

Example:

Go to

Move to

end of

start of

paragraph

column

line

row

table

document

Go to

Move to

character

column

footnote

formatting change

heading

heading [1-6]

image

line

link

list

list item

misspelling

paragraph

row

table

word

page

Move

forward

backward

[number] characters

[number] words

Move

down

[number] lines

[number] paragraphs

Scroll down

To move the cursor to the end of the paragraph and start voice typing again, say "Resume."

To move the cursor to the end of a particular word or phrase, say "Resume with [word or phrase]."

Here are all the commands you can say to resume voice typing:

Resume with [word or phrase]
Go to the end of the paragraph
Move to the end of the paragraph
Go to the end of the line
Move to the end of the line
Go to [word]

To open a list of voice commands in your document, say these commands:

Voice typing help
Voice commands list
Find all voice commands

To use these commands, turn on screen reader support . It's best to wear headphones so the screen reader feedback isn't typed into your document.

Speak cursor location
Speak from cursor location
Speak selection
Speak selection formatting
Speak table row and column headers
Speak table cell location
Speak table column header
Speak table row header

Troubleshoot

If voice typing isn't working, try these steps.

If you find an error message that says "We're having trouble hearing you," try the following:

Move to a quiet room.
Plug in an external microphone.
Adjust the input volume on your microphone.

If you can't get the microphone to work on your computer, try the following:

Make sure that the microphone isn't broken.
Check your microphone settings in your computer system preferences.
Check that your microphone is plugged in and is not being used by another application.
Restart your computer.

If voice commands aren’t working, try the following:

Speak more slowly and clearly
Pause before and after each command. The text of your command might show in the document for a moment. For example, if you say "select all," the words "select all" show up before your text is selected.
The microphone shows a bubble containing the most recent command. Verify that Docs or Slides heard the right command. If not, you can simply say "Undo."

Need more help?

Try these next steps:.

Using Google products, like Google Docs, at work or school? Try powerful tips, tutorials, and templates. Learn to work on Office files without installing Office, create dynamic project plans and team calendars, auto-organize your inbox, and more.

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2 Ways To Use Text-To-Speech in Google Docs to Read Aloud Text

For a few months now, I have been using text-to-speech in Google Docs to read aloud my documents so I could make them sound more natural. You probably don’t know that Google Docs comes with dedicated text-to-speech options to allow your screen reader app to read aloud Google Docs documents.

If you are missing out on this awesome Google Docs feature, I’ve got you covered. In this post, I’ll show you how to use the Google Docs text-to-speech feature to read aloud documents. Additionally, I will also share a nifty third-party text-to-speech tool that is definitely worth checking out if you don’t want to use a desktop screen reader.

1. Use Google Docs Screen Reader to read text aloud

Before you use Google Docs screen reader options, you need to get a dedicated screen reader software that will read aloud the text in a Google Docs document. You don’t need to go through this step if you already have a screen reader software built-in, like Apple VoiceOver or ChromeVox . If not, then I will recommend you use the NVDA screen reader software.

It’s a free open-source screen reader software that is small in size and very easy to use. There are no special settings to configure to use it with Google Docs. Just download and install the software and follow the below instructions to use it with Google Docs.

If you don’t want to use desktop screen reader software, then you can also use this Screen Reader Chrome extension by Google. This screen reader will only work inside the Chrome browser rather than your whole operating system. It also doesn’t require any special setting configuration to work with Google Docs.

Enable Google Docs Screen Reader

Your screen reader software will not be able to read the text inside a Google Docs document if the Google Docs screen reader option isn’t enabled. Here’s how to enable screen reader in Google Docs:

Click on the “Tools” menu in the top bar and select “Accessibility settings” in it.

Now check the checkbox next to “Turn on screen reader support” and click on “OK” .

Use text-to-speech in Google Docs

After following the above instructions, you will notice a new Accessibility menu in the top bar; you can use it to read aloud text in Google Docs. If you still can’t find the Accessibility option, then press the Ctrl+Alt+Z keys on your keyboard.

1. Open up the document and select the text you want to read aloud (press Ctrl+A to select all the text).

2. Now click on “Accessibility” in the top menu bar and select “Speak selection” in the “Speak” option. Your screen reader software will read aloud the text.

There is also a Google Docs keyboard shortcut for this purpose. Once the required text is selected, press Ctrl+Alt+X keys to start reading aloud.

Note: Some screen reader software can directly read aloud text just by highlighting, so you may not need to go through the above process depending on your screen reader software.

2. Use a text-to-speech Chrome extension

You can also use a text-to-speech Chrome extension for Google Docs if you don’t want to use a dedicated screen reader software. A text-to-speech extension will copy the Google Docs content in its own interface and then read it aloud. For this purpose, I really like the Read Aloud Chrome extension. It’s astonishingly easy to use, yet it’s very powerful.

The extension works on almost every web page, including web apps like Google Docs. Just open up the document, and click on the extension button to start reading the text aloud. You also don’t need to select the text, Read Aloud will automatically recognize text that should be read aloud.

If you go to its settings, you can select voice type, volume, pitch, and speed. Best of all, Read Aloud can read the text in over 40 different languages. There is a good chance your particular language is supported.

If Read Aloud doesn’t work well for you, then you can use the Speak It Chrome extension as an alternative. This extension also works very similarly, but it also lets you directly highlight text in your browser to read aloud.

Note: You don’t need to enable the screen reader option in Google Docs to use these text-to-speech Chrome extensions.

Wrapping up

If you are blind or vision impaired, then you should definitely use your screen reader software with Google Docs by enabling screen reader support in Google Docs. However, if you just want to quickly read aloud your Google Docs document, then using a text-to-speech extension is much better. Do let us know in the comments how you’ll be using text-to-speech in Google Docs.

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Tags: How To Interesting productivity Useful

Karrar Haider

For over 10 years, Karrar has been writing about everything Google and Windows with a strict focus on improving security and finding ways to get more out of our devices.

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21 Responses

Comments 21
Pingbacks 0

Doesn’t work on a mobile device, I guess

thank you for sharing

There is no “Accessibility” in the top menu bar, even after I enabled screen reading.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Z keys to show “Accessibility” in the top menu bar.

Read Allowed is fabulous! Good to have another option when Google Docs Screen Reader just doesn’t work. Thanks

I am trying to allow for my special needs students to hear a text read to them. I have done all of the above on my Google Doc, but when I select the text and then select accessibility/speak/speak selection (or press ctrl+alt+x) it does not read aloud from my Chromebook, or with headphones. Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

Same here..and yes, volume for everything else is high and working :(

im having the same issue :(

Can’t get it working. Found all of the steps easily, but it isn’t reading. I’m using it on a macbook, so maybe there is a separate step that’s needed?

Yeah I did all the above. Not working at all. Guess google isn’t a big fan of accessibility

Doesn’t work

Unfortunately this does not work on Google Pixel mobile device.

I have turned on Accessibility Selected the document that I need reading clicked on Speak and Speak selection

Looks like there may be one more small thing that I have not done.

Please advice

Read Aloud extension works like a charm. Woohoo

I was using this in MS word for emails and everywhere. I caught my silly mistakes very easily. I missed this simple feature in google docs. I must say this article is not easy to find.

Thank you very much. Providing the link to the Chrome Add-on is extremely useful.

Please keep us posted if Accessibility feature starts working.

I originally thought this extension didn’t work because it didn’t show up in Docs extensions – it’s for Chrome, so, my error.

it does not work i have tried the things that you suggested for me to try

Why did you post lies? Nothing works on anyones device!

Y is it not working on literally anyone’s device? I’ve followed all the steps and still doesn’t work pretty much everyone is having troubles.

I have the same issue as everyone else and have tried everything. This did not help at all and I’ve been trying for months

IT DID NOT HELP DO NOT TRY!!!

An Easy Text to Speech Google Docs Tutorial [3 Ways]

Last updated June 5, 2023

Google Docs is a great workspace that has plenty of tools and functionality to help all kinds of users. One such tool is Text-to-speech which enables the conversion of written text into spoken words. This opens up a whole new world of accessibility, convenience, and enhanced productivity.

Text-to-speech is a tool in Google Docs that is dedicated to helping the visually impaired work seamlessly on the platform, but it also has great benefits for every user.

Discover how to make your written content come alive, improve your proofreading skills, enhance language learning, and make information more accessible to a wider audience.

In this Text to speech Google Docs tutorial, we’ll show you how to use text-to-speech on Google Docs and some of the benefits you can gain from this.

Table of Contents

How to Get Text to Speech on Google Docs

Go to Google Docs and Open your document.
Select the portion of text that you want to convert to speech. For the entire document, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + A for Windows or Cmd + A for Mac to select all the text.
At the top of the Google Docs window, Go to Tools > Accessibility .
In the “ Accessibility ” pane that appears on the right side of the document, check the box for “ Turn on screen reader support. ” then click OK.
Once enabled, you will see a new menu in the toolbar called “ Accessibility .” If you click it, it will open more options.
Go to Verbalize to Screen reader > Verbalize selection .

