Facts
Dictation on Windows: facts and numbers
315 facts, each traced to the exact words of its source.
- A third-party guide says that when Voice access is switched to Off, the bar disappears and Windows stops listening.GeekRewind, n.d.
- A third-party guide says the downloaded language files stay on the computer after Voice access is turned off.GeekRewind, n.d.
- A third-party guide says Voice Access language packs are listed with other installed apps and are removed the same way as any other program.Geek Rewind, 2026
- A third-party guide says Voice Access may not appear in the startup list on every PC, because Windows often controls its launch through a Settings option.Geek Rewind, 2021
- A Tom's Guide writer said in 2022 that Voice Access gave them a level of productivity they had not achieved with other speech recognition software, including Dragon.Tom's Guide, 2022
- 8 actions per shortcutA Voice Access shortcut can contain one action or a combination of actions, up to a maximum of eight actions per shortcut.Microsoft Support, 2026
- AbilityNet says that if commands are not recognized with a laptop's built-in microphone, a USB microphone or headset can help.AbilityNet (My Computer My Way), n.d.
- AbilityNet says that on Windows 10 you may be asked to turn on Online speech recognition before dictation works.AbilityNet (My Computer My Way), n.d.
- Apple says building copy and paste between iPhone and Windows is a significant engineering effort, with the work expected to be finished by fall 2027, as MacRumors reported in August 2026.MacRumors, 2026
- Apple says iCloud for Windows gives you access to your photos, mail, files and more on a Windows PC.Apple, 2026
- Aqua Voice's pricing page says the app is available for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android through Google Play.Aqua Voice, Aqua Voice (vendor website), 2026
- 144 US dollars per yearAt the annual billing price, one Wispr Flow Pro seat costs about 144 US dollars per year.Calculated from other facts
- 96 US dollars per yearAt the annual billing price, one year of Aqua Voice Pro costs about 96 US dollars.Calculated from other facts
- Claude Code's voice dictation uses a built-in native audio module to record on Windows, as it does on macOS and Linux.Anthropic, Anthropic, 2026
- During Voice Isolation setup, Microsoft says you select your preferred microphone and read a paragraph aloud.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- For personal accounts, Microsoft says voice data is used to provide the Copilot Voice experience.Microsoft Support, 2026
- 48 hoursFor work or school accounts, Microsoft says Copilot Voice audio is temporarily stored for feedback and deleted after 48 hours.Microsoft Support, 2026
- For work or school accounts, Microsoft says dictation sends your speech only to convert it to text, and the audio is not stored.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Google's HIPAA page lists Google Drive, including Google Docs, among the Google Workspace services included in the Google Cloud BAA.Google Cloud documentation, n.d.
- If nothing appears in the text box after you speak, Microsoft says to adjust the input level of your microphone.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- If the speech recognition training dialog does not appear, Microsoft says to open Control Panel and select Ease of Access, then Speech Recognition, then the option to train your computer.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- In a 2023 PCWorld test, a writer who dictated a full article found that Windows does a good job transcribing speech.Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 2023
- In a September 2022 opinion column, a Tom's Guide writer called Windows 11 Voice Access the best voice navigation tool they had used on a PC.Tom's Guide, 2022
- In classic Outlook, Microsoft says you start a new email or reply, select the message body, go to the Message tab and select Dictate, while signed in to Microsoft 365 on a device with a microphone.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- In Copilot, dictation starts from the chat prompt box, where you select Start dictation.Microsoft Support, 2026
- In English, Microsoft's voice typing symbol table gives the spoken names backquote or backtick for the backtick character, and pipe character for the vertical bar.Microsoft, 2026
- In June 2026 heise reported that Microsoft's new Windows speech recognition API processes speech directly on the device and does not need an internet connection.Moritz Förster, heise online (iX Magazin), 2026
- In June 2026 heise reported that the public preview of Microsoft's new local speech recognition API supports only English at first.Moritz Förster, heise online (iX Magazin), 2026
- In microphone off state, Voice access does not listen to any of your speech, and you must click the Microphone button to switch it back on.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- In sleep state, Voice access ignores everything you say except the command that switches it to listening.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- In the 2023 PCWorld test, the writer found that navigating within an application by voice sometimes felt nearly impossible, although dictating text worked better.Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 2023
- 9 tiles in one gridIn the grid overlay, you say a number from one to nine to move the mouse pointer to the center of that tile.Microsoft Support, 2026
- In the same 2023 PCWorld test, the writer found that Windows gets confused when a word can be read either as text or as an action or punctuation.Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 2023
- In Voice Access, automatic punctuation is off by default and must be turned on from the Voice Access bar.Microsoft Support, 2026
- In Voice Access, the Caps command capitalizes the first letter of each word you dictate after it.Microsoft Support, 2026
- In Voice Access, the command "Spell that" spells out the selected text or the last dictated text letter by letter.Microsoft Support, 2026
- In Windows 11, a checkbox named Show the voice typing mic button controls whether the microphone button appears on the touch keyboard, according to a third-party guide.GeekRewind, 2026
- In Windows Voice Access you say "Voice access wake up" or "Unmute" to make it listen, and "Voice access sleep" or "Mute" to put it to sleep.Microsoft Support, 2026
- In Word's Transcribe pane, you select Upload audio to choose an audio file from the file picker.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- MacRumors expects iPhone to Windows copy and paste to be limited to the European Union at first, although Apple could release it worldwide.MacRumors, 2026
