Google wants bolding a phrase in a document or aligning a paragraph to be as simple as saying the command out loud. The company announced on Feb. 24 that Google Docs users will be able to execute tasks like these and others through voice dictation.
Google Docs supports a lengthy list of voice commands aimed at selecting text, formatting a document, adding and editing tables, and more. For instance, saying the word “cut” followed by the phrase you’d like to delete would tell Google to erase those specific words. Google has supported voice dictation in Google Docs for months, but this is the first time advanced editing tools like these have been made available.
To use this feature in Google Docs, click on the “Tools” menu and select “Voice Typing.” A box with a microphone icon in it should appear alongside the document, and clicking that symbol will tell Google to listen up for voice commands. Google also notes that this functionality only works when using Docs in Chrome, and voice commands are only available for English language documents.
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