Dictate your presentations and slide notes in PowerPoint

Applies To
PowerPoint for Microsoft 365

Dictation lets you use speech-to-text to author content in Office with a microphone and reliable internet connection. It's a quick and easy way to add content into presentation placeholders and slide notes.

How to use Dictation

  1. Sign in to your PowerPoint for web using Edge, Firefox, or Chrome.

  2. On the Home tab, select Dictate (the button that looks like a microphone) in the Voice section.

    Screenshot of Dictate button in Voice section of the Home ribbon tab.

  3. Wait for the button to turn on and start listening.

  4. Move your cursor to a placeholder or to the slide notes and start speaking to see text appear.

  5. Insert punctuation at any time by saying them explicitly.

  6. Fix mistakes with your keyboard without having to toggle the mic icon off.

Punctuation

Select your language

English

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
period, full stop .
comma ,
question mark ?
exclamation mark/point !
new line new line
apostrophe-s 's
colon :
semicolon ;
open quotesclose quotes " "
hyphen -
ellipsis, dot dot dot ...
begin/open single quoteend/close single quote ' '
left/open parenthesesright/close parentheses ( )
left/open bracketright/close bracket [ ]
left/open braceright/close brace { }

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
asterisk *
backslash \
forward slash /
vertical bar sign, pipe character |
backquote, backtick `
underscore _
m-dash
n-dash
paragraph sign/mark
section sign §
ampersand, and sign &
at sign @
copyright sign ©
registered sign ®
degree symbol °
caret symbol ^

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
percent sign %
number/pound sign #
plus sign +
minus sign -
multiplication sign x
plus or minus sign ±
division sign ÷
equal sign =
less than sign, left angle bracketgreater than sign, right angle bracket < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
dollar sign $
pound sterling sign £
euro sign
yen sign ¥

Emoji/faces

Phrase(s) Output
smiley face :)
frowny face :(
winky face ;)
heart emoji <3

Editing

Phrase(s)
undo
delete*
delete that*
delete [word or phrase]*
delete last [1-100] words/sentences
insert space
backspace
backspace [1-100]

While dictating

Phrase(s)
show help
pause dictation
exit dictation*

Tip

* To resume dictation, use the keyboard shortcut ALT + ' or press the Mic icon in the floating dictation menu.

Chinese

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
句 号
逗 号 ,
换 行换行符分段符 换 行
问 号
感叹号
冒号
左引号右引号 " "
左括号右括号 ( )
分号
短划线 -
左单引号右单引号 ‘ '
左中括号右中括号 [ ]
顿号
撇号 '
省略号 ...

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
艾特符号at符号 @
星号 *
下划线 _
与号 &
正斜杠斜杠 /
度标记 °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
百分号 %
井号 #
加号 +
减号 -
乘号 ×
除号 ÷
等号 =
加减号 ±
小于号大于号 < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
美元符号 $
英镑符号 £
欧元符号
日元符号 ¥
人民币符号 ¥

Spanish

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
punto .
coma ,
signo de apertura de interrogación ¿
signo de interrogación ?
signo de apertura de exclamación ¡
signo de exclamación !
salto de líneanueva líneanuevo párrafo nueva línea
dos puntos :
punto y coma ;
comillas izquierdascomillas derechas « »
paréntesis de apertura, abrir paréntesisparéntesis de cierre, cerrar paréntesis ( )
comilla simple de apertura, abrir comilla simple '
corchete de apertura, abrir corchetecorchete de cierre, cerrar corchete [ ]
guion corto -
apóstrofo '
puntos suspensivos ...
cerrar comilla simplecomilla simple de cierre ' '

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
arroba @
asterisco *
comilla inversa `
guion bajo _
y comercial &
barra diagonal /
símbolo de grado °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
signo de porcentaje %
hashtag #
signo más +
signo menos -
signo de multiplicación ×
signo de división ÷
signo igual =
signo más o menos ±
signo menor quesigno mayor que < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
símbolo del dólar $
símbolo de la libra esterlina £
símbolo del euro
símbolo del yen ¥

Emoji/faces

Phrase(s) Output
cara sonriente :-)
emoji de corazón <3
cara enfadada :-(
cara con guiño ;-)

French

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
point .
virgule ,
point d'interrogation ?
point d'exclamation !
saut de ligne saut de ligne
nouveau paragraphe nouveau paragraphe
deux points :
point-virgule ;
guillemet gauche, guillemet ouvrantguillemet droit, guillemet fermant « »
parenthèse gauche, parenthèse ouvranteparenthèse fermante ( )
tiret demi-cadratin -
guillemet simple ouvrant '
crochet droit ouvrantcrochet droit fermant [ ]
apostrophe '
guillemet simple fermant '
points de suspension ...

