Forum Discussion
Word Dictation not working
Recently, Dictation in my Word software stopped working. I click the Dictate button and the program looks like it's dictating, but nothing appears onscreen. I've tried restarting Word, restarting my computer, and doing an online repair of Microsoft 365, but no luck. I updated MS 365 yesterday, but the issue began before that. Thanks in advance for your help.
1 Reply
1. Quick check
Make sure the microphone is working
Check internet connection
Make sure you are using the latest version of Word → Accounts → Update Office
2. Permission settings
Press Win+I to open Settings
Go to "Privacy and Security" → "Microphone"
Turn on:
"Allow apps to access the microphone"
"Allow desktop apps to access the microphone"
3. Basic fixes
Re-activate dictation:
Press Win+H in Word → Close then re-enable microphone icon Clear cache: Close Word Press Win+R enter %appdata%\Microsoft\Office → Delete "16.0\Speech". → Close and re-open the microphone icon
Clear the cache:
Close Word
Press Win+R and type %appdata%\Microsoft\Office → Delete the "16.0\Speech" folder
Restart Word
4. System Repair
Repair Office:
Control Panel → Programs and Features → Select Microsoft 365 → Changes → Quick Repair Repair
Update Language Pack:
Settings → Time & Language → Language → Add English (US) → Download Speech Pack
5. Ultimate Solution
Reset Word Settings:
Close Word
Rename Folder: %appdata%\Microsoft\Word
Re-open Word
