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How to Manage Dictate Privacy and Connected Experience Permissions in Word
Question details
The user wants to know which specific Connected Experience permissions are required to use the Dictate feature in Word, and has concerns about how speech data and document content are collected, stored, and retained.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Using the Dictate feature in Word while ensuring the privacy of confidential documents.
- Observed behavior
- Word requires Connected Experiences to be enabled for Dictation, prompting privacy concerns regarding data collection and retention policies.
Before adjusting your privacy settings, ensure you have an active internet connection, as Dictation relies on cloud-based speech services. If you are on a company device, consult your IT administrator regarding your organization's data protection policies.
Enable Connected Experiences that Analyze Content
To use the Dictate feature, you must allow Microsoft to process your voice data through its online speech services.
Word's Dictate feature requires the 'Experiences that analyze your content' permission. When enabled, your speech is sent to Microsoft's servers for real-time transcription.
Open Microsoft Word, click on 'File' in the top left corner, and select 'Account' from the bottom left menu.
Under the Account Privacy section, click on the 'Manage Settings' button to open the Privacy Settings window.
Scroll down to the 'Connected experiences' section and check the box for 'Turn on experiences that analyze your content'.
Click 'OK' to save your preferences and restart Microsoft Word to apply the changes to the Dictate feature.
Review Tenant Policies for Confidential Documents
If you are working with sensitive information, verify how data is handled before using cloud-based Dictation.
Try WPS Office for Secure and Lightweight Document Editing
If you are concerned about cloud data collection and connected experiences in Microsoft Word, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a secure, locally-focused editing experience while maintaining seamless compatibility with all your Office files.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Word Dictate save my audio recordings?
Generally, Microsoft processes the audio to provide the text transcription and does not retain the audio files unless you have explicitly opted into a program to improve speech recognition. However, enterprise policies and data retention settings may vary based on your organization.
Can I use Word Dictate without enabling Connected Experiences?
No. Because Dictation relies on Microsoft's online speech services to convert your voice to text, you must enable the 'Experiences that analyze your content' setting to use the feature.
Does enabling Connected Experiences give Microsoft access to my entire document?
According to Microsoft's privacy documentation, Connected Experiences only access the specific content required to perform the requested task (such as the audio being dictated), rather than silently monitoring or collecting your entire document.
How can I completely turn off Connected Experiences in Word?
Go to File > Account > Manage Settings (under Account Privacy), scroll to the 'Connected experiences' section, and uncheck 'Turn on all connected experiences'. Note that this will disable Dictate, Translator, and several other online features.