- Microsoft describes a checkbox labelled 'Start voice access after you sign into your PC' that makes Voice Access start after sign-in.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft describes a checkbox labelled 'Start voice access before you sign in to your PC' that makes Voice Access start before the sign-in screen.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft describes Copilot+ PCs as a new class of Windows 11 hardware powered by a high-performance neural processing unit (NPU).Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft describes dictation in Copilot as a way to speak your prompt instead of typing it.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft describes fluid dictation as a new Voice Access feature on Copilot+ PCs, so it is not available on every Windows 11 PC.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft describes online speech recognition in Windows as using Microsoft cloud-based services for more accurate recognition.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft describes SAPI as an application programming interface that reduces the code an application needs to use both speech recognition and text-to-speech.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft describes the neural processing unit as a specialized computer chip for AI-intensive processes.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft describes the Snapdragon X Elite as an Arm-based chip built by Qualcomm that emphasizes AI through its Neural Processing Unit.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft describes the Voice Access bar as the bar docked on top of the screen once Voice Access has launched.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft describes the Windows.Media.SpeechRecognition namespace as enabling speech recognition for command and control within a Windows Runtime app.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft gives "delete that" and "select the previous word" as examples of the dictation commands on Windows 10.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft lists 'Turn off microphone' as the spoken command that turns off the Voice Access microphone, which is a separate command from the one that closes Voice Access.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft lists 'Turn off voice access' as a spoken command that closes Voice Access, with 'Stop voice access', 'Close voice access', 'Exit voice access' and 'Quit voice access' as alternatives.Microsoft Support, 2026
- 12 language variantsMicrosoft lists 12 language variants for basic text, symbols, letters and numbers in Windows 10 dictation: Simplified Chinese, four English, two French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and two Spanish.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, Accessibility, n.d.
- 15 languages and dialectsMicrosoft lists 15 languages and dialects for Voice Access in Windows 11: six English variants, two Spanish, German, two French, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese and Italian.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- 46 languages and variantsMicrosoft lists 46 languages and regional variants that support voice typing in Windows 11, from Bulgarian to Vietnamese, including six variants of English.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft lists a Default microphone option among the voice typing settings that open from the gear icon on the voice typing flyout.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft lists Copilot dictation as available for work or school accounts, not for personal accounts.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft lists Copilot Voice, the real-time spoken conversation, as available for work or school and personal accounts.Microsoft Support, 2026
- 6 English localesMicrosoft lists six English locales that support voice typing on Windows 11: Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft lists Windows Speech Recognition as deprecated and no longer developed, and replaced by voice access.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft recommends correcting one word at a time in Voice Access, because correcting several words at once gives poor alternatives.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says a Business Associate Agreement does not on its own make an organization compliant with HIPAA.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- 1 minuteMicrosoft says a Copilot voice chat ends automatically after one minute of inactivity, with a warning after 30 seconds.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- 300 minutes per monthMicrosoft says a Microsoft 365 subscriber can transcribe a maximum of 300 minutes of uploaded audio per month in Word.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says a new Voice Access shortcut is saved in the General group unless you choose or create another group.Microsoft Support, 2026
- 30,000 minutes per monthMicrosoft says a user with a Microsoft Copilot license can transcribe a maximum of 30,000 minutes of uploaded audio per month in Word.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says Copilot can generate AI notes and tasks during a Teams call or meeting without transcription and recording enabled.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Copilot transcribes your speech into text in real time during dictation.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Copilot won't work in Teams meetings hosted outside the participant's organization.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says deleting your Voice Isolation voice recording removes your voice signature from the device.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says device-based speech recognition in Windows 11 processes your voice locally and sends no voice data to Microsoft.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says device-based speech recognition in Windows 11 processes your voice locally and sends no voice data to Microsoft.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says Dictate is not available in Office 2016 or 2019 for Windows unless you have a Microsoft 365 subscription.Microsoft, 2026
- 1 English localeMicrosoft says dictation commands on Windows 10 are available in US English only.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says Dictation in Word lets you use speech-to-text in Microsoft 365 with a microphone and a reliable internet connection, and that the feature is for Microsoft 365 subscribers.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says dictation on Windows 10 requires the PC to be connected to the internet.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says dictation on Windows 10 uses speech recognition that is built into the operating system.Microsoft Support (archived copy), 2020
