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Management Assistance Program

A Keystroke to Memorize. Windows Key Plus H.

As you likely know, Microsoft 365 provides great speech recognition built right into Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and OneNote. You just click on the microphone icon labeled Dictate and begin your dictation.

But to dictate into other applications on your computer, there are other built-in options.

It’s simple on a PC, just use the Windows key + H to open the dictation Windows. (If it hasn’t been enabled, you may receive a link to first enable the feature.) Place your cursor in any text entry box and dictate away. You can also dictate appropriate punctuation. I suggest memorizing this keystroke combo so you can quickly use it when needed. Use this to dictate into Microsoft Excel or a web search engine for example.

I must confess I didn’t know how to do this on a Mac. But longtime technology tipster Kim Komando shared how to do it in a recent feature:

“On a Mac, it requires a bit more setup.

  • Click the Apple logo, then System Preferences.
  • Choose Keyboard > Dictation. Make sure this is set to On. You can set up a shortcut to start dictation here, like hitting the Control key twice.
  • Now, open a document, tap the cursor, then tap your shortcut. You can also select Edit > Start Dictation.
  • A microphone will appear. Hit Done when you’re finished.”