{"id":39502,"date":"2013-11-27T21:56:55","date_gmt":"2013-11-27T16:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=39502"},"modified":"2026-10-07T07:06:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T01:36:27","slug":"desktop-google-voice-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/desktop-google-voice-search\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Google Voice Search on Desktop (Chrome Guide 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Google voice search on desktop lets you search by speaking instead of typing. It works on desktop and laptop browsers: just click the microphone in the Google search box and say your query. When we first wrote about this in 2013, a Chrome extension even let you say &#8220;OK Google&#8221; hands-free. That hotword feature is long gone, but voice search on desktop is still easy and accurate. Here&#8217;s how to use Google voice search on your desktop in 2026, and how to fix it when the microphone doesn&#8217;t work.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-39504\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-voice-search1.png\" alt=\"Google voice search on desktop\" width=\"500\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-voice-search1.png 500w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-voice-search1-150x70.png 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/google-voice-search1-300x140.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google.com<\/a> in Chrome, click the <strong>microphone icon<\/strong> in the search box, allow microphone access when asked, and speak. Google shows results as soon as you stop talking.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad48ac335f59\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad48ac335f59\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/desktop-google-voice-search\/#How_to_use_Google_voice_search_on_desktop\" >How to use Google voice search on desktop<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/desktop-google-voice-search\/#What_happened_to_%E2%80%9COK_Google%E2%80%9D_on_desktop\" >What happened to &#8220;OK Google&#8221; on desktop?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/desktop-google-voice-search\/#Google_voice_search_not_working_Try_these_fixes\" >Google voice search not working? Try these fixes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/desktop-google-voice-search\/#Other_ways_to_search_by_voice_on_a_computer\" >Other ways to search by voice on a computer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/desktop-google-voice-search\/#Frequently_asked_questions\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/desktop-google-voice-search\/#Can_I_say_%E2%80%9COK_Google%E2%80%9D_on_my_laptop\" >Can I say &#8220;OK Google&#8221; on my laptop?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/desktop-google-voice-search\/#Does_Google_voice_search_work_in_Edge_or_Firefox\" >Does Google voice search work in Edge or Firefox?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/desktop-google-voice-search\/#Is_Google_voice_search_free\" >Is Google voice search free?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_use_Google_voice_search_on_desktop\"><\/span>How to use Google voice search on desktop<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/chrome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Chrome<\/a> (voice search works best in Chrome) and go to Google.com.<\/li>\n<li>Click the <strong>microphone icon<\/strong> on the right of the search box.<\/li>\n<li>The first time, your browser asks for permission to use the microphone. Click <strong>Allow<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>When you see &#8220;Listening&#8230;&#8221;, say your search clearly, for example &#8220;weather in Delhi tomorrow&#8221; or &#8220;how many ounces in a cup&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>Google converts your speech to text and shows the results. Click the mic again to search again.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Speaking slowly and clearly in a quiet room gives the best results. Google recognises Indian English and many languages, including Hindi. Change the language in <strong>Settings \u2192 Languages<\/strong> on Google Search if needed.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happened_to_%E2%80%9COK_Google%E2%80%9D_on_desktop\"><\/span>What happened to &#8220;OK Google&#8221; on desktop?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-39503\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/ok-google.png\" alt=\"old OK Google hotword on Google desktop search\" width=\"440\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/ok-google.png 440w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/ok-google-150x78.png 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/ok-google-300x156.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 440px) 100vw, 440px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In 2013 Google released the Google Voice Search Hotword extension for Chrome. With it, the Google homepage kept the microphone listening, and you could say &#8220;<strong>OK Google<\/strong>&#8221; to start a search without clicking anything, much like &#8220;OK Glass&#8221; on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/07\/google-glass-taking-photo-video\/\">Google Glass<\/a>. Google later built it into Chrome and then removed it from desktop in 2015, as few people used it. Today, hands-free &#8220;Hey Google&#8221; works on phones, smart speakers and displays, not in desktop browsers.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_voice_search_not_working_Try_these_fixes\"><\/span>Google voice search not working? Try these fixes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Allow microphone access:<\/strong> click the lock or settings icon left of the address bar, then set <strong>Microphone<\/strong> to <strong>Allow<\/strong>. In Chrome you can also check <strong>Settings \u2192 Privacy and security \u2192 Site settings \u2192 Microphone<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Choose the right microphone:<\/strong> in the same Chrome setting, pick your headset or laptop mic from the drop-down.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check Windows or Mac permissions:<\/strong> on Windows 11, go to <strong>Settings \u2192 Privacy &amp; security \u2192 Microphone<\/strong> and allow desktop apps. On a Mac, go to <strong>System Settings \u2192 Privacy &amp; Security \u2192 Microphone<\/strong> and enable your browser.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use a supported browser:<\/strong> if you don&#8217;t see the mic icon, try Chrome or update your browser.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Test your mic<\/strong> in another app, and make sure it isn&#8217;t muted.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_ways_to_search_by_voice_on_a_computer\"><\/span>Other ways to search by voice on a computer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Windows voice typing:<\/strong> press <strong>Windows key + H<\/strong> in any text box, including the Google search box, and dictate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mac dictation:<\/strong> press the microphone key or the <strong>Fn<\/strong> key twice to dictate into any search box.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gemini:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/gemini.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Gemini<\/a> on the web lets you speak your questions and get conversational answers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Google app on your phone:<\/strong> for hands-free voice search, use the Google app or say &#8220;Hey Google&#8221; on Android and iPhone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_say_%E2%80%9COK_Google%E2%80%9D_on_my_laptop\"><\/span>Can I say &#8220;OK Google&#8221; on my laptop?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Not in a desktop browser. The hotword was removed from Chrome on desktop. Click the microphone on Google.com instead, or use voice search on your phone.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Google_voice_search_work_in_Edge_or_Firefox\"><\/span>Does Google voice search work in Edge or Firefox?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The mic icon works best in Chrome. In other browsers you may not see it, but Windows voice typing (Win + H) works in any browser.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Google_voice_search_free\"><\/span>Is Google voice search free?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Voice search is free on Google.com and in the Google app.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google voice search on desktop lets you search by speaking instead of typing. It works on desktop and laptop browsers:&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":39504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computers","category-google"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63371,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39502\/revisions\/63371"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}