- Microsoft says fluid dictation in Voice Access is currently available in all English locales.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says fluid dictation in voice typing is powered by small language models that run on the device, for fast and private processing.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says fluid dictation is a Copilot+ PC feature available in all English locales.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says fluid dictation is a feature of Voice Access on Copilot+ PCs.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says fluid dictation is enabled by default in Voice Access, and you can turn it off in settings or by voice.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says fluid dictation is enabled by default in Windows voice typing on Copilot+ PCs, and that you can turn it off in the voice typing settings at any time.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says fluid dictation is powered by on-device small language models, which it says make processing fast and private.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says Hey Copilot needs an internet connection to answer, and a chat started offline ends when Copilot cannot connect.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says it enters into Business Associate Agreements with its covered entity and business associate customers when they use its enterprise products and services.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- 2 yearsMicrosoft says it keeps voice clips that people contribute for sampling and listening for up to two years.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says it limits access to embedded speech and that developers can apply for access.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft says it may keep a voice clip it has sampled for longer than two years, so it can keep training its speech recognition models.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- October 30, 2020 dateMicrosoft says it stopped logging voice data for product improvement on October 30, 2020.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- 18 monthsMicrosoft says it stores Copilot conversation activity for 18 months by default, and that you can delete individual conversations or the whole history at any time.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says it uses data from Copilot, including voice and conversation activity, for AI training, except for certain categories of users or users who have opted out.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says its automated software removes the association between a contributed voice clip and your Microsoft account or device identifiers.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says its Business Associate Agreement covers in-scope Microsoft services, meaning the services it lists on the page.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft says its employees and vendors working on its behalf can review contributed voice clips to build and improve speech recognition.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says its HIPAA Business Associate Agreement is available by default to all customers who are covered entities or business associates under HIPAA.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft says its Phi Silica language model is optimized for Copilot+ PCs, where it runs on the neural processing unit.Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft says languages in the Word dictation preview group may have lower accuracy or limited punctuation support.Microsoft, 2026
- 40 TOPS (trillion operations per second)Microsoft says many of the new Windows AI features require a neural processing unit that can run at 40 or more trillion operations per second (TOPS), the defining hardware of Copilot+ PCs.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft says online speech recognition sends voice data to Microsoft only to provide the service and create transcriptions, and that it does not store, sample or listen to recordings without your permission.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says speech recognition features are not required for voice typing to work.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says starting a Copilot voice chat by saying "Hey Copilot" is turned off by default and must be switched on in the Copilot app's settings.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that a Typing setting, Show the touch keyboard when not in tablet mode and there's no keyboard attached, must be switched on to show the touch keyboard in that situation.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that after the end of support for Windows 10, technical assistance, feature updates and security updates are no longer provided.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2025
- Microsoft says that before you set up speech recognition on Windows 10, you select Start, then Settings, then Time & Language, then Speech, and use the Get started button under Microphone.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that if the language download fails, you should check whether you can access the Microsoft Store app and download apps from it.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that if the microphone is not detected after updating Windows 11, you may need to give your apps permission to use it.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that if the Microsoft Copilot app is installed on Windows desktop, pressing Win+C or the Copilot key starts a voice chat in quick view.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that if the words you speak are not entered correctly, you should check the voice typing language: press the Windows logo key + Spacebar and choose one of your available languages.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that if Voice Access is running and you press the Windows key + H, voice typing does not start and Windows tells you to dictate with Voice Access instead.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that if Voice Isolation does not perform as well as expected, you can record a new voice sample from the Manage Voice Isolation menu.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that if you can download apps from the Microsoft Store, you should submit feedback with the Feedback Hub app so it can investigate the setup download problem.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that if you cannot download apps from the Microsoft Store and work in an enterprise, your network administrator may have disabled access to the Microsoft Store app.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that if you do not use headphones to listen to a screen reader, the screen reader's audio may be picked up by the Voice access microphone, which can cause undesirable behavior.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that if your Windows display language is not supported by Voice Access, you can still choose a supported language in Voice access and use it.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that in Voice Access dictation mode, you get no commands: every thing you say is written into an editable field.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that in Windows 11, the feature it calls dictation is named voice typing.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that on a work or school account sharing voice data is not available, but voice typing still works.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that on Windows 10, the permissions an app needs to use the microphone are turned on in Privacy settings, not in Privacy & security.