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
arobase @
astérisque *
trait de soulignement _
barre oblique /
symbole degré °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
signe dièse #
signe plus +
tiret -
signe multiplication ×
signe division ÷
signe égal =
signe pourcentage %
signe inférieur àsigne supérieur à < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
signe dollar $
signe livre sterling £
signe euro
signe yen ¥

Emoji/faces

Phrase(s) Output
émoticône :-)
emoji cœur <3

German

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
punktsatzende .
komma ,
fragezeichen ?
ausrufezeichenrufzeichen !
neue zeilezeilenumbruch neue zeile
doppelpunktkolon :
strichpunktsemikolon ;
öffnendes anführungszeichen, beginn zitatschließendes anführungszeichen, ende zitat « »

Italian

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
punto .
virgola ,
punto interrogativopunto di domanda ?
punto esclamativo !
a caponuova riga nuova riga
due punti :
punto e virgola ;
virgolette apertevirgolette chiuse « »
parentesi apertaparentesi chiusa ( )
segno di percentuale segno di percentuale
parentesi quadra apertaparentesi quadra chiusa [ ]
aperta virgoletta singolachiudi virgoletta singola ' '
puntini di sospensione ...
trattino -

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
a commerciale @
asterisco *
underscore _
e commerciale &
simbolo di grado °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
cancellettohashtag #
segno di divisione ÷
segno di moltiplicazione ×
segno di uguale =
segno di minoresegno di maggiore < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
simbolo di dollaro $
simbolo di sterlina £
simbolo di euro
simbolo di yen ¥

Portuguese

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
ponto final .
vírgula ,
ponto de interrogação ?
ponto de exclamação !
nova linhamudar de linha nova linha
dois pontos :
ponto e vírgula ;
abrir aspasfechar aspas " "
hífen -
parêntese esquerdo, parêntese de aberturaparêntese direito ( )
aspas simples inicial, aspas simples de aberturaaspas simples de fechamento, aspas simples de final ' '
colchete esquerdo, colchete aberturacolchete direito, colchete de fechamento [ ]
apóstrofo '
reticências ...

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
arroba @
asterisco *
sublinhado _
aspa invertida `
e comercial &
sinal e &
sinal de grau °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
tecla jogo da velha #
sinal de adição +
sinal de subtração -
sinal de divisão ÷
sinal de multiplicação ×
sinal de igual =
sinal de porcentagem %
sinal de mais ou menos ±
sinal de menor quesinal de maior que < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
cifrão $
símbolo da libra esterlina £
símbolo do Euro
símbolo do Iene ¥

Emoji/faces

Phrase(s) Output
smiley :-)
emoji de coração <3

Japanese

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
読 点
句 点
く て ん
ク エ ス チ ョ ン マ ー ク , 疑 問 符
改 行か い ぎ ょ う か い ぎ ょ う
び っ く り マ ー ク , 感 嘆 符 !
ハイフン -
二重かぎかっこ開く , 左二重かぎかっこ右二重かぎかっこ , 二重かぎかっこ閉じる 『 』
左かっこ , かっこ開く右かっこ , かっこ閉じる ( )
セミコロン
新しい段落 新しい段落
左かぎかっこ , かぎかっこ開く右かぎかっこ , かぎかっこ閉じる 「 」
左大かっこ , 角かっこ開く右大かっこ , 大かっこ閉じる [ ]
三点リーダー ...