How To Use Text-To-Speech In Google Docs

There are a couple of ways you can use text-to-speech on Google Docs. In this article, we’ll show you 3 methods:

Using the inbuilt text-to-speech tool in Google Docs
Using a text to speech Add-on
Using a text-to-speech Chrome extension

Let’s look at the steps for each of the methods below.

Method 1: Use the Built-In Text to Speech Google Docs Tool

Google Docs has an inbuilt text-to-speech tool that you can find in the accessibility window. However, before you can use this tool, you need to install the Screen reader in Chrome. Keep in mind that this extension only works in Chrome. If you’re working on a different browser, you might need to find another extension.

However, you won’t need to install this extension if you already have a screen reader software built-in, like Apple VoiceOver or ChromeVox.

Here’s how to do text-to-speech on Google Docs:

At the top of the Google Docs window, Go to Tools > Accessibility.

To have Google Docs read your text aloud, go to Accessibility > Verbalize to screen reader . Then click Verbalize Selection .

The accessibility menu gives you a lot more options. For example, rather than verbalizing the text, you can select the text and have it verbalize the format of the text.

You can also choose to verbalize things like the location of the cursor, the word count, comments, and more.

The tool also helps you keep track of changes with show live edits as well as keeping track of things like graphics, links, and tables.

That’s it! The selected text will now be read aloud using the text-to-speech feature in Google Docs.

Method 2: Using a Text-to-Speech Add-On

There are plenty of useful add-ons in the Google marketplace, and you can find a couple of text-to-speech add-ons in there as well.

One good add-on we recommend is the Rhetoro text-to-speech add-on.

To install the add-on:

Go to Extensions > Add-ons .
Click Get Add-on .

Search for rhetoric in the Google Workspace Marketplace window.

Search for rhetoric in the Google Workspace Marketplace window.

Click on it and click Install .

Allow permissions by signing in to your Google Account.

Allow permissions by signing in to your Google Account.

Once you’ve finished these steps, the add-on should appear in the extensions menu.

Go to Extension. The Rhetero add-on should be on the menu.
Hover on the add-on and click Start Rhetero .

Hover on the add-on and click Start Rhetero.

The Rhetero window will open on the right of Google Docs.

The Rhetero window will open on the right of Google Docs.

Select the text you want to convert to speech, then click Generate .
Your audio will appear under the setting, and you can click play to hear it.

You can also choose the voice you want to use, the speed for the audio, and the pitch.

You can also choose the voice you want to use, the speed for the audio, and the pitch.

The Rhetero add-on is a pretty convenient text-to-speech add-on since it also lets you download the audios it generates, not to mention it’s free to use. You can create a folder for the downloaded audio and use them for other purposes.

However, if you are visually impaired, you might need some help setting it up.

Method 3: Using a Text-to-Speech Chrome Extension

You can also use Chrome extensions to convert text to speech in Google Docs. Some examples of such extensions include Natural Reader and Read Aloud.

To install the extension:

Go to Natural Reader
Click Add to Chrome .

Click Add extension in the prompt that appears.

Click Add extension in the prompt that appears.

Go to the extensions icon on Chrome and pin the Natural reader extension.

Go to the extensions icon on Chrome and pin the Natural reader extension.

Click on the N icon. A small prompt will appear

Click on the N icon. A small prompt will appear

Click the play icon to start the text to speech conversion.

With the Natural reader extension. You also have the option to change the voice and the speed at which the AI reads the text.

This extension also comes with different accents that come with different voices in case you have trouble with the standard English accent. This includes French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and many more.

Keep in mind that this extension won’t work if you’re working on Google Docs offline.

Voice-to-Text Google Docs

You can also do voice-to-text in Google Docs by using voice typing. This will allow you to write text in your document without having to type.

How to do voice-to-text in Google Docs:

Go to Tools
Choose voice typing

Click on the red microphone and click Allow.

Click on the red microphone and click Allow.

Start dictating the text.

The voice-to-text tool works best with earphones or a headset on.

Benefits of Text-to-Speech

Google Docs Text-to-speech technology has several benefits, including the following.

Text-to-speech allows users with visual impairments or reading difficulties to access the text document. This is very helpful for users with visually difficult or learning disabilities or those with conditions like dyslexia to consume information more effectively.
With Text to speech, you can text while performing other tasks, which helps you when multitasking. This removes the need for visual focus, allowing you to go through the document in Google Docs while doing other things like commuting or household chores.
Text-to-speech is a very useful tool if you’re interested in learning a new language or are already doing so. It helps by providing accurate pronunciation and intonation models. It’s also a good way to practice listening comprehension.
This functionality makes it easier to proofread your work. It’s easier to identify errors if you hear them being read out loud rather than reading the document to find them.
Text-to-speech can assist you in correctly pronouncing unfamiliar words, proper nouns, or technical terms.
Text-to-speech can enhance comprehension since it makes it easier to understand, particularly for complex or long texts.
Text-to-speech can be beneficial for people who experience eye strain or fatigue from reading for a long time.
Text-to-speech lets you adapt content to different formats, such as audiobooks, podcasts, or spoken presentations. This makes it easier for content creators to reach a broader audience and provides alternative options for content consumption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can google docs read out loud.

You may be wondering does Google Docs have text-to-speech. The answer is yes. You can enable the text-to-speech option in Google Docs to have the selected text, or the entire document read aloud to you.

It’s a convenient tool for accessing and consuming written content in an auditory format. We’ve shown exactly how to get text-to-speech on Google Docs.

How do I turn off text to speech in Google Docs?

You already know how to turn on text to speech on Google Docs, so here’s how to turn it off:

At the top of the Google Docs window, go to Tools > Accessibility .
In the “Accessibility” pane that appears on the right side of the document, uncheck the box next to “ Turn on screen reader support. “
Once you uncheck the box, click OK . The text-to-speech feature will be disabled, and the document will no longer be read aloud.

Final Thoughts

Text-to-speech can come in handy if you want to make your Google Docs more accessible and convenient to use.

In this text to speech Google Docs tutorial, we’ve shown you how to text to speech on Google Docs in 3 ways. If you found this tutorial useful, check out the related content below or our premium templates, but remember to use the code SSP to save 50%.

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How to Get Google Docs to Read to You

Need an easier way to read through a long document? You can make Google Docs read to you instead. This guide explains how.

If you have a lot of reading to do, it can be helpful to use screen-reading tools to read the text back to you, saving you time and allowing you to multitask. For example, Google Docs has a feature that allows you to have the text from a document read out to you.

This accessibility feature can be especially useful for those with learning disabilities or visual impairments. It can also be helpful for proofreading a document without physically reading it, line by line.

If you want to know how to get Google Docs to read to you, follow the steps below.

Using Google Docs Text-to-Speech

The easiest way to get Google Docs to read to you is to use the built-in text-to-speech tools. Google Docs will read out your document for you — no third-party tools or add-ons are required. The Google Docs screen reader will also read out other bits of information, such as word count or current formatting choices.

How to Use Google Docs Text-to-Speech

Open the document in Google Docs .

In the Accessibility settings menu, press the Turn on screen reader support checkbox to enable it.

Next, select some text in your document that you want Google Docs to read aloud.
With the text selected, press the Accessibility menu.
Next, press Verbalize to screen reader > Verbalize selection to hear Google Docs read out the section you’ve selected.

After following these instructions, you’ll be able to have the text in your Google Doc read aloud to you using a computer-generated voice. Make sure that your sound levels are good enough to hear what Google Docs reads back to you.

Using a Google Chrome Extension

You can also use a Google Chrome extension to add text-to-speech functionality to your Google Docs experience. A good extension to use for this is Read & Write . This adds a number of features to Google Docs that can help you write and edit documents, including text-to-speech support.

Install Read & Write Exension for Google Chrome

Open Google Chrome .
Visit the Chrome Web Store page for Read & Write .

Adding the Read & Write extension to Google Chrome

When prompted, click Add extension .
Restart your browser.
Next, open your Google Docs document (or create a new one ).

You’ll be asked to sign in in a pop-up window, so follow any on-screen instructions to complete this process.
Reload your document.
The Read & Write toolbar will appear at the top of the document page.
Place your blinking cursor at the point where you want to start hearing the document.
Press the Play button on the Read & Write toolbar to start.

Playback options for the Read&Write extension in Google Docs

You can now use Read & Write to hear your documents. If you have any problems, make sure that your Chrome extension is enabled properly. You can also pin the extension to the toolbar to easily access the settings menu for it.

Better Accessibility in Google Docs

Using the steps above, you’ll be able to easily get Google Docs to read out a document to you. If you have trouble reading text on a screen, or if you simply want to listen to your document’s text, these steps will get you started.

August 4, 2023 at 8:08 am

Ugh, neither of these techniques work for me. I guess it’s copy-paste in a Word doc yet again.