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that once speech recognition is set up, pressing Windows key + Ctrl + S opens it and you are ready to use it.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that the keyboard the touch keyboard settings refer to can be either a wired keyboard or a wireless Bluetooth keyboard.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that the Never option for the touch keyboard icon prevents the touch keyboard from ever appearing.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that to keep the original sentence or undo a fluid dictation correction, you say "Revert" or "Undo that", or press Ctrl+Z on your keyboard.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says that to prompt Copilot about a Teams meeting, or to see Copilot's conversation history after the meeting ends, live transcription must be on during the meeting.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that to run the Speech containers in environments disconnected from the internet, you must submit a request form and wait for approval.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft says that under the During and after the meeting setting, stopping transcription also stops Copilot.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that under the Only during the meeting setting, Copilot uses speech-to-text data to give insights about what is said in the meeting.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that use of the microphone by Voice access is controlled by your privacy settings, so a privacy setting can stop Voice access from hearing you.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that when a Copilot voice conversation ends, a text transcript of the conversation is available for reference.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that when online speech recognition is turned off, only device-based speech features, such as Narrator, are available.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says that when you click the Settings button on the Voice access bar, a set of options becomes available.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that while Voice access is listening, the words you speak appear as a transcription on the left side of the Voice access bar.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that with Copilot set to Only during the meeting, after the meeting ends only the information from the point the transcript was turned on remains accessible to Copilot.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says that with the During and after the meeting setting, transcription is required to use Copilot.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the automatic-start checkboxes are for launching Voice Access every time you start your computer.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says the Backspace key in Voice Access fixes mistakes made during dictation.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the Copilot app for Windows has a Training on voice conversations setting, separate from the setting for text conversations, under Settings, Privacy.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the first time you use voice in Copilot Chat, you may be asked to allow microphone access, and you can change this later in your browser or device settings.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the keyboard shortcut action in a Voice Access shortcut is useful for screen reader users and for people who mainly use keyboard shortcuts, such as gamers.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the message that Windows cannot download the required language files can mean the PC has no access to the Microsoft Store app catalog during setup.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says the microphone menu in Voice access settings lets you switch to a different microphone from the one you are using.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- 10 secondsMicrosoft says the PC detects the Hey Copilot wake word locally, using an on-device service that keeps a 10-second audio buffer in memory which is never recorded or stored.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the Phi Silica APIs are part of a Limited Access Feature.Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft says the secure desktop used for administrator prompts allows only trusted processes running as SYSTEM, so nothing runs there at the user's privilege level.Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft says the Speech containers send billing information to Azure through a Foundry resource for Speech on your Azure account.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft says the touch keyboard automatically displays when the Windows device is in tablet mode and there is no keyboard attached.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the Transcribe feature in Word converts speech to a text transcript with each speaker individually separated.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says the Transcribe feature in Word currently supports .wav, .mp4, .m4a and .mp3 audio files for upload.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says the Transcribe feature is currently available only in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows in Commercial Tenants.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says the Voice Access bar cannot be moved and is fixed at the top of the main screen.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the Voice Access grid overlay can move the mouse pointer to any location on the screen.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the Voice Access grid overlay works best on a PC's primary monitor.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says the voice typing command list is shown per language, so you must pick your language in the dropdown to see the commands that work in it.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says there is currently no certification standard that the Department of Health and Human Services approves to demonstrate HIPAA compliance by a business associate.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft says to make sure you have a microphone set up before you set up speech recognition on Windows 10.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says to open the Transcribe feature in Word by going to Home, then the Dictate dropdown, then Transcribe.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says transcription does not start automatically when Copilot is turned on for a Teams call or meeting.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says transcription for Government tenants is available only in Word for the web.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says transcription is not required for turning on Copilot in a Teams meeting.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says turning off Voice Access removes the Voice Access bar from the top of the screen and closes the feature.