Oops, there was a Problem with Dictation Microsoft Office Error

Saying things is often faster than typing them. Thanks to Dictation in Microsoft Office, it is possible to simply dictate what you want to type on your computer. Dictation is available on Microsoft Office apps both for macOS and Windows 10 as well as Microsoft 365.

Apps like Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint are equipped with the Dictation feature.

But, some users run into a problem with Dictation in their Microsoft Office apps. The dictation is not working and they encounter the error message, “Oops there was a Problem with Dictation in Office.”

The problem may be due to hardware issues. You may have problems with your microphone thus preventing you to dictate what you want to type. You may also have corrupt files in your Microsoft Office.

Whatever the reason may be, there are several ways on how you can fix this error on Mac or PC.

How to Fix “Oops, there was a Problem with Dictation” in Microsoft Office for MacOS

#1 – Use Internal Microphone

• Go to System preferences.
• Click Keyboard, or Dictation & Speech.
• Go to the Dictation tab.
• Look for the microphone icon on the left side.
• Click the drop-down menu and select Internal Microphone.
• You also need to do the same with your Sound control panel. go back to the System preferences.
• Click Sound.
• Click the Input tab.
• Choose Internal Microphone.
• Look for Use ambient noise reduction and check the box to turn it on.

#2 – Download Another Language

• Click System presences.
• Go to Language & region.
• On the left side, look for the plus sign under Preferred languages.
• Select a new language and click Add.

#3 – Delete the Speech Recognition Cache Folder

• Open Finder, click the Go tab.
• Select Go to Folder.
• Type ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.SpeechRecognitionCore. Press Go.
• After deleting the folder, restart your Mac.

Troubleshooting ‘Oops, there was a Problem with Dictation’ in Microsoft Office for Windows 10 PC

#1 – Run the Speech Troubleshooter

• Open Windows Settings. You can also press the Windows key + I.
• Click Update & Security.
• Select Troubleshoot.
• Look for Speech and click Run the troubleshooter button.

#2 – Reinstall Generic Drivers

• Go to Start and click Device Manager.
• Look for Audio inputs and outputs. Expand the drop-down menu.
• Look for your microphone and click Uninstall Device.
• Before reinstalling your drivers, restart your computer.
• Go back to Device Manager and go to your microphone device.
• Install the drivers available.

#3 – Remove Corrupted Office Credentials

• Sign out your account on your Microsoft Word.
• Close all Microsoft Office apps that are running in the background.
• Click Start and open the Control Panel.
• Select User Accounts.
• Click Credential Manager.
• Go to the Windows Credentials tab.
• Look for credentials that look similar to MicrosoftOfficeXXData. Remove them.
• Restart your computer and check if the error still exists.

Fixing your Dictation problem will give you an added option to efficiently use your Microsoft Office apps. Did the solutions above help you? Tell us in the comments below.