October 24, 2023 at 6:08 am

Is there a way to disable it? Because it’s popping up whenever I try to search for something. I don’t need it.

October 24, 2023 at 9:54 am

Which method are you using, the Google Chrome extension? You could remove it, or set it to only work when you click on it in the extensions bar. To do that, right-click the extension icon. Under “This Can Read and Change Site Data,” change the selected option to “When You Click the Extension.”

Thanks for reading!

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Recommended for you

How to Convert Text To Speech In Google Docs

Key takeaways:.

There are some websites that help in text-to-speech conversion along with a few software that is available in the market too. But, Google has come up with some great Chrome extensions and add-ons that aid in conversion.

How To Convert Text To Speech (TTS) In Google Docs

Google chrome extensions for converting text to speech in google docs, 1. screen reader, 2. read aloud: a text to speech voice reader, add-ons for text to speech in google docs.

We have some add-ons that help us with text to speech in Google Docs. These Google Workspace marketplace add-ons are very easy to install and use. These add-ons recognize common punctuation marks. Let us see the add-ons that are useful for reading the text aloud in Google Docs.

1. Rhetoro – text to speech in high quality (TTS)

Step 2: A new browser window will appear. In the search bar type – ‘ Rhetoro text-to-speech in high quality (TTS) ’. Click on the add-on.

Once you start Rhetoro, you can easily use it for text to speech in Google Docs.

2. Helperbird

Helperbird is a great add-on by Google Workspace Marketplace. It aids in the text to speech in Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google forms. It helps in the text to speech as well as speech to text conversion. There are different voice gender tones available. Decrease or increase the sound level as you need.

Note: The steps to add Helperbird are the same as the above-mentioned steps for the Rhetoro add-on.

How To Use Google Docs Text To Speech In Smartphones

Step 2: Click on the Accessibility feature.

Step 4: Turn the Voice Assistant on.

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How To Use Speech-To-Text On Google Docs

Whether you're on the move or suffering from an unfortunate bout of carpal tunnel, there are plenty of scenarios when simply typing out passages of text on a keyboard just isn't the most feasible option. That's why phones, TVs, and other smart devices have adopted various bits of speech-to-text software, allowing a program to automatically record and transcribe spoken words into written text with the touch of a button. Fortunately, it seems that text editor programs have also joined the speech-to-text wave, including one particularly popular online word processor.

The current iteration of Google Docs includes an optional feature in its suite of tools that adds speech-to-text functionality to the typical document writing process. Known as voice typing, this specialized tool uses built-in software and a compatible device's microphone to allow the user to vocally dictate entire documents' worth of text on Google Docs, proper punctuation and all. It's a feature that's worth trying out for avid users of the program, and it's not too hard to get it working at a moment's notice.

How to use voice typing in Google Docs

While it isn't possible to leave voice typing enabled at all times in Google Docs, it can be activated on any given document with a few quick steps.

Open the Google Docs document you want to use voice typing with.
Ensure that the device you're accessing Google Docs on has a microphone and that is enabled and unmuted.
At the top of the page, select Tools.
Click Voice typing from the dropdown menu.
A small widget box with a microphone icon will appear on the page. Click the microphone icon.
Your browser may ask if you want to give Google Docs permission to use your device's microphone. If this occurs, select Allow.
Ensure that the microphone icon has turned red.
Voice typing is now enabled. Speak aloud and Google Docs will automatically transcribe the audio into written text.
Once you have finished speaking, click the red microphone icon and ensure that it returns to the gray microphone icon in the widget box. Voice typing is now disabled.

Voice typing can be set to automatically detect and dictate well over 60 distinct languages and a plethora of regional dialects and accents. Similar to keyboard shortcuts , voice typing also recognizes phrases of punctuation and will add the appropriate symbols based on phrases like "Period," "Comma," "Question mark," and more.

Google Docs has voice commands as well

Speech-to-text is a great way for users to give their fingers a rest and let programs shoulder the weight of typing out text, but some may have concerns that a vocal dictation software like Google Docs' voice typing is relatively limited in what it can do. However, voice typing on Google Docs has a far more robust feature set than simply transcribing audio. In reality, the feature supports a lengthy list of voice commands that give users the power to make all sorts of changes to their documents without even touching the keyboard.

Voice typing is designed to recognize and distinguish specific voice commands from regular spoken words. These commands can range from basic functions like "Copy," "Paste," and "Italicize" to complex actions like "Insert table of contents" or "Create bulleted list." Essentially, voice typing supports vocal shortcuts for just about every basic action one can take while normally editing a document through Google Docs, right down to dictating the exact formatting of the document itself. Generally speaking, the software will recognize whatever editing-related command is given. However, should users have trouble getting the software to do exactly what they want, they can simply request to "See all voice commands" to get a comprehensive list.

For the time being, Google Docs voice typing can only recognize and carry out English voice commands. Nonetheless, this software stands as quite an important accessibility feature .

Text to Speech Google Docs: Everything You Need to Know

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Here's how you can have all your Google Docs read aloud with text to speech on Google Docs.

Accessibility and ease of communication are paramount. Google Docs has expanded its features to pair with text to speech ( TTS ) capability. If you've ever wondered how to utilize this feature, you're in the right place. We’ll guide you step-by-step through text to speech Google Docs, ensuring you can transform your written words into spoken ones with ease.

Text to speech (TTS) is a modern accessibility feature allowing users to transform written text into spoken words. This functionality assists people with reading or learning disabilities and those who prefer auditory learning. The technology also aids multitasking, as you can listen to text content while engaged in other activities.

Google Docs is a cloud-based word processing tool from Google, accessible via the Chrome browser and other web browsers. Part of Google Drive, it lets users create, edit, and store documents online, facilitating real-time collaboration. Google Docs supports various functionalities, including accessibility features like text to speech compatibility and voice typing.

Whether you're someone who learns better through listening, seeking ways to enhance content accessibility, or merely wishing to give your eyes a break, the benefits of using text to speech are manifold. Some of the advantages of including text to speech on Google Docs workflow are:

Accessibility : Google Docs text to speech ensures accessibility to users with visual impairments or learning disabilities. It aids in comprehension by reading aloud selected text.
Multitasking : Listen to your Google Docs document while working on other tasks, ideal for busy professionals.
Language learning : With support for different languages, you can hear the correct pronunciation and intonation, assisting in language learning.
Enhanced learning and comprehension : Some people are auditory learners and can comprehend or retain information better when they hear it. Text to speech can be invaluable for this demographic.
Proofreading : Listening to your content can make it easier to catch errors, awkward phrasing or formatting, and repetitive words, leading to cleaner and more effective writing.
Inclusivity : By providing an auditory option, content creators can cater to a broader audience, including those who might not be fluent readers in a particular language or those with varying abilities.
Reduced eye strain : For those who spend prolonged hours in front of screens, listening instead of reading can give the eyes a much-needed break, reducing fatigue and potential long-term strain.
Increased engagement : Engaging multiple senses can lead to a deeper connection with the content. Hearing a document can provide a different perspective and improve overall engagement with the material.
Flexibility : Text to speech can be especially handy for mobile users. Whether you're on a commute or walking, you can keep up with important documents without needing to focus on a screen.
Customization : Many text to speech tools, including the one in Google Docs, offer adjustable settings such as speed and voice type. This allows users to tailor the listening experience to their preferences.

How to enable text to speech Google Docs

Google Docs has become the go-to platform for collaborative and efficient document creation, and its versatility extends far beyond conventional word processing.

While Google Docs does not offer a built-in text to speech feature, users can use text to speech on Google docs by utilizing one of four methods:

Screen readers

Let’s explore all four options for using text to speech on Google Docs in this step-by-step guide.

To begin using a screen reader with Googles, step 1 is to enable screen reader support. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Open your document.

2. Click “Tools” on the Google Docs toolbar

3. Tap “Accessibility” to access “Accessibility Settings.”

4. Check “Turn on Screen Reader Support” from the accessibility menu.

5. Hit “Okay.”

6. Choose a screen reader. The first five steps we just covered simply enable you to use screen readers with Google Docs but doesn’t not automatically enable Google Docs to read aloud to you. For Google Docs text to speech you must now choose a screen reader depending on the device/operating system you have. For example, common examples include:

Cross-platform - Speechify
Windows – NVDA or JAWS
ChromeOS – ChromeVox
macOS – VoiceOver

We break down step-by-step tutorials on how to use each below.

If you’re looking for a screen reader that’s compatible with any device, Speechify has you covered. Here is a guide on how to use Speechify on any device:

Visit Speechify.com and sign in with an existing account or create a new one if prompted.
There are several ways to import Google Doc text into Speechify:
Paste text: You can copy and paste text from various sources, including websites, articles or Google Docs by tapping “New,” “Text Document,” and pasting the content into Speechify.
Web link: You can paste the web link directly to a Google Doc by clicking “New” and then “Web link.”
Document upload: You might be able to upload documents or PDFs directly into Speechify by tapping “New” and “Local documents.”
Choose a voice and settings: Customize the voice, speed, and other settings according to your preferences.
Play the text: Once you've imported text and adjusted settings, click the play button to start listening to the text being read aloud. Speechify will convert the text into spoken words.
Adjust playback controls: While listening, you can pause, rewind, or skip forward to control the playback.