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice Access can make mistakes recognizing dictated words, especially words that sound alike.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice Access can press the Enter key to move to a new line while you dictate.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice access in Windows 11 lets you control your PC and write text using only your voice, without an internet connection.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice Access languages are either ready to use or available for download, and a downloadable language needs its speech pack downloaded before you can use it.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice Access lets you control your PC and write text by voice without an internet connection.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice access offers both commanding and dictation, so it can control every task on the PC, not only write text.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- 2024 yearMicrosoft says Voice Access replaced Windows Speech Recognition in Windows 11 version 22H2 and later in September 2024, and that Speech Recognition remains available in older versions of Windows.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice Access setup downloads language files for the chosen language to be used by on-device speech recognition, and that this step needs an internet connection.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says Voice Access uses its own wake words so that it does not wake or sleep Dragon or Windows Speech Recognition at the same time.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice Access uses on-device speech recognition and works even without the internet.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice Access works in three modes, chosen by the task you want to do.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says voice availability in Copilot depends on your subscription and region.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says voice conversations with Copilot may be time limited and will disconnect automatically after a set period.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Voice Isolation needs a quick one-time setup so that Voice access can learn to recognize your voice.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says voice typing can start only when the cursor is in a text box, whereas Voice Access can be started at any time.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says voice typing can use a language that is different from the one chosen for Windows.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says voice typing converts speech to text using online speech recognition.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says voice typing has a wait time setting that controls how long it waits before carrying out a voice command.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says voice typing offers dictation that lets you write text by voice, and it contrasts this with Voice access, which also controls the PC.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says voice typing on Windows 11 has voice typing commands that insert punctuation marks.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says voice typing starts listening automatically when you turn it on, and that you should wait for the Listening alert before you speak.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says voice typing uses echo cancellation, which suppresses audio from the PC's speakers, such as Narrator or app playback, so that only your voice is transcribed.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says Windows 10 on Arm supports emulation only for x86 apps, not for x64 apps.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- October 14, 2025 dateMicrosoft says Windows 10 reached the end of support on October 14, 2025.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2025
- Microsoft says Windows 11 device-based speech recognition processes your voice locally on your device and sends no voice data to Microsoft.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says Windows 11 on Arm emulates both x86 and x64 apps, with performance improved by the Prism emulator introduced in Windows 11 24H2.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft says Windows App can redirect the microphone of your local device into a remote session, along with the camera, storage, location, audio and the clipboard.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft says Windows on Arm runs native Arm apps as well as many unmodified x86 and x64 apps, and that Arm-native apps give the best performance and battery life.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- 11 language variantsMicrosoft says Windows Speech Recognition is available only in English (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India and Australia), French, German, Japanese, Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional Chinese) and Spanish, 11 variants in all.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says Windows voice typing uses online speech recognition, which is powered by Azure Speech services.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says x86 and x64 emulation on Windows on Arm covers only user-mode code and does not support drivers, so kernel-mode components must be compiled for Arm64.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft says you can change the Voice Access language at any time from the Languages option in Voice access settings.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says you can choose a wait time that matches your pace of speaking.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says you can speak with Copilot during a voice chat, interrupt it, redirect it, or ask follow-up questions at any time.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says you can start Voice Access from Settings or by using Windows search.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says you can use voice typing without contributing voice clips, and that contributing them is optional.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says you must be connected to the internet to download your preferred language for Voice Access the first time, and to finish setting up your PC.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says you must be connected to the internet to download your preferred Voice access language the first time you set up your PC.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft says you mute or end a Copilot voice conversation by selecting Mute/pause or End voice chat.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Alt+` keyboard shortcutMicrosoft says you resume Dictate in Word by pressing Alt+` or the Mic icon in the floating dictation menu.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft says you start or stop contributing voice clips by opening voice typing, selecting Settings and following the links there.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft says you turn online speech recognition on or off under Settings, Privacy & security, Speech.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft tells you to review the transcribed or generated content for accuracy, because AI may occasionally misinterpret speech or produce errors.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft warns that other sounds audible when a voice clip is recorded may be recorded too.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- 2 daysMicrosoft's 48-hour audio retention for Copilot Voice is two days.Calculated from other facts
