Talking to your phone is three times faster than typing on it, with fewer typos. Here’s how to start, plus pro moves for people who already dictate.

October 5, 2026

By Kim Komando

Typing on a slab of glass with your thumbs is slow. Talking isn’t. Your phone has known that for years. You’re the one who never pressed the button.

Monday’s a good day to start.

🎙️ How to dictate

iPhone and Android: Tap the microphone on your keyboard and talk. To punctuate, say “comma,” “period,” “question mark,” etc. Say “new paragraph” to break things up.

Windows: Click in any text box and press Windows key + H. Say “stop listening” when you’re done.

Mac: Turn it on at System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation, then press the microphone key or tap Control twice.

FYI, nobody sounds natural the first time. (I sound like a hostage reading a statement.) Give it a week.

🧠 Already a pro? Try these

I tested all the steps below, but depending on the make, model and operating system, yours may be different. Just poke around, you’ll find what you need.

1. Edit by voice on Windows. Say “delete that” to erase what you just said, “undo that” to take it back or “select that” to highlight it.
2. Let the computer punctuate. On Windows, open the settings (the gear on the voice typing menu) and turn on Automatic punctuation. On iPhone, check Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation.
3. Shout in all caps, politely. On iPhone, say “all caps” before a word for HEADLINES, or “numeral” before a number so “4” doesn’t come out “four.”
4. Don’t edit silently. On iPhone, the mic keeps listening while you tap to fix a word with your thumb. Talk and type at the same time.
5. The ramble-to-email trick. Talk into the Voice Memos app or a note for two minutes on your walk. Messy is fine. Paste the transcript into ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude and say, “Turn this into a short, polite email.” Done before you hit your desk. Make sure to read it before you hit send.
6. Skip the keyboard with AI, too. The ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude apps all have a microphone. Ask your question out loud, like you’d ask a smart friend. You’ll give it more detail, and you’ll get a better answer.

One catch: Dictation mangles names. Proofread anything with a name in it. (Your boss Deb does not want to be called Dead.)

It wasn’t easy for the guy who invented the microphone in the beginning. He got some really bad feedback.

📩 Send this to someone who still types every text with one finger.