Windows screen reader 1: How to use NVDA for text to speech on Google Docs

If you prefer to use Windows, you can choose NVDA for text to speech functionality. Simply follow this tutorial to use the latest version of NVDA with the latest version of Chrome.

Go to Google Docs and open a file.
Press NVDA + Ctrl + K.
Turn off Speak typed characters and Speak typed words.
Optional: You can change your NVDA startup keyboard shortcut so that it doesn't conflict with Docs. To change your NVDA keyboard shortcut, open Properties on the Shortcut tab and edit the Shortcut key to, for example, Ctrl + Shift + S.

Windows screen reader 2: How to use JAWS for text to speech on Google Docs

Another screen reader option for Microsoft users is JAWS. Here is how to use JAWS with Google Docs on Windows:

Open your Doc.
Press Ctrl + Alt + Z to turn on reading.
Control reading with the following commands:
Move to the next or previous character: Right Arrow or Left Arrow.
Move to the next or previous word: Ctrl + Right Arrow or Ctrl + Left Arrow.
Move to the start or end of the line: Home or End.
Move to the next or previous line: Down Arrow or Up Arrow.
Read from the cursor to the end: Insert + Down Arrow.
Read the current line: Insert + Up Arrow.
Read the next or previous line: Insert + Down Arrow or Insert + Up Arrow, respectively, when in line mode.

ChromeOS screen reader: How to use ChromeVox for text to speech on Google Docs

If you use ChromeVox on Chrome OS, you don't need to do any additional setup. Reading should begin as soon as you open a Google Doc.

macOS screen reader: How to use VoiceOver for text to speech on Google Docs

For Mac users, VoiceOver is the preferred screen reader.

Go to Google Docs and open a document.
If you've turned on "Automatically speak the webpage" in VoiceOver, reading will automatically begin.
Control reading with the following shortcuts:
Return your focus to the editing area: Press Escape
Interact with the editable text: Press VoiceOver + Shift + Down Arrow

In lieu of a screen reader, users can also use add-ons to give Google Docs a text to speech feature. Simply follow this tutorial to install your add-on:

Open your Google Doc document using the Google Chrome browser.
Navigate to the top menu and click on “Extensions.”
From the dropdown, select “Add-ons” and then “Get Add-ons.”

4. Search for “Text to speech.”

5. Install the necessary add-on to enable this functionality.

6. Once installed, highlight the text you wish to hear.

7. Click on “Add-ons” again, and select the text to speech option, such as “Speak.”

8. The selected text will be read aloud in the chosen text to speech voice.

If you’d like the simplest text to speech experience on Google Docs, and the most realistic voices, we recommend installing the Speechify Chrome extension using the following steps:

Open the Chrome browser and visit the Chrome web store.
Search for “Speechify.”

3. Install the extension by granting the necessary permissions.

4. Once installed, open your Google Docs document.

5. There will be a play button that appears to your left.

6. Click the play button with your cursor to speak selection and read aloud the selected text.

7. Adjust playback and voice settings as per preference.

Other Chrome extensions for text to speech on Google Docs

A few more Chrome extensions for Google Docs text to speech include the following:

Read Aloud is a Chrome extension that can read text from web pages, including Google Docs. It highlights the text it reads and allows you to control the reading speed and voice. It can also translate the text into different languages and supports multiple voice options. Just take the following steps to use the extension.

Install the "Read Aloud" extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Open your Google Docs document.
Click the "Read Aloud" icon in the Chrome toolbar.
Adjust the settings, such as voice and speed, as needed.
Click the play button to start text to speech.

Select and Speak

Select and Speak is a text to speech extension that can read text from web pages, including Google Docs. It has options to adjust the voice, pitch, and speed. To use Select and Speak, simply:

Install the "Select and Speak" extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Select the text you want read aloud.
Click the "Select and Speak" icon in the Chrome toolbar.

SpeakIt! is a popular text to speech extension that can read text from Google Docs and other web pages. It offers a range of voice options, including 50 different languages, and allows you to adjust the reading speed. To utilize the SpeakIt! extension, use the following steps:

Install the "SpeakIt!" extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Highlight the text you want read aloud.
Right-click on the selected text and choose "SpeakIt!" from the context menu.

ReadSpeaker TextAid for Chrome

ReadSpeaker TextAid is an accessibility extension that can read text within Google Docs. It also offers text highlighting and other features to support reading. ReadSpeaker TextAid for Chrome is easy to use and only requires the following setup:

Install the "ReadSpeaker TextAid for Google Docs" extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Access the ReadSpeaker features from the toolbar or menu for a customized reading experience.

Read&Write for Google Chrome

Read&Write for Google Chrome is a comprehensive literacy support tool that includes text to speech features for Google Docs. It offers natural-sounding voices and other assistive tools. To access Read&Write follow these steps:

Install the "Read&Write for Google Chrome" extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Access the Read&Write features, including text to speech, from the toolbar.

If you wish to experience Google Docs text to speech on a mobile device, you can do so by using the IOS or Android Speechify app. Simply follow the steps below to pair the Speechify app with Google Docs:

Download the IOS or Android Speechify app from the Google Play or Apple App Store.
Log into Speechify or sign up for a Speechify account by logging in with your Google Account.
Tap “Add” on the bottom Speechify toolbar.
Now, choose “Google Drive.”
Grant “Speechify” access to your Google Account.
Select the Google Doc, you would like to listen to aloud.
Press the play button and customize your reading experience by changing the narrator voice or the reading speed.
Optional: If you do not wish to grant Speechify access to your Google Account, after step 3, you can choose “Paste Website Link” and paste the link to the specific Google Doc you want read aloud.

Other apps for text to speech on Google Docs

A few more mobile device apps for Google Docs text to speech include the following:

Voice Dream Reader

Voice Dream Reader is a feature-rich IOS-only app that seamlessly integrates with Google Docs, offering customizable text to speech functionality and a wide selection of natural-sounding voices, enhancing the reading experience for users with diverse preferences. To use the app, simply:

Install the "Voice Dream Reader" app from the App Store.
Open your Google Docs document on your iOS device.
Select the text you want read.
Tap the "Share" button within Google Docs.
Choose "Voice Dream" from the list of sharing options.
The app will open and start reading the selected text.

NaturalReader

NaturalReader is a user-friendly text to speech app for both IOS and Android, known for its simplicity and clear, lifelike voice options, making it an accessible choice for those seeking straightforward text to speech conversion within their Google Docs documents. Here’s a tutorial on how to pair NaturalReader and Google Docs:

Install the "Natural Reader" app from the App Store.
Choose "NaturalReader" from the list of sharing options.

Google Text-to-Speech

Google Text-to-Speech, a Google app, provides text-to-speech functionality not only for Google Docs but across various Android applications, offering spoken feedback and enhancing accessibility on Android devices. Using the app is straightforward and consists of the following steps:

Ensure that "Google Text-to-Speech" is installed on your Android device (it's often pre-installed).
Open your Google Docs document in the Google Docs app on your Android device.
Tap the "More" (three dots) menu.
Choose "Read Aloud."
The built-in text to speech engine will read the selected text.

TalkBack is an essential accessibility service for Android users, offering spoken feedback and navigation support, making Google Docs and other apps accessible to individuals with visual impairments. To use TalkBack, follow this guide:

Make sure "TalkBack" is enabled on your Android device. You can enable it in the Accessibility settings.
Double-tap the selected text to have TalkBack read it aloud.

Voice Aloud Reader

Voice Aloud Reader is an IOS and Android app that can be used alongside Google Docs, offering a range of voice options and customizable features to cater to different text to speech needs. Follow this tutorial to check out Voice Aloud Reader:

Install the "Voice Aloud Reader" app from the Google Play Store.
Open your Google Docs document on your Android device.
Choose "Voice Aloud Reader" from the list of sharing options.

ClaroSpeak, available on multiple platforms, including Android and iOS, can be integrated with Google Docs, providing high-quality text to speech capabilities, voice choices, and text highlighting for improved document reading and comprehension. To access ClaroSpeak, use this tutorial:

Install the "ClaroSpeak" app from the App Store.
Choose "ClaroSpeak" from the list of sharing options.
The app will open and start reading the selected text. ClaroSpeak also offers various voices and speech settings for customization.

If you enjoy text to speech, you may also enjoy speech to text. Luckily, Google Docs has a built-in speech to text feature called “Voice Typing.” To use Google Docs speech to text, follow these steps:

Go to the “Tools” option in the top menu.
Select “Voice typing” from the dropdown.
Click on the microphone icon that appears. Make sure your microphone has the necessary permissions.
Begin dictating. Google Docs will transcribe in real-time.