- Microsoft's accessibility documentation for IT staff says Windows 11, version 22H2 includes improvements for people with disabilities, and names voice access among them.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft's API reference says the .NET SpeechRecognitionEngine class provides access to an in-process speech recognition engine.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft's Azure Speech overview now calls the service Azure Speech in Foundry Tools, which provides speech to text and text to speech through a Microsoft Foundry resource.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- bn-IN, ur-IN locale codesMicrosoft's Azure Speech table of speech to text locales includes Bengali (India) and Urdu (India). Windows voice typing offers neither in its own language list.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- bn-IN locale codeMicrosoft's Azure Speech table of speech to text locales includes Bengali (India), a locale that Windows voice typing does not offer.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- ur-IN locale codeMicrosoft's Azure Speech table of speech to text locales includes Urdu (India), a locale that Windows voice typing does not offer.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- 11 language localesMicrosoft's command reference for Windows Speech Recognition lists 11 language locales.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- 9 monthsMicrosoft's dates put nine months between the December 2023 deprecation of Windows Speech Recognition and the September 2024 replacement by Voice Access.Calculated from other facts
- 548 daysMicrosoft's default 18-month conversation retention is about 548 days.Calculated from other facts
- Microsoft's developer page says Copilot+ PCs include new AMD and Intel silicon, such as AMD Ryzen AI 300 series and Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft's developer page says Phi Silica is being replaced by Aion Instruct, a new on-device model.Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft's dictation steps start from the Copilot web experience or the Microsoft Copilot app on your desktop or mobile device.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft's embedded speech documentation says the feature is designed for on-device speech to text where cloud connectivity is intermittent or unavailable.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft's English (United States) voice typing table lists 'Delete that', 'Erase that' and 'Scratch that' for deleting the last spoken word or phrase, and 'Select that' for selecting it.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft's English (United States) voice typing table lists 'Undo that' and 'Revert' for undoing the previous change.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft's English punctuation list for Windows voice typing gives spoken names for marks including the ellipsis, the forward slash, the colon, the semicolon and the question mark.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft's FAQ says Voice access is currently available in English, Spanish, French and German, which does not match the 15 languages and dialects on its setup page.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft's guidance for Azure Virtual Desktop says the RDP property audiocapturemode:i:1 turns on microphone redirection into the remote session.Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft's help for speech recognition says you can teach Windows 10 to recognize your voice.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft's help for Windows Speech Recognition says you can add words that are frequently misheard or not recognized by using the Speech Dictionary.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft's HIPAA page lists Azure and Azure Government among its in-scope cloud platforms and services.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft's in-scope table for Office 365 lists a Speech microservice among its Office 365 microservices.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- Microsoft's keyboard shortcut list gives Windows key+Ctrl+S as the shortcut that turns on Windows Speech Recognition.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- 2023 yearMicrosoft's list of deprecated Windows features dates the deprecation of Windows Speech Recognition, and its replacement by Voice Access, to December 2023.Microsoft, Microsoft Learn, 2026
- 3 Arabic variantsMicrosoft's list of Dictation languages in Word includes three Arabic variants, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, in the Preview languages group.Microsoft, 2026
- 15 languages and variantsMicrosoft's list of languages for Dictate in Word has 15 entries before its preview group, from Chinese (China) to Spanish (Mexico).Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft's platform requirements for embedded speech on Windows say Windows 11 or newer on x64 or Arm64 hardware.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft's setup steps start Voice access from Settings, then Accessibility, then Speech.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft's Speech API 5.4 documentation recommends a shared recognizer for most speech applications.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft's Speech containers page says the container is available in public preview, and that preview containers do not meet its stability and support requirements.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- Microsoft's steps for a Copilot Chat voice conversation begin by selecting the Voice icon in the message composer.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft's steps for a microphone say to select Start, then Settings, then System, then Sound, and go to Input to see the connected microphones.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft's steps for adding a voice typing language start under Time & language, then Language & region, and use Preferred languages.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft's troubleshooting for a missing Dictate button says to make sure you have Windows 10 or later.Microsoft, 2026
- Microsoft's troubleshooting steps for voice typing start by asking you to select the microphone you want to use in Settings, under System, Sound, Input.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft's UWP speech guide says predefined dictation and web-search grammars are online, not on the device.Microsoft Learn, n.d.
