Fact · Dictation in your apps
Microsoft's Dictate Help says that on Windows you use Alt + ` (backquote) to toggle the microphone, so a stray press of that key can turn dictation off.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“On Windows, use Alt + ` (backquote) to toggle the mic”
Using dictation (Dictate Help, Microsoft Word), Microsoft Support, 2026, Using dictation, step 3 tip.
Open the original- What it measures
- Microsoft's internal Dictate Help page lists this as a tip for the mic icon, after the step that tells you to wait for the mic to turn on. The same key pair resumes dictation in Microsoft's main Dictate article.
- What it does not show
- The page is titled Dictate Help [Internal] and is public at the address above. Microsoft does not say that a stray press stops dictation. That is our inference from the toggle behavior it describes.