Speechify stands out as the premier text to speech option for text from Google Docs and Excel spreadsheets to webpages and physical documents. Whether you're on the move with Android or iOS devices, working through a web browser, or browsing with Chrome, Speechify is right there with you. Its dedicated apps, website, MS Edge extension, and Chrome extension ensure that superior text to speech conversion is just a click away, no matter how or where you work.

With so many options for text to speech on Google Docs, here are just a few reasons why Speechify is the best text to speech option for Google Docs:

Lifelike narrator options: Boasting over 200 clear and crisp voices across various accents and languages, Speechify reads any digital or physical text aloud in the most humanlike voices on the market.
Wide language support: Speechify supports multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Russian, French, and so many more, ensuring that users around the world can access content in their preferred language.
Offline access: Speechify offers offline functionality, allowing you to listen to your Google Docs documents even without an internet connection.
Customization: Tailor your text to speech experience with customizable options, including voice selection, reading speed adjustment, and more.
Text highlighting: Speechify visually highlights each word or phrase as it's spoken, enhancing comprehension and engagement for the listener.
Celebrity voices: In addition to its wide range of narrator options, premium users can also choose from celebrity voice options and have their text read aloud by familiar voices such as Gwyneth Paltrow or Snoop Dogg.

Try Speechify for free today to improve your reading experience.

Install the Speechify Google Chrome extension, then open your Google Doc, and tap the play button to the left to hear your Docs read aloud in some of the most lifelike AI voices on the market.

Yes, when paired with text to speech tools such as Speechify or Natural Reader, Google Docs can be read aloud.

Speechify is a text to speech Google Chrome extension compatible with Google Docs.

You can use Speechify to use text to speech seamlessly on a Chromebook.

In Google Docs, click on "Tools" in the top menu, and select "Voice typing" to activate the microphone and start transcribing your speech into text.

To access Google Docs, you need to log in to your Google account and go to the Google Docs website or app.

You can access Google Docs templates by opening Google Docs, then going to "File" > "New" > "From template."

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Tyler Weitzman

Tyler Weitzman is the Co-Founder, Head of Artificial Intelligence & President at Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews. Weitzman is a graduate of Stanford University, where he received a BS in mathematics and a MS in Computer Science in the Artificial Intelligence track. He has been selected by Inc. Magazine as a Top 50 Entrepreneur, and he has been featured in Business Insider, TechCrunch, LifeHacker, CBS, among other publications. Weitzman’s Masters degree research focused on artificial intelligence and text-to-speech, where his final paper was titled: “CloneBot: Personalized Dialogue-Response Predictions.”

How to Get Google Docs to Read Documents Aloud

Use it to read bedtime stories

You might want to listen to a document in Google Docs out of necessity or for a good way to review it. You have a few ways to hear a Google Doc read aloud with text-to-speech (TTS).

Turn on the Text-to-Speech Tool in Google Docs

If you already have a screen reader, you’ll need to turn on the accessibility tool in Google Docs to hear your document read to you.

Open your document in Docs and select Tools in the menu.
Select Accessibility .

Turn on the Text-to-Speech Tool in Google Docs image - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-1-compressed

Check the box at the top for Turn on screen reader support . Optionally check the additional boxes per your preference.
Select OK .

Turn on the Text-to-Speech Tool in Google Docs image 2 - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-2-compressed

You should then hear “Screen reader support enabled.” You can use the controls for your screen reader or those in the Accessibility settings to listen to the document content.

Turn on the Text-to-Speech Tool in Google Docs image 3 - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-3-compressed

Use Screen Reader for Google Chrome

If you’re looking for extension options, the first to check out is Screen Reader (ChromeVox) by Google for the Chrome browser. The tool also comes with Chrome OS for text-to-speech on that platform.

After you install the add-on, it begins speaking the web page you’re visiting immediately, including the document in Google Docs.

Use Screen Reader for Google Chrome image - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-4-compressed

To manage the Chrome extension’s settings, select its button in the toolbar and select Options . You can then adjust settings for the voice and mouse actions and review the available keyboard shortcuts.

Use Screen Reader for Google Chrome image 2 - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-5-compressed

To turn off the Screen Reader, select the toolbar button and choose Manage Extension . Then, disable the toggle.

Use Screen Reader for Google Chrome image 3 - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-6-compressed

Use Read Aloud for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge

Another solid browser extension is Read Aloud . It’s free for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

What’s nice about this option is that you control when you want it to play. Head to your document in Google Docs, select the add-on button in the toolbar, and use the Play button to listen to your document.

Use Read Aloud for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge image - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-7-compressed

You’ll hear your document and see the highlighted text in the extension window. At the top of that window, you have buttons to pause, stop, go forward, or go back.

Use Read Aloud for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge image 2 - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-8-compressed

To adjust the add-on’s settings, select the gear icon. You can then change the voice, speed, pitch, volume, and text highlighting.

Use Read Aloud for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge image 3 - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-9-compressed

Use VoiceOver on Mac

If you use macOS, you can take advantage of Apple’s accessibility feature, VoiceOver. Follow the steps at the beginning of this how-to to turn on the Google Docs accessibility feature. Then, turn on VoiceOver with the following steps.

Open System Preferences and select Accessibility .
Choose VoiceOver and then turn on the VoiceOver toggle.

Use VoiceOver on Mac image - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-10-compressed

Confirm you want to enable the feature by selecting Use VoiceOver .

Use VoiceOver on Mac image 2 - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-11-compressed

Then, head to your document in Google Docs. If necessary, place your cursor in the document for the reader to begin. You’ll hear and see the text from your document.

Use VoiceOver on Mac image 3 - how-to-get-google-docs-to-read-documents-aloud-12-compressed

To turn off VoiceOver when you finish, use the X on the top left of the VoiceOver window.

You may have a visual impairment that makes it difficult to read your document, or you might want to hear your Google Doc read aloud as you do other things. Either way, these text-to-speech options should have you covered.

For more, look at how to use the text-to-speech feature on TikTok .

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Sandy Writtenhouse is a freelance technology writer and former Project, Department, and Program Manager. She turned her education, job experience, and love of technology into a full-time writing career. With all sorts of gadgets in her home and her hands, she seeks to help others make life easier through technology. Read Sandy's Full Bio

How to Use Speech to Text in Google Docs: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to ditch the keyboard and let your voice do the typing? Google Docs has a nifty feature that allows you to use speech-to-text to create documents. This functionality is perfect for when you’re on the go, have accessibility needs, or just want to give your fingers a break. Here’s how to do it: Open a document in Google Docs, click on the ‘Tools’ menu, and select ‘Voice typing’. A microphone icon will pop up. Click on it when you’re ready to speak, and watch your words magically appear on the screen.

Step by Step Tutorial: Using Speech to Text in Google Docs

Before you start talking your document into existence, you need to know the steps to activate and use the voice typing feature in Google Docs. This guide will walk you through the process, so you can dictate your thoughts and ideas directly into your document.

Step 1: Open a Google Docs document

Open the Google Docs document you want to work on or create a new one.

When you’ve opened Google Docs, you’ll see a blank page or your saved work ready for your voice input.

Step 2: Click on ‘Tools’

Go to the ‘Tools’ menu on the top of the page.

The ‘Tools’ menu is like a treasure chest filled with cool features that can make your document creation easier. Voice typing is just one of these treasures.

Step 3: Select ‘Voice typing’

From the drop-down menu, select ‘Voice typing’.

A microphone box will appear on the left side of your document. That’s your gateway to hands-free typing!

Step 4: Click the microphone when you’re ready

Click on the microphone icon when you’re ready to start speaking.

The icon will turn red, indicating that Google Docs is now listening and ready to transcribe what you say into text.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you can start dictating your document. Speak clearly and at a moderate pace. Google Docs will convert your speech into text as you go. When you’re done, simply click the microphone again to stop the voice typing.

After you’ve finished dictating, you might notice that your text isn’t perfect. That’s okay! You may need to go back and make some edits, just like you would with any other first draft. The speech-to-text feature isn’t flawless, but it’s a great way to get your thoughts down quickly without typing.

Tips for Optimizing Your Use of Speech to Text in Google Docs

Position your microphone properly to ensure clear audio input.
Speak clearly and at a moderate pace for better accuracy.
Use the commands ‘period’, ‘comma’, ‘question mark’, etc., to insert punctuation.
Say ‘new line’ to move the cursor to the next line or ‘new paragraph’ for a new paragraph.
Edit the transcribed text for any mistakes after you finish dictating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i use voice commands to edit or format the text.

Yes, you can use voice commands to apply basic formatting, like bold or italics, and to edit the text, like selecting or deleting words.

Does voice typing work in languages other than English?

Yes, Google Docs supports voice typing in multiple languages. You can select your language by clicking on the microphone icon and then the language dropdown.