- 6 languagesMicrosoft's Voice Access command list says the feature is currently available in six languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese.Microsoft Support, 2026
- 6 languagesMicrosoft's Voice access command list says Voice access is available in six languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft's Voice access FAQ compares the two features in a table. Its row for where each is available lists Windows 11 for Voice access, and Windows 11 and Windows 10 for voice typing.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- 4 languagesMicrosoft's Voice access FAQ lists four languages: English, Spanish, French and German.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft's Voice Access FAQ says the feature can now be used on a PC with more than one display.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- 4 languagesMicrosoft's Voice Access FAQ says the feature is currently available in English, Spanish, French and German, which is four languages.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft's Voice access release notes say that issues where an error state of 9001 was encountered have been fixed.Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Microsoft's voice typing help calls fluid dictation a new feature in Voice typing on Copilot+ PCs.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, Accessibility, n.d.
- Microsoft's voice typing help names the AI Phi Silica model as the download you can watch before fluid dictation is ready.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Microsoft's Windows 10 dictation article says your PC must be connected to the internet to use dictation.Microsoft Support (archived copy), 2020
- Murmure, an open-source Windows dictation app, says it turns speech into text with no internet connection and zero data collection.Kieirra, GitHub, 2026
- Murmure's README says it requires Windows 10 or later, and that older versions such as Windows 8.1 are not supported.Kieirra, GitHub, 2026
- Murmure's README says it transcribes speech locally with the Parakeet TDT 0.6B v3 model.Kieirra, GitHub, 2026
- Murmure's README says to download the latest Murmure_x64.msi or Murmure_x64-setup.exe from the release page and run it.Kieirra, GitHub, 2026
- 3 times faster than typingNuance says Dragon Professional v16 lets employees dictate documents 3 times faster than typing, with up to 99 percent recognition accuracy.Nuance Communications, 2026
- Nuance's product page says Dragon Professional v16 is optimized for Windows 11 and backwards-compatible to Windows 10.Nuance Communications, 2026
- Number overlays work best on the primary monitor, and using them on a secondary monitor gives an error message.Microsoft Support, 2026
- On NPU-equipped devices, Phi Silica uses speculative decoding, with a smaller draft model, to speed up text generation.Microsoft Learn, 2026
- 367 daysOn October 16, 2026, Windows 10 had been past its end of support for 367 days.Calculated from other facts
- On Windows 10, Microsoft lists 'Delete that' and 'strike that' as the commands that delete the most recent dictation result or the currently selected text.Microsoft Support (archived copy), 2020
- On Windows 10, Microsoft says to open Windows Speech Recognition by typing its name in the search box on the taskbar and selecting it from the results.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- On Windows 10, Microsoft says you must turn on the toggle for Microphone access for this device, and also turn on Allow apps to access your microphone.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- On Windows 10, Microsoft says you start dictation by selecting a text field and pressing the Windows logo key + H.Microsoft Support (archived copy), 2020
- On Windows 10, you can dictate most numbers and punctuation by saying the number or the punctuation character.Microsoft, 2026
- On Windows 10, you dictate an uppercase letter by saying "uppercase" before the letter.Microsoft, 2026
- On Windows 10, you dictate letters and symbols by saying "start spelling" first, then the symbol or letter.Microsoft, 2026
- On Windows 10, you stop dictating at any time by saying "Stop dictation."Microsoft, 2026
- On Windows 11, Microsoft says that after Microphone access is on, you must also go to Microphone settings and turn on Let apps access your microphone.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- On Windows 11, you turn on voice typing by pressing the Windows key + H on a hardware keyboard, or the Microphone button on the touch keyboard.Microsoft, 2026
- Saying "Show numbers" in Windows Voice Access places numbered labels over the items on screen so you can click any of them by number.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Saying "What can I say" or "Show all commands" in Windows Voice Access shows the commands you can use.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Superwhisper's home page lists meeting transcription as Mac only, while its dictation is listed for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.Superwhisper, 2026
- The Buzz README lists Whisper.cpp as one of its backends, with Vulkan acceleration on most GPUs, including integrated GPUs.Chidi Williams, GitHub (Buzz repository), 2026
- The Buzz README says its Windows app is not code-signed, so Windows shows a warning when you install it.Chidi Williams, GitHub (Buzz repository), 2026
- The Buzz README says Nvidia GPU support on Windows needs the PyPI install and a CUDA build of torch.Chidi Williams, GitHub (Buzz repository), 2026
- The Buzz README says to use a Python 3.12 environment for its PyPI install.Chidi Williams, GitHub (Buzz repository), 2026
