Which engine listens in your browser?
The tool does not ship its own live recognizer. It uses what your browser offers, and the table shows what that means for speed and privacy.
| Browser | Who recognizes your speech | When words appear | Where the audio goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Chrome’s built-in recognition | While you speak | Google’s online speech service |
| Edge | Edge’s built-in recognition | While you speak | Decided by the browser |
| Safari | Safari’s built-in recognition | While you speak | Decided by the browser |
| Firefox | Whisper, through ttsmaker | After each pause | Our server to Cloudflare Workers AI, or your device in browser mode |
Chrome’s recognition runs on a server, so it needs an internet connection. If a browser’s recognition service does not respond, which happens in some Chromium-based browsers, the tool switches to the Firefox method on its own: it records until you pause and sends each piece to Whisper.
Punctuation and voice commands
In Firefox mode, Whisper adds commas, periods and capital letters by itself. With the built-in recognition of Chrome, Edge and Safari, punctuation depends on the browser and the language. Saying “comma” or “new line” may or may not insert the mark, so plan to tidy the text by hand.
Editing commands such as “select that”, “delete that” or “bold” are not supported here. The tool turns speech into plain text and nothing more.
When the dictation built into your apps fits better
Your system and your editor may already have voice typing. They are often the better choice when you want the text to land directly in a document.
Google Docs voice typing. In a document, open Tools, then Voice typing, and click the microphone. It works in recent Chrome, Edge and Safari. Commands for punctuation, selecting and formatting work only in English, and only if both your account and the document are set to English. Step-by-step help: voice typing in Google Docs.
Windows voice typing. Put the cursor in any text box and press the Windows key + H. It needs an internet connection and works in Windows 11 and Windows 10. The settings include automatic punctuation, and you can say “stop listening” to end it.
Mac Dictation. Turn it on in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation. Start it with the Microphone key, the Dictation keyboard shortcut, or Edit, Start Dictation in the menu. You can say the name of a punctuation mark, and in supported languages Dictation adds commas and periods for you.
Word. The Dictate button works inside Word documents; see how to dictate in Word.
This page is handier when you need text quickly without opening an editor, when you use Firefox, or when you want a plain TXT file at the end.
Voice typing will not start?
Check that the browser has microphone permission and that the right input device is selected. The microphone troubleshooting page covers the common causes.
What voice typing here does not do
- It does not type into other apps or windows. The text stays in the box until you copy it.
- It does not save a recording of your voice.
- It does not label speakers or work as a meeting recorder.
- It does not follow editing or formatting commands.
To transcribe something you have already recorded, use the file tab on speech to text.