Can I use voice typing on my mobile device?

Yes, the Google Docs app for mobile devices supports voice typing, although the layout may look slightly different from the desktop version.

Is there a way to improve the accuracy of voice typing?

Yes, speaking clearly and at a paced speed, using a good quality microphone, and minimizing background noise can improve accuracy.

Is voice typing available offline?

No, an internet connection is required because voice typing in Google Docs relies on Google’s cloud-based speech recognition technology.

Open a Google Docs document.
Click on ‘Tools’.
Select ‘Voice typing’.
Click the microphone when you’re ready.

Now that you’ve got the hang of using speech to text in google docs, you’ll be able to streamline your document creation process. Imagine the convenience of hands-free typing while cooking, working out, or when your hands are just too tired from a long day of work. Plus, it’s a fantastic tool for individuals with disabilities, making document creation more accessible and inclusive.

Remember, practice makes perfect. The more you use the voice typing feature, the better you’ll get at dictating your thoughts clearly and effectively. And don’t forget those editing skills! They’ll come in handy for cleaning up any little mistakes that might slip through.

So, what’s stopping you? Give your keyboard a break and start letting your voice take the lead. Who knows, you might even find that speaking your ideas out loud sparks even more creativity and productivity. Happy dictating!

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

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How to use speech-to-text in Google Docs

Accessible and easy to use speech-to-text software

Speech-to-text software has come along way in recent years. We remember even a few years ago when voice typing required strange voices and mouth movements that looked like they belonged in a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Today, however, more and more businesses are incorporating voice typing into their business operations. It can be an easy way to save time and increase the productivity of your employees and can be crucial in making your business accessible to persons with disabilities.

In this article, we explain how to use voice typing software on Google Docs. Although it is not the best speech-to-text software , it is free and easy to use, and will serve many businesses’ purposes.

How to use speech-to-text in Google Docs: Preparation

Google’s speech-to-text software currently only works on the Google Chrome browser. If you already use Chrome, you won’t need much preparation at all, and you won’t have to download or install any additional software or plugins. However, if you don’t have Chrome, you’ll have to download it via this link .

The only other thing you’ll need to do before you can begin using Google’s speech-to-text software is to set up your microphone. Using the in-built microphone on your device will suffice most of the time, as Google’s dictation software has improved significantly in recent years.

However, if you’re planning on dictating a lengthy text, or plan on using Google’s dictation software every day, we’d consider investing in a high-quality microphone. An external microphone will enable Google to interpret your voice more easily and can be placed in an optimal location.

Once you’ve downloaded Chrome and prepared a microphone , you’re ready to go.

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Step 1: Open a new Google Docs file

Open Google Chrome on your device and head to the Google Docs website. If you’re not currently logged into your Google account, go ahead and log in now.

After you’ve logged in, create a new Google Doc. For our test, we named it “Speech-to-text in Google Docs - Test”. Ensure you save the article in a location where you’ll be able to access it later (to either edit or delete it).

Step 2: Open the voice typing window

Within this blank document, you should be able to see the menu options at the top of the window. To begin voice typing, click on the Tools menu option and then Voice Typing. You can also open the Voice Typing window by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+S.

Step 3: Grant Google Docs access to the microphone

If you’ve never used Google’s speech-to-text software before, you’ll need to grant the platform access to your microphone. On Google Chrome, this is a simple as clicking “allow” when prompted.

Once you’ve clicked “allow”, the microphone symbol will change to red. Congratulations –you’re now using voice typing!

Step 4: Begin voice typing

With the microphone symbol changed to red, you can now begin speaking in a natural voice and watch as Google transcribes your voice to text. Unlike with older speech-to-text software, there’s no need to speak robotically, or at a comically slow pace. Google’s dictation software is designed to understand natural speech. Our only suggestion is to clearly enunciate lengthier or more complicated words, as these are where the software most often struggles.

Following these four steps alone will enable you to begin voice typing, saving time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere. After playing around with the software, you’ll quickly become comfortable with it and develop your own strategies for accurate and reliable transcription.

However, if you want to take your voice typing to the next level, read on to discover some of Google’s advanced voice commands.

Step 5: Voice commands

Google Docs also features several voice commands that enable you to create professional documents using only your voice. We’ll now explore a few of the most useful commands, but you can find the full list here .

The voice commands you’ll use most often are mostly self-explanatory. Saying the command “period” will insert a period into your document, while saying “bold” or “italic” will change the style of text correspondingly.

Formatting is also simple using commands such as “insert page break”, “insert horizontal line”, or “insert heading”, among many others.

Users can also change the text color by saying “text color (insert color)”.

Developing a mastery of these voice commands enables you to make the most of Google’s speech-to-text software, and ensures you and your employees can work faster and more effectively when voice typing.

Voice typing software has improved dramatically in recent years. In the past, businesses had to invest in expensive dictation software if they wanted a functional voice typing experience. And even then, there were limits on what such software could achieve.

Today, Google’s voice to text software enables businesses to incorporate voice typing into their operations free of charge. The software certainly isn’t the best available, but for most organizations, Google’s voice typing will more than suffice. We think that the extensive list of voice commands make the software appealing for employers and employees alike.

We list the best text-to-speech software .

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How to Use Voice Typing on Google Docs on Mobile and Desktop

Paurush dabbles around iOS and Mac while his close encounters are with Android and Windows. Before becoming a writer, he produced videos for brands like Mr. Phone and Digit. On weekends, he is a full-time cinephile trying to reduce his never-ending watchlist, often making it longer.

While Google Docs is primarily geared toward drafting formal letters, invites, meeting notes, and table of contents , you can also use it to jot down ideas or as a journal. To that end, Google Docs is quite feature-rich and supports features like Voice Typing which makes penning down thoughts more convenient.

The Voice Typing feature eliminates writer’s block by allowing users to jot down rough and unstructured ideas. You don’t have to waste your time thinking of writing perfect sentences – instead, you can just voice your thoughts, scattered as they may be. Here’s how to enable the feature and use it on your mobile and desktop.

Use Voice Typing on Google Docs on Mobile

The Google Docs mobile app lets you manage your documents on the go. The app lets you edit your documents and even save them as PDF files on your iPhone or Android phone. Let us see how you can use the Voice Typing feature with the mobile app.

iPhone users can simply use the Speech-to-Text feature available with the iOS Keyboard to use Google Docs’ Voice Typing feature. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open the Google Docs app and then open a new or previously created document.

Step 2: Tap on the page to bring up the keyboard. Then, tap the Microphone icon at the bottom-right corner.

Step 3: Start dictating the words, and Google Docs will convert the speech to text.

If you don’t see the Microphone icon, check if Voice Dictation has been enabled. Here’s how you can go about it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and then tap on General.

Step 2: Select Keyboard and tap the toggle next to Enable Dictation.

You can also enable Auto-Punctuation and tweak other aspects from the same menu.

If Dictation still fails to work, refer to our post for more solutions. Note that the solutions outlined in the guide will apply to all iPhones on all iOS versions.

Step 1: Open Google Docs and select a new or previously created document.

Step 2: Tap on the document area to enable the keyboard. Then tap the Microphone icon.

You can refer to our post if Dictation fails to work on your Android phone .

Use Voice Typing on Google Docs on Desktop

For desktop users, the Voice Typing feature comes built-in with Google Docs. However, it is only available for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge users on Mac and Windows PCs. Here’s how to enable and use it.

Step 1: Open your web browser and go to docs.google.com.

Visit Google Docs

Step 2: Sign in to your account and open a new or existing document.

Step 3: Click on Tools in the top Menu Bar and then select Voice Typing.

Step 4: Select the Microphone icon on the left side. Your browser will then prompt you to enable microphone access. Tap Allow.

allow mic access voice typing google docs

You can also click the dropdown menu and select your preferred language.

change voice typing language google docs

And voila! You can now start using Voice Dictation on your Mac or Windows PC in Google Docs.

How to Use Punctuation and Formatting Styles With Voice Typing

The best part about voice typing on Google Docs is that you can also dictate and insert punctuation. This saves you the time of manual entry and correction. Once you enable the microphone, you can start voicing commands like “select all”, “bold”, “italics”, and more. There are a plethora of other voice commands available for voice typing. A word of caution, though: your dictated punctuation might not always get translated correctly. So, be patient while using the feature.

Use Microsoft Voice Typing Launcher For Google Docs on Windows 11

Windows 11 has a feature called Voice Typing Launcher (Microsoft Speech Services) that is designed to be used for voice typing. You can activate this feature to use voice typing on Google Docs or any other application. Before following the steps to enable it, make sure that you have installed the latest software update.

Step 1: Open Google Docs on your web browser and sign in to your account.

Step 2: Go to your document and press Windows key + H to enable Microsoft Speech Services.

Step 3: From the popup, click the Microphone icon to start using it.