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
アット記号アットマーク @
アスタリスク *
度記号 °
アンパサンドアンド記号 &

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
番号記号 #
プラス記号 +
マイナス記号 -
等号 =
パーセント記号 %
プラスマイナス ±
小なり記号大なり記号 < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
ドル記号 $
ポンド記号 £
ユーロ記号
円記号 ¥

Norwegian

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
punktum .
komma ,
spørsmålstegn ?
utropstegn !
ny linje ny linje
kolon :
bindestrek -
venstre anførselstegn, begynnende anførselstegnhøyre anførselstegn, avsluttende anførselstegn " "
venstreparenteshøyreparentes ( )
semikolon ;
tankestrek
kort tankestrek
nytt avsnitt nytt avsnitt
apostrof-ess 's
begynnende enkelt anførselstegn, venstre enkelt anførselstegnhøyre enkelt anførselstegn, avsluttende enkelt anførselstegn ' '
venstre hakeparenteshøyre hakeparentes [ ]
apostrof '

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
krøllalfategnalfakrøll omtale @
og-tegn &
skråstrek /
gradetegn °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
prosenttegn %
nummertegnemneknagg #
minustegn -
plusstegn +
multiplikasjonstegn ×
divisjonstegn ÷
pluss- eller minustegn ±
likhetstegn =
mindre enn-tegnstørre enn-tegn < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
dollartegn $
britisk pund-tegn £
eurotegn
yen-tegn ¥

Emoji/faces

Phrase(s) Output
rynkefjes :-(
blinkefjes ;-)
smilefjes :-)
hjerte-emoji <3

Swedish

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
punkt .
kommatecken ,
frågetecken ?
utropstecken !
påbörja ny radny rad ny rad
bindestreck -
vänsterparentes, inledande parenteshögerparentes, avslutande parentes ( )
semikolon ;
tankstreck
kort tankstreck
inledande citatteckenavslutande citattecken " "
enkelt citattecken, inledande enkelt citatteckenavslutande enkelt citattecken ' '
vänster hakparentes, inledande hakparenteshöger hakparentes, avslutande hakparentes [ ]
apostrof '

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
at-omnämnande @
asterisk *
framåtlutat snedstreck, snedstreck, slash /
understreck _
grav accent `
et-tecken, och-tecken &
gradtecken °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
procenttecken %
nummertecken #
plustecken +
minustecken -
multiplikationstecken ×
plus-minustecken ±
divisionstecken ÷
mindre än-tecken, större än-tecken < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
dollartecken $
pundtecken £
eurotecken
yentecken ¥

Emoji/faces

Phrase(s) Output
blinkande smiley ;-)

Danish

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
punktum .
komma ,
spørgsmålstegn ?
udråbstegn !
linjeskift linjeskift
kolon :
semikolon ;
venstre parentes, åben parenteshøjre parentes, lukket parentes ( )
startende anførselstegn, begyndende anførselstegnafsluttende anførselstegn, lukkende anførselstegn " "
nyt afsnit nyt afsnit
apostrof s 's
startende enkelt anførselstegn, åbnende enkelt anførselstegnafsluttende enkelt anførselstegn, lukkende enkelt anførselstegn ' '
venstre kantet parentes, åben kantet parenteshøjre kantet parentes, lukket kantet parentes [ ]
apostrof '
ellipse ...

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
snabel-a @
stjerne *
skråstreg /
og-tegn &
grad-tegn °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
plustegn +
plus- eller minustegn ±
divisionstegn ÷
lighedstegn =
pund-tegn, nummertegn, hash-tegn #
procenttegn %
mindre end, større end < >

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
dollartegn $
pund sterling-tegn £
euro-tegn
yen-tegn ¥

Emoji/faces

Phrase(s) Output
smilende ansigt :-)
hjerte <3
trist smiley :-(
blinkende smiley ;-)

Dutch

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
punt .
komma ,
vraagteken ?
uitroepteken !
nieuwe regelregeleinde nieuwe regel
puntkomma ;
dubbele punt :
afbreekstreepje -
en-streepje
linkerhaakjehaakje sluiten ( )
aanhalingsteken openen, beginaanhalingstekenaanhalingsteken sluiten, eindaanhalingsteken " "
nieuwe alinea nieuwe alinea
apostrof s 's
enkel beginaanhalingsteken, enkel aanhalingsteken openenenkel aanhalingsteken sluiten, enkel eindaanhalingsteken ' '
vierkante linkerhaak, vierkante haak openenvierkante rechterhaak, vierkante haak sluiten [ ]
apostrof '
beletselteken ...