- The Correct command opens a correction window with alternative text suggestions labeled with numbers.Microsoft Support, 2026
- 0.5 secondsThe default wait time before Voice access acts on speech is Medium, which is 0.5 seconds.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- The Handy README says the winget package is not maintained by the Handy developers.CJ Pais, GitHub, 2026
- The Handy README says you can choose Whisper models (Small, Medium, Turbo or Large), with GPU acceleration when a GPU is available.CJ Pais, GitHub, 2026
- The Handy README tells you to download the latest release from its releases page or its website.CJ Pais, GitHub, 2026
- The keyboard shortcut Alt+Shift+B switches Voice access between sleep and listening.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- The keyboard shortcut Alt+Shift+C turns the Voice access microphone off and back on.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- The Languages list separates languages that are ready to use from languages that need a speech pack downloaded first.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- The Murmure GitHub repository lists Linux, macOS and Windows among its topics.Kieirra, GitHub, 2026
- The nerd-dictation README lists Windows and macOS support only as a possible future item.Campbell Barton, GitHub, 2026
- The Settings menu on the Voice Access bar includes an automatic startup option. It opens the Speech section under Accessibility settings, where Voice Access can be set to launch before or after sign-in.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- The Voice Access shortcuts guide tells you to activate the feature by saying Unmute or Voice access wake up.Microsoft Support, 2026
- The Voice Isolation setup downloads a small model, which needs an internet connection.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- The Whisper README gives choco install ffmpeg as the command for installing ffmpeg on Windows through Chocolatey.OpenAI, GitHub (OpenAI repository), 2023
- The Whisper README gives pip install -U openai-whisper as the command for installing the latest release.OpenAI, GitHub (OpenAI repository), 2023
- The Whisper README says one command transcribes speech in audio files using the turbo model.OpenAI, GitHub (OpenAI repository), 2023
- 3.8 to 3.11 Python versionsThe Whisper README says the codebase is expected to be compatible with Python 3.8 to 3.11 and recent PyTorch versions.OpenAI, GitHub (OpenAI repository), 2023
- The Whisper README says you may need Rust installed if tiktoken does not provide a prebuilt wheel for your platform.OpenAI, GitHub (OpenAI repository), 2023
- The whisper.cpp README says that with a dedicated NPU, it can run the Whisper encoder on the NPU through VitisAI, which gives a significant speedup over CPU-only inference.Georgi Gerganov, GitHub, 2026
- The Whisper.net package, a .NET library for the Whisper speech model, lists Windows ARM64 among its supported platforms.NuGet Gallery, n.d.
- To test an installed microphone, Microsoft says to open the device's Properties page from Input, start a test, and adjust the Input volume slider if needed.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- Today, an app can read an iPhone's clipboard only while it is running in the foreground, and only when the user grants access, as MacRumors reported in August 2026.MacRumors, 2026
- Voice access can be set to launch automatically either before or after you sign in to your computer.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Voice access can be started at any time, while voice typing can only be started when the cursor is in a text box.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- 23H2 Windows 11 versionVoice Access can be used to log in to a PC starting with Windows 11, version 23H2.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Voice Access describes its "New line" command as inserting a new line and placing the cursor at the beginning of that line.Microsoft Support, 2026
- Voice Access lists 'Full stop' as another name for the period and 'Exclamation point' as another name for the exclamation mark.Microsoft Support, 2026
- 4 more localesVoice Access lists four more language locales than Windows Speech Recognition in Microsoft's own pages.Calculated from other facts
- Voice access offers three speech recognition options for different environments.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Voice Isolation can still pick up someone who speaks at the same time as you.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- Voice Isolation stores a voice signature on the device and saves no raw voice recording.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2026
- 6 English localesVoice shortcuts are available in six English locales: US, UK, India, New Zealand, Canada and Australia.Microsoft Support, 2026
- When voice typing enters the wrong words, Microsoft suggests trying a headset or external microphone if you are using the built-in microphone.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, n.d.
- 13 language variantsWindows 10 dictation accepts speech in 13 language variants, US English plus 12 that Microsoft lists for basic text, symbols, letters and numbers, but its dictation commands work only in US English.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, Accessibility, n.d.
- 2025 yearWindows 10 reached the end of support on October 14, 2025, after which Microsoft no longer provides technical assistance, feature updates or security updates.Microsoft, Microsoft Support, 2025
- 3.1 timesWindows 11 voice typing lists about three times as many languages and variants as Voice Access: 46 against 15.Calculated from other facts