Transcription will not work on Word

Question

Transcription will not work on Word

Murray Shactman 15

When I click on transcribe in Word there is an option to "Upload Audio" when I click on that my desktop does nothing

Jacob Abell 0 Reputation points

2026-11-09T05:05:28.9766667+00:00

I have had a customer starting to experience this exact issue as well today - I have also replicated the issue myself. as @Daniel has suggested the web version of the Word app does not appear to have the issue. I have submitted this issue for review in the Microsoft 365 Service health portal and it is marked as investigating - hopefully will result in a proper advisory soon.
Syed Naqvi 0 Reputation points

2026-11-10T00:28:37.08+00:00
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. i tried this it does not work:

Repair Office only if the web upload succeeds but the desktop button remains unresponsive

Windows 11: Start → Settings → Apps → Installed apps.

Windows 10: Start → Apps and Features.

Select Microsoft 365 → Modify → Online Repair → Repair.

Online Repair affects the entire Office suite and may require a restart.
Wilf Steimle 0 Reputation points

2026-11-10T21:44:34.85+00:00

Microsoft is claiming a 300 minute per month limit! https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/transcribe-your-recordings#tabpanel_1_word-for-the-web and https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/transcribe-your-recordings

4 answers

Your answer

Jacob Abell 0 Reputation points

2026-11-09T05:05:28.9766667+00:00

I have had a customer starting to experience this exact issue as well today - I have also replicated the issue myself. as @Daniel has suggested the web version of the Word app does not appear to have the issue. I have submitted this issue for review in the Microsoft 365 Service health portal and it is marked as investigating - hopefully will result in a proper advisory soon.
Syed Naqvi 0 Reputation points

2026-11-10T00:28:37.08+00:00

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. i tried this it does not work:

Repair Office only if the web upload succeeds but the desktop button remains unresponsive

Windows 11: Start → Settings → Apps → Installed apps.

Windows 10: Start → Apps and Features.

Select Microsoft 365 → Modify → Online Repair → Repair.

Online Repair affects the entire Office suite and may require a restart.
Wilf Steimle 0 Reputation points

2026-11-10T21:44:34.85+00:00

Microsoft is claiming a 300 minute per month limit! https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/transcribe-your-recordings#tabpanel_1_word-for-the-web and https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/word/transcribe-your-recordings

Answer 1

For a personal/home Microsoft 365 account, upload the recording through Word for the web, because Microsoft currently limits Transcribe in Word for Windows to commercial tenants, while Microsoft 365 subscribers can use it online.^1^

Upload through Word for the web

Open Word for the web in the latest Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
Sign in with the same Microsoft account that owns the Microsoft 365 subscription.
Create or open a document.
Select Home → Dictate ▼ → Transcribe → Upload audio.
Choose a .wav, .mp4, .m4a, or .mp3 file.
Keep the Transcribe pane open while processing. The transcription can take up to approximately the recording’s duration.^1^

The Windows Open dialog should appear immediately after selecting Upload audio. Word for the web is also the recommended comparison when upload is unavailable in desktop Word.^2^

If Word for the web works

The recording and transcript are stored in OneDrive’s Transcribed Files folder.^3^

You can continue using the web version. If this is actually a commercial Microsoft 365 account and desktop Word should support Transcribe, try these desktop-specific steps:

Enable connected experiences
- In Word, open File → Account → Account Privacy → Manage Settings.
- Enable the connected-experience options, then close and reopen Word. These settings control cloud-backed Microsoft 365 functionality.^4^
Update Word
- Open File → Account → Update Options → Update Now.
- Restart Word after updates finish.^5^
Repair Office only if the web upload succeeds but the desktop button remains unresponsive
- Windows 11: Start → Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
- Windows 10: Start → Apps and Features.
- Select Microsoft 365 → Modify → Online Repair → Repair.
Online Repair affects the entire Office suite and may require a restart.^6^

If Word for the web also fails

Confirm that Word shows the Microsoft account associated with the active Microsoft 365 subscription.
Open OneDrive on the web and check that the account has available storage and contains—or can create—the Transcribed Files folder. Upload processing depends on OneDrive.^7^
If the file picker opens but a particular recording fails, test another supported audio file. That distinguishes an account/service problem from a damaged recording. File-format troubleshooting is not relevant while the button still fails to open the picker.

References

Answer 2

Daniel 5

We have a client who has raised this as an issue for us as well working on a Terminal Server enviroment and have also confirmed internally we have the same issue.

At this stage we have had to direct our clent to use Word online as this allows them to upload the transcription untill this is resolved as they can atleast get the text and put it back into the desktop app for the use of their integrated applications.

Hope this helps people get by n the meantime untill its resolved. There are currently no advisories we could see for this issue in their tenancy.

0 comments

Answer 3

Sumit 44,981 Volunteer Moderator

Hi,

Known issue.

Please take a moment to report the problem.

Please go to Help > Feedback button > Report a problem > Write this feedback:

Problem Title: Upload Audio button is unresponsive in Microsoft Word Transcribe feature

Problem Description:

I am experiencing an issue with the Transcribe feature in Microsoft Word.

When I navigate to Home > Dictate > Transcribe and click the Upload audio button, nothing happens. The button appears to be unresponsive, and no file selection window opens.

As a result, I am unable to upload audio files for transcription.

Expected Behaviour: Clicking the Upload audio button should open the file selection dialog, allowing me to browse and select an audio file for transcription.

Actual Behaviour: Clicking the Upload audio button does not trigger any action. No file picker opens, and no error message is displayed.

Lisa Simms 0 Reputation points

2026-11-10T08:20:18.7+00:00

The workaround is still not working for me

Answer 4

Norah-L 13,570 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear Murray and everyone,

Thank you for reporting this issue. This issue appears to be affecting multiple users recently, particularly after an update to the Word desktop app.

As a temporary workaround in the Word desktop app, try widening the Transcribe pane before selecting Upload audio. Some affected users have reported that this helped.

Jacob Abell 0 Reputation points

2026-11-11T00:07:53.49+00:00

Thanks @Norah-L as you said widening the trancribe pane seems to get it to work for me for the timebeing - how odd.
Norah-L 13,570 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-11T00:12:21.07+00:00

Hi Jacob,

I'm glad that it helped. Please also send feedback as Sumit suggested above and keep Office updated so you receive any correction when it becomes available. Thank you for your patience!