Audio not working reliably in Word transcription mode pt2

Question

Audio not working reliably in Word transcription mode pt2

Chris P 10

I posted a while back about an issue I was having with Word for Microsoft 365. I went to update it this morning and discovered the thread was locked last night, so I've started a new thread to update the issue.

In brief: I can access the audio for an uploaded file when I first open the transcription pane. However, if I pause the audio for more than a few seconds it won't restart and I have to close the transcription pane and open it again.

That may sound trivial, but the nature of my work is generally going through the audio a few sentences at a time and then pausing to add it to the document and edit it. I can do this literally hundreds of times a day sometimes, so closing the pane, reopening it and finding the same place in the recording each time is not an adequate solution. I gather I'm not the only person experiencing this problem, either.

Some suggestions in the previous thread were:

Update Office first. In Word, select File > Account > Update Options > Update Now. Build 20131.20112 is no longer the latest Version 2606 build, so test again after updating.

I'm on version 2608 and Word says this is currently the most up to date (at time of posting the thread).

Try the same file in Word for the web using the latest Edge or Chrome. Transcribe requires an Internet connection, and Edge or Chrome are the supported browsers.

I've tried it in Chrome and had the same issue.

If playback also stops there, try an Edge InPrivate window. It is recommended that you clear the browser cache if InPrivate works normally.

I tried this and got an error saying that 'private or incognito browsing is not supported'.

In desktop Word, check File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings and make sure optional connected experiences are enabled, since desktop Transcribe depends on them.

Yes, All Connected Experiences are enabled. The only things I have turned off are optional analytics and personalised discounts.

(Another thing I checked previously was the capacity of my One Drive, and it's almost entirely empty.)

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Well, this is strange... I switched to a different network and initially thought it had improved things. Long story short, changing the network on my end actually made no difference as far as I could tell, but it did seem to work for slightly longer than usual, which is odd. The only thing I can think of is that it's morning over here currently. I usually do most of my writing in the afternoon (UK time), so perhaps something in the cloud gets busier once everyone in the US wakes up and comes online too?

For the record, here's what I did:

Transcribed a audio new file in a new document. Initially thought it had solved the problem as I could leave it paused for several seconds and restart (either at the same place or by clicking on a different time code). Eventually, the problem returned.
Tried a different file in a new document, increasing the pause time by five second increments. It worked up to 25 seconds, but the problem came back after I left it for 30 seconds (it would normally manifest itself after a few seconds, so this is a noticeable change).
Opened a new document, renamed the audio file and transcribed it into the new document. Played a couple of sections with short gaps between to check it appeared to be functioning okay. Then went straight to a 30-second gap, and it restarted okay. Eventually, the problem did return.
Tried again, once again renaming the audio file. This time it would tolerate being paused for at least a minute. Also tried an old document, where the audio file has already uploaded and accessed several times, and that would play after a relatively prolonged pause too - I didn't time that one, but it was longer than it would normally allow. Eventually, the problem returned to both documents.
Tried with both a long audio file and a short one. No noticeable difference.
Closed Word. Switched back to my normal household wifi network. Re-started with a new document and a renamed version of the same audio file. The behaviour was virtually the same as it was on the other network, but I'm sure it was also better than normal. I tried longer and shorter audio files and I also tried varying the length that I played the audio versus the length of time I paused it and couldn't find any clear correlation. Eventually, it ceased working as well.

I'll try again this afternoon and see if there's any noticeable difference.

Kai-H 27,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-23T06:44:30.75+00:00

Hi, Chris P

That is a useful test result. It makes the network, audio file, filename, document, and recording length much less likely to be the underlying cause.

The time-of-day idea is plausible, but there is not enough evidence yet to conclude that US demand or service load is responsible. The inconsistent pause tolerance, followed by eventual failure on both networks, still fits an intermittent cloud playback-session problem. Transcribe requires an Internet connection, stores uploaded audio in OneDrive, and is expected to resume after pausing. Similar playback failures have also been documented by other users.

I would test again this afternoon, but keep it simple:

Use the same document, audio file, device, and network.

Record the exact UK time when the pane is opened.

Test fixed pauses of 10, 30, and 60 seconds.

Note when the first failure occurs and whether reopening the pane immediately restores playback.

Repeat tomorrow morning with the same setup.

A clear morning-versus-afternoon pattern across several sessions would be useful diagnostic evidence, but one better morning could still be normal variation. Renaming and re-uploading files no longer appears useful.

Please include these timed results in Help > Feedback > Report a Problem, ideally submitting the report immediately after playback fails so the attached diagnostics correspond to the affected session. The current documentation does not specify any expected timeout or time-of-day limitation.