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
ampersand, en-teken &
slash /
onderstrepingsteken, laag streepje _
gradenteken °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
plusteken +
minteken -
vermenigvuldigingsteken ×
plusminusteken ±
deelteken ÷
gelijkteken =
kleiner dan-tekengroter dan-teken < >
procentteken %
nummerteken, hashtag #

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
euroteken
yenteken ¥
dollarteken $
britse pond-teken £

Emoji/faces

Phrase(s) Output
hart-emoji <3

Finnish

Punctuation

Phrase(s) Output
piste .
pilkku ,
kysymysmerkki ?
huutomerkki !
uusi rivirivinvaihto uusi rivi
kaksoispiste :
yhdysmerkki -
vasen sulkumerkkioikea kaarisulje ( )
puolipiste ;
viiva
uusi kappale uusi kappale
vasen puolilainausmerkkioikea puolilainausmerkki ' '
vasen hakasuljeoikea hakasulje [ ]
heittomerkki '
ellipsi ...

Symbols

Phrase(s) Output
ät-merkki, ät-maininta @
tähtimerkki *
gravis `
et-merkki, ja-merkki &
vinoviiva /
alaviiva _
astemerkki °

Mathematics

Phrase(s) Output
ristikkomerkki #
prosenttimerkki %
plusmerkki +
miinusmerkki -
yhtäläisyysmerkki =
kertomerkki ×
plus- tai miinusmerkki ±
pienempi kuin -merkkisuurempi kuin -merkki < >
jakomerkki ÷

Currency

Phrase(s) Output
dollarin merkki $
punnan merkki £
euron merkki
jenin merkki ¥

Emoji/faces

Phrase(s) Output
surullinen hymiö :-(
silmää iskevä hymiö ;-)
hymiö :-)
sydänhymiö <3

Spoken languages supported

By default, Dictation is set to your document language in Office.

We are actively working to improve these languages and add more locales and languages.

Supported Languages

Chinese (China)

English (Australia)

English (Canada)

English (India)

English (United Kingdom)

English (United States)

French (Canada)

French (France)

German (Germany)

Hindi

Italian (Italy)

Japanese

Portuguese (Brazil)

Spanish (Spain)

Spanish (Mexico)

Preview languages *

Arabic (Bahrain)

Arabic (Egypt)

Arabic (Saudi Arabia)

Bulgarian

Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong)

Chinese (Taiwan)

Croatian (Croatia)

Czech

Danish

Dutch (Netherlands)

English (New Zealand)

Estonian

Finnish

Greek

Gujarati (India)

Hebrew

Hungarian

Irish

Korean

Latvian

Lithuanian

Maltese

Marathi (India)

Norwegian (Bokmål)

Polish

Portuguese (Portugal)

Romanian

Russian

Slovak

Slovenian

Swedish (Sweden)

Tamil (India)

Telugu (India)

Thai

Turkish (Turkey)

Vietnamese

* Preview Languages may have lower accuracy or limited punctuation support.

Privacy

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

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

For more information about experiences that analyze your content, see Connected Experiences in Office.

Troubleshooting

Can't find the dictate button

If you can't see the button to start dictation:

  • check if you are on the new Edge, Firefox, or Chrome.
  • make sure you're signed in with your Microsoft account.
  • on Windows: make sure you have Windows 10 or above.

Dictate button is grayed out

If you see the dictate button is grayed out:

  • make sure the document is not in a Read-Only state.

Microphone doesn't have access

If you see "Please check your audio settings" or "We don’t have access to your microphone":

  • Make sure no other application or web page is using the microphone and try again.

  • Check your browser's settings, search for "microphone", and see if you may have denied permissions in the past for PowerPoint, Office, or OneDrive by viewing it in your blocked list. Remove it from the Block list, refresh, select Dictate again, and enable permissions in the dialog from browser asking "onedrive.live.com wants to use your microphone" with Allow and Block buttons.

    Screenshot of Dialog from browser asking with Allow and Block buttons.

Microphone isn't working

If you see "There is a problem with your microphone" or "We can’t detect your microphone":

Dictation can't hear you

If you see "Dictation can't hear you" or if nothing appears on the screen as you dictate:

  • make sure your microphone is not muted.
  • adjust the input level of your microphone.
  • move to a quieter location.
  • if using a built-in mic, consider trying again with a headset or external mic.

Accuracy issues or missed words

If you see a lot of incorrect words being output or missed words:

  • make sure you're on a fast and reliable internet connection.
  • avoid or eliminate background noise that may interfere with your voice.
  • try speaking more deliberately.
  • check to see if the microphone you are using needs to be upgraded.