You can click the Settings icon to make changes, including using a different microphone and enabling automatic punctuation. We tested the same on our end and the service introduced commas and full stops automatically, which is great.

settings microsoft speech services windows 11

You can also refer to our post if Voice Typing is not working on Windows 11 .

Use Dictation on Mac For Voice Typing on Google Docs

You can also use the Dictation feature on Mac to facilitate Voice Typing. It’s a built-in tool that lets you use speech-to-text in Google Docs. All the voice commands for using punctuation will work with this, too. You can refer to our post to learn how to use Dictation on Mac .

Rest Your Fingers

The Voice Typing option on Google Docs is a much-needed respite from endless typing sessions. The feature can also come in clutch when you need to take note of something while juggling other tasks. Let us know if you found this guide useful in the comments below.

Was this helpful?

Last updated on 16 March, 2024

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.

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Google Docs Voice Typing – How to Use Speech-to-Text in a Google Doc

Speech-to-Text is a really useful accessibility tool if typing is difficult for you. Or you can also use it if you like to think out loud and transcribe what you say.

In this tutorial, I'll show you how to use speech-to-text in Google Docs. Do note, though, that this feature is available only if you're using Google's Chrome browser.

How to Activate the Speech-to-Text Tool

You can activate speech-to-text from the Tools menu – it is the fourth menu item from the bottom. Or you can use the Ctrl+Shift+S (on Windows) or Command+Shift+S (on Mac) shortcut to activate it.

This will open a little tab with a microphone and a dropdown menu.

You can drag it around with the three horizontal dots at the top. Next to those dots you can click the X to close it. Just below you'll see the dropdown menu where you can change languages (and it shows what language is currently set). Then below that there's the big square button with a grey microphone in the middle.

If you want to change the language setting for the Voice Typing tool, you need to use the drop down menu. It will let you choose between many languages. Just select the language you prefer, and you are ready to start using it.

How to Use Voice Typing in Google Docs

You can start voice typing by clicking on the microphone button. When it's activated, it will become red.

If you get an alert from Google Docs asking for permission to use your microphone, go ahead and grant permission or you will not be able to use voice typing.

Now, start speaking, and Google Docs will transcribe what you say. You need to speak clearly and not too quickly for better results.

While Google is interpreting what you have said there will be a pattern of little squares shown where the words will appear after it has finished elaborating.

Voice Commands

Writing a document often includes editing and formatting. Voice commands allow you to do all the editing and formatting using only your voice.

Voice commands are available only for the English language. When you say certain words and phrases, like "move to the end of the line" or "select paragraph", those actions will be executed.

You can find the whole list of available commands by saying "voice commands list", or in the Google Docs guide article with the complete list of available voice commands .

Voice Typing and Voice Commands in action

Voice typing, or speech-to-text, is a useful accessibility tool. I hope this article has taught you how to use it, and you will be able to write with less typing!

Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader

3.1K ratings

Read aloud the current web-page article with one click, using text to speech (TTS). Supports 40+ languages.

Read Aloud uses text-to-speech (TTS) technology to convert webpage text to audio. It works on a variety of websites, including news sites, blogs, fan fiction, publications, textbooks, school and class websites, and online university course materials. Read Aloud allows you to select from a variety of text-to-speech voices, including those provided natively by the browser, as well as by text-to-speech cloud service providers such as Google Wavenet, Amazon Polly, IBM Watson, and Microsoft. Some of the cloud-based voices may require additional in-app purchase to enable. Read Aloud can read PDF, Google Docs, Google Play books, Amazon Kindle, and EPUB (via the excellent EPUBReader extension from epubread.com). Read Aloud is intended for users who prefer to listen to content instead of reading, those with dyslexia or other learning disabilities, and children learning to read. To use Read Aloud, navigate to the web page you want to read, then click the Read Aloud icon on the Chrome menu. In addition, the shortcut keys ALT-P, ALT-O, ALT-Comma, and ALT-Period can be used to Play/Pause, Stop, Rewind, and Forward. You may also select the text you want to read before activating the extension. Right clicking on the selected text will provide you with yet another option to activate Read Aloud via the context menu. To change the voice, reading speed, pitch, or enable text highlighting, go to the Options page either by right clicking on the Read Aloud icon and choose Options, or by clicking the Gear button on the extension popup (you'll need to stop playback to see the Gear button). Read Aloud is an open-source project. If you wish to contribute bug fixes or translations, please visit the GitHub page at https://github.com/ken107/read-aloud.

4.2 out of 5 3.1K ratings Google doesn't verify reviews. Learn more about results and reviews.

Neo Wang Sep 25, 2024

Easy to use. No sign-up. Free. A trick is to select text to read instead of reading the whole document so it will avoid forward, table of content, etc.. It'd be great if it could give option to ignore certain words such as "Table of Content", page number, carriage returns.

Eliza Zadura Sep 25, 2024

You claim in the description that "Read Aloud can read PDF, Google Docs, Google Play books, Amazon Kindle, and EPUB". From what I can tell, that is not so. Neither Google Docs nor Google Play books work at all.

How to use voice typing in Google Docs to dictate your text

To use voice typing in Google Docs, turn on voice typing, click the microphone icon, then start speaking.
This accessibility feature is only available on Google Docs and Slides and must be used with a Chrome browser.
A working microphone is also necessary to use voice typing.

Voice typing is a helpful accessibility tool that's available on Google Docs and in Google Slides speaker notes. It's a feature that's only available in Chrome browsers, and some aspects (like voice commands for editing, formatting, and punctuation) are only available in certain languages .

Here's how to use voice typing in Google Docs.

How to use voice typing in Google Docs

1. Open a Google Doc in Google Chrome.

2. On the toolbar, click Tools , then Voice typing .

3. When you're ready to start voice typing, click the microphone icon in the left margin.

4. Speak clearly, using a typical volume and pace (not too loud or soft, and not too fast or slow).

5. When you're finished, click the microphone icon again.

How to use voice commands

There are a variety of voice commands that you can use to edit and format your document when voice typing. Here are a few basic ones to know.

To select text: Say phrases like "select [word or phrase]," "select all," or "select line."
To format text: Say phrases like "bold," "italicize," or "underline." There are also commands for font size ("decrease font size," "increase font size"), alignment ("align center," "align justified," "align left," "align right"), and more.
To edit your document: Say phrases like "copy," "cut," "paste," "insert header," or "insert page break."

How to edit voice typing in Google Docs

If you need to correct a mistake while voice typing, move your cursor to where the mistake is located and add in any text you may have forgotten by speaking. You can also highlight any mistakes and speak to type over them.

If there are any words or phrases underlined in gray that are incorrect, right-click to see a list of suggestions from Google Docs.

Say "delete" to delete the word right before the cursor.

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Google Docs lets you use voice typing to dictate using your computer's microphone . It's great for people who suffer from a repetitive strain injury, or for those who just don't like typing. Here's how to use Voice Typing in Google Docs.

Note: Voice Typing is only available for use in Google Docs and the speaker notes of Google Slides, and only if you're using Google Chrome.

The first thing you're going to want to do is to make sure you have a microphone installed and working.

Once your microphone is set up, fire up Chrome and head on over to Google Docs . Alternatively, from the address bar in Chrome, type

to start a new document instantly.

Enabling Voice Typing

To activate Voice typing, click Tools > Voice Typing. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+S in Windows or Command+Shift+S in macOS.

/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-12-23_12h55_45.png

A window with a microphone icon will appear; click on it when you're ready to dictate. You can move the tool out of the way by clicking and dragging the window wherever you want.

/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-12-23_13h09_14.png

Note: The first time using Voice Typing, you'll need to grant Chrome permissions to use your microphone.

If Voice Typing doesn't automatically load your native tongue, click the three dots and then use the Language drop-down to select from over 100 languages and dialects.

/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-12-23_13h15_26.png

Speak clearly in your normal volume and at your normal pace so the tool can understand what you're saying. Everything you say now appears in the body of your document. If it's having trouble understanding you, make sure you have selected the correct dialect in the languages menu.

/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-12-23_13h51_08.png

Voice typing processes your voice in real-time. When you finish speaking, click the microphone again to stop listening.

Adding Punctuation

Voice typing even understands when you want to add punctuation to your document if you use these phrases:

Exclamation mark
Question mark
New Paragraph

So, for example, you could say "Dictating in Google Docs is easy and fun period You can even..."

/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-12-23_13h43_13.png

Note: Punctuation only works in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian.

Using Voice Commands

Using voice typing doesn't end with the ability to type words and add punctuation. You can use it to edit and format text and paragraphs inside your document without having to click anything in the toolbar.

/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-12-23_14h09_53.png

Note: Voice commands are only available in English for Google Docs; they are not available in Slides speaker notes. Both the account and document language must be English.

If you mess up and accidentally say something you want to be deleted, you can say "Delete" or "backspace" to remove the word before the cursor.

