How to dictate in PowerPoint with your voice (Windows and Mac)

Option 1: PowerPoint's Dictate button

PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 has its own dictation. It types into the text boxes on your slides and into the speaker notes.

In PowerPoint for Windows:

1. On the Home tab, click Dictate.
2. Wait for the button to turn on.
3. Click in a text box or in the speaker notes and start talking.
4. To stop, click Dictate again.

It's only for Microsoft 365 subscribers, on Windows 10 or later, signed in, with a microphone and an internet connection. Office 2016 and Office 2019 don't have it without Microsoft 365.

In PowerPoint for the web:

1. Sign in using Edge, Firefox or Chrome.
2. On the Home tab, in the Voice section, click Dictate.
3. Wait for the button to turn on, click in a text box or the notes, and talk.
4. To stop, click Dictate again.

It needs a reliable internet connection. Microsoft's guide to dictating in PowerPoint only has instructions for Windows and the web.

Good for: dictating without installing anything, if you already pay for Microsoft 365. Missing: working outside the Microsoft 365 apps that have the button, and removing filler words.

Option 2: Windows or Mac dictation

It's already on your computer, and it works in PowerPoint and any other app.

• On Windows: click in a text box and press Windows + H. To stop, click the microphone on the voice typing bar. It uses Microsoft's online speech recognition, so it needs the internet. How to use Windows voice typing.
• On a Mac: turn it on in Apple menu › System Settings › Keyboard › Dictation, then start it with the Microphone key or a shortcut you choose. To stop, press the Microphone key or your shortcut again. Depending on the language and your Mac, it may need the internet; that same setting tells you. How to use Mac dictation.

Good for: dictating in any app without installing anything. Missing: removing filler words. It types exactly what you say: if you said "um", it types it, and if you corrected yourself mid-sentence, both versions stay. The exception is Windows "fluid dictation", which cleans up filler words in English on Copilot+ PCs.

Option 3: Loro

Loro types what you said, minus the "um"s and the half-sentence you corrected.

1. Download Loro for free for Windows or Mac.
2. Click in a text box on the slide or in the speaker notes.
3. Hold Ctrl + Win (fn on a Mac) and talk the way you talk.
4. Let go. The text appears where your cursor is.

In the PowerPoint app, when you're online, Loro also sorts out what you list: if you name three or more things, it puts them in a list with dashes, one per line. That way you can dictate the points of a slide in one go. For example, you say:

um, our goals for the quarter are, uh, opening the online store, hiring two salespeople and getting delivery down to two days

And Loro types:

Our goals for the quarter are:
- Opening the online store
- Hiring two salespeople
- Getting delivery down to two days

With Loro Pro you can also rewrite by voice: select the text on a slide, hold Ctrl + Win and say "make it shorter" or "turn it into a list".

Good for: dictating in PowerPoint and any other app without filler words. Missing: it doesn't come installed (you have to download it), and lists and self-corrections need the internet; offline, it still types and removes filler words. Rewriting by voice is Pro-only, and the free plan dictates 2,000 words a week.

Dictating your speaker notes

Speaker notes hold what you plan to say on each slide, which makes them a good thing to dictate: you say them the way you'll say them in front of people, and they end up written under the slide.

1. Open the slide and click in the notes pane below it.
2. Hold Ctrl + Win (fn on a Mac) and say what you're going to say, in your own words.
3. Let go and move on to the next slide.

If it came out long, with Pro select the note and say "summarize it in three bullets". You'll have short notes to glance at while you present.

The three options, compared

	PowerPoint's Dictate button	Windows or Mac dictation	Loro
Where it works	PowerPoint, on Windows and the web	Any app	Any app
What you need	Microsoft 365, signed in	Nothing to install	Install Loro
Offline	No	Windows: no. Mac: depends on the language	Yes; lists and self-corrections need the internet
Removes "um" and "uh"	No	Only fluid dictation on Copilot+ PCs	Yes
Understands self-corrections	No	No	Yes, online
Turns what you list into a list	No	No	Yes, online
Rewrite by voice ("make it shorter")	No	No	Yes, with Pro
Price	Included in Microsoft 365	Free	Free up to 2,000 words a week; Pro: USD 9.99 a month

Tips for dictating a presentation

• One point at a time, if you prefer. Dictate a point, let go, press Enter and dictate the next one.
• Add product and client names to your dictionary (in Loro, once and done). If you fix a name after dictating it, Loro learns it on its own.
• Check the numbers. If you dictate figures, look them over before you present.