ms word transcribe upload audio not working

Question

ms word transcribe upload audio not working

Syed Naqvi 0

when i open a blank word document and go to dictate and click transcribe then click 'upload audio' it does nothing. i used to be able to upload files and get a transcription but it does not work anymore. when i go to web ms word it works. i tried the solution of repairing my MS 365 it took a while to repair but it still hasn't fixed the original problem. i have checked all my drivers and software. everything is up to date.

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3 answers

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Answer 1

Charles Kenyon 172K Volunteer Moderator

This has been reported by numerous users. Do submit customer feedback on this. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/giving-feedback-on-microsoft-word-or-other/8df81a9b-84aa-46ef-bf88-24fb7fec96ba

As reported today by David Murphy:

Some people are reporting a possible workaround now, try to widen the transcribe panel by dragging the edge of the panel to the left and test if that resolves the problem.

2026-11-11_075002

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Answer 2

Norah-L 13,770 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Syed Naqvi,

This issue is currently affecting multiple Word users. Similar reports describe the same behavior, where Upload audio does nothing in the desktop app but continues to work in Word for the web. Some users have reported that the issue has been submitted to Microsoft and is under investigation.

Since Office repair and updates have not helped, there may not be much more you can do from your side at the moment. However, one suggested workaround you can try is to widen the Transcribe pane before selecting Upload audio.

If that does not help, please continue using Word for the web temporarily. You can also report the issue from Word through Help → Feedback or File → Feedback as AI answer suggested and include your Word version and build number. This sends reports to the relevant product team for further investigation.

Since this is a user-to-user forum, we can share suggestions based on available information and personal experience, but we cannot access or inspect Microsoft’s backend systems.

Alessandra Marocco 0 Reputation points

2026-11-10T05:57:42.2966667+00:00

Allargando il pannello funziona! grazie.
Daniel Palmer 5 Reputation points

2026-11-10T14:58:43.43+00:00

This started for me yesterday. I have commercial Word account. The quick suggested workaround is to widen the Transcribe pane before selecting Upload audio. This worked for me.
Mark S 0 Reputation points

2026-11-10T16:16:45.09+00:00

Wow! Thanks. I've spent that last 30 minutes trying to solve this and widening the window just worked. Amazing
Cheang, Sue Lyn 0 Reputation points

2026-11-11T03:06:14.65+00:00

Had the same issue, and this solution (widen the Transcribe pane before selecting Upload audio.) really works! What an odd bug.
Steven Simmons 0 Reputation points

2026-11-11T21:24:37.32+00:00

After a fair bit of time being frustrated in my attempts to upload, including multiple restarts, I found this thread. Widening the window worked. Bizarre!!!!!

Answer 3

Use Word for the web for now, because the inactive Upload audio button matches a newly reported Word for Windows desktop issue while web transcription continues to work.^1^

Immediate workaround

Open Word for the web in Microsoft Edge or Chrome.
Sign in with the same Microsoft 365 account.
Select Home → Dictate ▼ → Transcribe → Upload audio.
Select the recording and leave the Transcribe pane open while it processes.

Word supports .wav, .mp4, .m4a, and .mp3; uploaded recordings are stored in the Transcribed Files folder in OneDrive.^2^

What this indicates

Because:

the desktop button does nothing before a file picker appears,
the same account and files work in Word for the web, and
Office repair and updates have already made no difference,

this is not an audio-driver or individual recording-format problem. Do not repeat the Office repair or driver checks.

There are two remaining possibilities:

A current Word desktop regression. Recent reports describe the same Windows symptom, although Microsoft’s public Word known-issues page does not currently list it.^1^^3^
Desktop eligibility for the account. Microsoft’s current documentation lists Word for Windows Transcribe as available for Microsoft 365 on Windows in commercial tenants, while the web version has separate availability. Since it previously worked with your home subscription, this note alone does not establish that Microsoft intentionally removed access; Microsoft Support would need to verify the entitlement.^2^

Report and escalate it

In Word, use File → Feedback and include:

“Transcribe → Upload audio does not open the file picker.”
Word for the web works with the same account and file.
Office repair and all available updates are already complete.
Your Microsoft 365 subscription type.
File → Account → About Word version and build.
The approximate time and time zone when you reproduced it.

Also open the Windows Get Help app, request Microsoft 365/Word support, and ask them to determine whether the desktop feature is unavailable for your subscription or whether your installation is affected by the current desktop issue. Continue using Word for the web until Microsoft confirms an entitlement change or ships a desktop fix.

References