Here are some other useful commands to get you started being more productive and making the most out of Voice Typing:

Selecting text: Select [word, phrase, all, next line, next paragraph, next word, last word]"
Format your document: Apply Heading [1-6], apply normal text, Bold, italicize, italics, underline
Change font size: Decrease font size, increase font size, font size [6-400], make bigger, make smaller
Edit your document: Copy, cut, paste, delete [word or phrase], insert [table of contents, bookmark, equation, footer, header, page break]
Move around your document: Go to start/end of [line, paragraph, column, row, document], move to next/previous [character, word, page, column, heading, line, misspelling, paragraph, row]

The number of voice commands almost seems endless, and you can find a full list by clicking the question mark in the tool's window or by saying "Voice commands list."

/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-12-23_14h23_59.png

When you've finished with your document and no longer want voice typing to pick up any of the words you're saying, say "Stop listening."

Voice Typing and speech-to-text have come a long way in recent years and with the number of features, commands, and greater accuracy, you could use it to type all your notes---or even a whole document.

Voice Typing also helps people who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome or otherwise experience pain when typing. Once you've mastered all the commands, you may never have to use a keyboard or mouse when typing up a document again!

Google Docs

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COMMENTS

How to Use Google Docs Text to Speech: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 5: Use the Speak Command. Go to the 'Accessibility' menu, hover over 'Speak', and then select 'Speak selection.'. As soon as you click 'Speak selection,' Google Docs will start reading the text you've highlighted. The voice you hear will depend on the default voice settings of your web browser or operating system.
Type & edit with your voice
Learn how to use voice typing and voice commands to create and edit documents in Google Docs and Slides. Find out which languages, accents, and browsers are supported, and how to add punctuation and format your text.
How to Make Google Docs Read to You: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 2: Click on "Tools" in the menu bar. In the top menu of Google Docs, click on "Tools". The "Tools" menu is located between "Insert" and "Add-ons" on the top menu. This is where you'll find the option to activate the text-to-speech feature.
2 Ways To Use Text-To-Speech in Google Docs to Read Aloud Text
Learn two ways to read aloud text in Google Docs using screen reader software or Chrome extensions. Find out how to enable screen reader support, select text, and adjust voice settings in Google Docs.
How to Make Google Docs Read Your Documents Aloud to You
Learn how to use the text-to-speech function in Google Docs with the ChromeVox extension for Google Chrome. Follow the steps to turn on screen reader support, highlight the text, and click speak selection.
Setting Up and Using Voice Typing in Google Docs
Setting Up and Using Voice Typing in Google Docs Setting Up Voice Typing Open a saved Google Doc in your Google Drive: OR create a new Google Doc: In the menu options across the top of your Google Doc find Tools. In the drop down menu select Voice Typing or use the keyboard ...
How To Make Google Docs Read Text Aloud To You
How To Make Google Docs Read Text Aloud To YouFree Google Docs Templates: https://bit.ly/Read_Text (Really Free)https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/scr...
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Learn how to use text-to-speech on Google Docs with three methods: built-in tool, add-on, and extension. Discover the benefits of text-to-speech for accessibility, proofreading, and language learning.
How to Get Google Docs to Read to You
Open Google Chrome. Visit the Chrome Web Store page for Read & Write. Press Add to Chrome to install it in your browser. When prompted, click Add extension. Restart your browser. Next, open your ...
How to Convert Text To Speech In Google Docs
Rhetoro is an add-on that works on Google Docs and Google Sheets. They have over 30 types of high-quality human voices in different voice gender in English to help in the text to speech in Google Docs. Step 1: Open the Google Docs document. Click on the Add-ons menu from the toolbar. Then click on the Get add-ons option.
How To Use Speech-To-Text On Google Docs
Open the Google Docs document you want to use voice typing with. Ensure that the device you're accessing Google Docs on has a microphone and that is enabled and unmuted. At the top of the page ...
Text to Speech Google Docs: Everything You Need to Know
How to enable speech to text on Google Docs: Built-in functionality. If you enjoy text to speech, you may also enjoy speech to text. Luckily, Google Docs has a built-in speech to text feature called "Voice Typing." To use Google Docs speech to text, follow these steps: Open your Google Docs document. Go to the "Tools" option in the top ...
How to Get Google Docs to Read Documents Aloud
Choose VoiceOver and then turn on the VoiceOver toggle. Confirm you want to enable the feature by selecting Use VoiceOver. Then, head to your document in Google Docs. If necessary, place your cursor in the document for the reader to begin. You'll hear and see the text from your document.
Text to Speech on Google Docs
How to use Text to Speech on Google Docs.Thanks for Watching.Please Subscribe, Like and Share.
How to Use Speech to Text in Google Docs: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 4: Click the microphone when you're ready. Click on the microphone icon when you're ready to start speaking. The icon will turn red, indicating that Google Docs is now listening and ready to transcribe what you say into text. Once you've completed these steps, you can start dictating your document. Speak clearly and at a moderate pace.
How to use speech-to-text in Google Docs
Step 3: Grant Google Docs access to the microphone. If you've never used Google's speech-to-text software before, you'll need to grant the platform access to your microphone. On Google ...
How to Use Voice Typing on Google Docs on Mobile and Desktop
Learn how to enable and use the Voice Typing feature on Google Docs on your mobile and desktop devices. You can dictate words, punctuation, and formatting commands with this feature.
Google Docs Voice Typing
You can activate speech-to-text from the Tools menu - it is the fourth menu item from the bottom. Or you can use the Ctrl+Shift+S (on Windows) or Command+Shift+S (on Mac) shortcut to activate it. The Tool menu. The Voice typing menu item is the tenth item from the top, or the fourth from the bottom. This will open a little tab with a ...
Google Docs: Voice Typing
We'll show you how to use Google Docs to transcribe your voice. All you need to do is enable the feature, and then you'll be able to simply talk, and Google ...
Read Aloud TTS
Overview. Read Aloud uses text-to-speech (TTS) technology to convert text to audio, allowing you to listen to your documents for proofreading, for reasons of dyslexia or other learning disabilities. Supports 36 languages. You can activate this addon from the Addon menu inside Google Docs™. Once activated, a sidebar appears in which you can ...
Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader
Read Aloud uses text-to-speech (TTS) technology to convert webpage text to audio. It works on a variety of websites, including news sites, blogs, fan fiction, publications, textbooks, school and class websites, and online university course materials. ... Google Docs, Google Play books, Amazon Kindle, and EPUB (via the excellent EPUBReader ...
How to Use Voice Typing in Google Docs
1. Open a Google Doc in Google Chrome. 2. On the toolbar, click Tools, then Voice typing. You can also use the keyboard shortcut "command + shift + S" to open voice typing. Abigail Abesamis ...
How to Use Voice Typing in Google Docs
To activate Voice typing, click Tools > Voice Typing. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+S in Windows or Command+Shift+S in macOS. A window with a microphone icon will appear; click on it when you're ready to dictate. You can move the tool out of the way by clicking and dragging the window wherever you want.
Text to speech
Basic Usage: Basic usage of text-to-speech involves the following one-time steps: Enable TTS in the Godot editor for your project, Query the system for a list of usable voices, ... Exporting for Google Play Store; Optimizing the APK size; Environment variables; Gradle builds for Android. Set up the gradle build environment;

Type & edit with your voice

Step 1: Turn on your microphone

Step 2: Use voice typing

Start voice typing in Slides speaker notes

Correct mistakes while voice typing

Step 3: Use voice commands

Text formatting

Text color & highlighting

Paragraph formatting

Troubleshoot

Need more help?

2 Ways To Use Text-To-Speech in Google Docs to Read Aloud Text

1. Use Google Docs Screen Reader to read text aloud

Enable Google Docs Screen Reader

Use text-to-speech in Google Docs

2. Use a text-to-speech Chrome extension

Wrapping up

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An Easy Text to Speech Google Docs Tutorial [3 Ways]

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How To Use Google Docs Text To Speech In Smartphones

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How To Use Speech-To-Text On Google Docs

How to use voice typing in Google Docs

Google Docs has voice commands as well

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Text to Speech Google Docs: Everything You Need to Know

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How to enable text to speech Google Docs

Windows screen reader 1: How to use NVDA for text to speech on Google Docs

Windows screen reader 2: How to use JAWS for text to speech on Google Docs

ChromeOS screen reader: How to use ChromeVox for text to speech on Google Docs

macOS screen reader: How to use VoiceOver for text to speech on Google Docs

Other Chrome extensions for text to speech on Google Docs

Select and Speak

ReadSpeaker TextAid for Chrome

Read&Write for Google Chrome

Other apps for text to speech on Google Docs

Voice Dream Reader

NaturalReader

Google Text-to-Speech

Voice Aloud Reader

Tyler Weitzman

How to Get Google Docs to Read Documents Aloud

Turn on the Text-to-Speech Tool in Google Docs

Use Screen Reader for Google Chrome

Use Read Aloud for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge

Use VoiceOver on Mac

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