Answer 2

Kai-H 27,225 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi, Chris P

This no longer looks like a local Word setting or OneDrive storage issue. Since the same behavior occurs in desktop Word and Chrome, and similar playback failures have been reproduced, it is likely a Transcribe playback defect rather than something you are doing incorrectly.

Select a timestamp beside the next transcript section instead of using the main Play button. Word supports starting playback from individual timestamps, so this may resume the recording without reloading the pane.

Run an Office Online Repair: right-click Start, select Installed apps, find Microsoft 365, select the three dots > Modify > Online Repair. This is more thorough than Quick Repair, although the web behavior suggests it may not fully resolve the issue.

Report it through Help > Feedback in Word. Include Version 2608, Windows version, audio format, and clear reproduction steps: upload a recording, play it, pause for 10 seconds, then try to resume. Enable the option allowing contact and attach a short screen recording if possible.

Unfortunately, private browsing is not a workable test when Microsoft 365 blocks that session. At this point, repeated cache, storage, and connected-experience checks are unlikely to add much. A diagnostic report through Feedback is the most useful next step.

Kai-H 27,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-17T08:34:47.9133333+00:00

Hi, Chris P

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.
Chris P 10 Reputation points

2026-09-17T17:12:39.9+00:00

Hi @Kai-H

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I get the same issue if I click on the timestamp.

I got a rather unexpected result when I tried to do an online repair. It seemed to be working and then after a minute or two I had an error message saying no relevant apps were found or something along those lines and now Word and the whole Office suite has disappeared from my computer!

I now need to sort that out, but I wonder if the two issues could be linked?

Chris
Kai-H 27,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-21T06:46:32.1266667+00:00

Hi, Chris P

The failed Online Repair and the transcription issue could both involve a damaged or incomplete Microsoft 365 installation, but because playback also failed in Chrome, they are unlikely to have exactly the same cause.

First, restart the computer, then reinstall the suite:

Sign in at m365.cloud.microsoft/apps using the Microsoft account, work account, or school account connected to the license.

Select Install apps > Microsoft 365 apps, run the downloaded installer, and restart Windows when installation finishes. The 64-bit version is installed by default unless a 32-bit Office component is already detected.

Open Word and sign in with the same licensed account. Your documents should remain intact because uninstalling Office removes the applications, not the documents you created.

If installation fails again, open the Windows Get Help app and search for Microsoft 365 setup troubleshooter. It is designed to handle incomplete or blocked Office installations.

After reinstalling, test Transcribe once more. If the pause problem remains in both the newly installed desktop Word and Word for the web, that strongly isolates it from the damaged Office installation and supports reporting it as a Transcribe service or playback issue.
Chris P 10 Reputation points

2026-09-21T09:01:59.3366667+00:00

Hi @Kai-H ,

I've effectively done this already. Somehow, it completely wiped office when I tried to do the online repair, so it has been freshly re-installed.

Another point worth mentioning is that the issue has existed for a long time. I originally installed Office on this computer several years ago, and I initially didn't notice any problems. Then, the issue began happening occasionally if the transcription pane was left paused for a long time - if, for instance, I left it open while I went for lunch - and about six months ago, it began getting progressively worse. It now happens consistently whenever the audio is paused for more than a few seconds. Aside from the attempted online repair last week, I haven't manually changed the installation at all during that time. The only change I can think of is new antivirus software (Norton) and I've already tried disabling that without any benefit.

Chris
Kai-H 27,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-22T06:14:39.5366667+00:00

Hi, Chris P

Since the issue survived a fresh Office installation, also occurs in Chrome, and remained after Norton was disabled, I do not think further repair or antivirus troubleshooting is worthwhile.

The gradual change you described may indicate that the Transcribe playback session is now expiring much sooner than it used to. Closing and reopening the pane fetches the transcription and audio again, which fits that behavior. A similar pause-and-resume failure has also been reproduced with uploaded MP3 audio in both desktop Word and Word for the web.

Test a short, newly created MP3 in a new blank document. If it fails after the same short pause, that rules out the original document and recording.

If possible, test once on another network, such as a phone hotspot. This checks whether the connection is being closed by the router or Internet provider.

If the same account and audio fail on another device or network, report it through Help > Feedback > Report a Problem in Word. Include the gradual timeline, fresh installation, Chrome test, Norton test, and exact reproduction steps.

Word’s documented behavior is that playback should pause and resume normally, so requiring the pane to be reopened is not expected. At this stage, the evidence points more strongly to the Transcribe playback service or account-side session than to the Office installation.