Forum Discussion

Dee4's avatar
Dee4
Copper Contributor
Oct 06, 2025

Word dictation overwriting

Hi. I use the dictation tool in MS Word. Just recently it is overwriting all the previous sentences. The insert key isn't pressed and the overwrite is turned off in settings. Any ideas how to fix thi...
accessibility
Surya_Narayana's avatar
Surya_Narayana
MCT
Oct 10, 2025

hi Dee4​ That’s an interesting issue — it sounds like Word’s Dictation feature might be behaving as if it’s in replace mode, even though overwrite is disabled. You could try the following steps to troubleshoot:

1.Check if Dictation is restarting the input field each time.

Stop dictation, click manually at the end of your text, and start dictation again.

If it continues overwriting, try opening a new blank document to see if the behavior persists.

2.Repair Office installation

Go to Settings > Apps > Microsoft Office > Modify > Quick Repair.

Restart Word after repair.

3.Turn off AutoCorrect replace settings

In Word, go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options, and confirm that “Replace text as you type” is not interfering with dictation.

4.Test dictation in Word Online

Sign in to Word Online and check if dictation overwrites there too.

If not, the issue may be local (desktop build or add-in conflict).

If this started happening just recently, it may also relate to a recent Word or Windows update. You can check for updates under File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Resources