Glossary
Voice typing launcher
The voice typing launcher is the Windows voice typing setting that lets you start dictation quickly when the cursor is in a text box. Microsoft lists it among the settings you open from the gear icon in the voice typing flyout.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
The voice typing launcher is a setting in Windows voice typing. Microsoft describes it as the setting that lets you quickly use voice typing when you are in a text box 1. It is one of the options you manage from the voice typing settings, not a separate app.
Where to find it
Open the voice typing flyout, then select the gear icon. Microsoft lists the Voice typing launcher alongside Automatic punctuation, Filter profanity and the default microphone, so the launcher is set in the same place as the other voice typing options. Menu names can change with a Windows update, so look for the gear icon first and the launcher name second.
How it relates to Win+H
The launcher and the Win+H shortcut both lead to voice typing, but they are different controls. The shortcut is a key combination you press. The launcher is a setting that lets you start voice typing quickly from a text box. Microsoft's support page gives the shortcut as the way to turn on voice typing on a hardware keyboard 2.
Both depend on the cursor. Microsoft says voice typing can only be started if the cursor is in a text box 3. That is the main limit that sets it apart from Voice Access, which Microsoft says can be started at any time 4.
Example: setting up voice typing on a shared PC
A family PC has several users who write in different apps. Open the voice typing flyout, select the gear icon, and review the launcher with the other settings: Automatic punctuation, Filter profanity, and the default microphone. Then test in a text box. If you want to start dictation from the keyboard in a text box, use Win+H, and check that Voice Access is not running, because it blocks that shortcut.
Why it matters for dictation
The launcher matters most when voice typing seems available in one app and not in another. The cursor position decides whether voice typing can start, so check that the cursor is in an editable text box before you blame the setting. Knowing which control you are using, the launcher or the shortcut, saves time when dictation does not start.
Voice typing also has commands and punctuation rules that are separate from the launcher. Those are covered in the guide to voice typing commands, not here.
Related terms
- Windows key + H (Win+H): the keyboard shortcut that starts voice typing.
- Voice Access (Windows): the separate feature that can start at any time.
- Fluid dictation: the Copilot+ PC correction feature in voice typing.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Dictation on Windows: Voice Typing, Voice Access, AppsThe topic this term belongs to
- Azure AI SpeechAzure AI Speech is Microsoft's cloud speech service. Microsoft now calls it Azure Speech in Foundry Tools, and its speech to text powers the online recognition behind Windows voice typing, which needs an internet connection.
- Copilot+ PCA Copilot+ PC is a class of Windows 11 hardware with a neural processing unit (NPU) that Microsoft says can run at 40 or more trillion operations per second. Some newer Windows AI features, including fluid dictation, require this hardware.
- Fluid dictationFluid dictation is a Windows feature on Copilot+ PCs that corrects grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak. Microsoft says it is powered by small language models that run on the device, and that you can undo a correction by saying Revert or Undo that.
- Neural processing unit (NPU)A neural processing unit (NPU) is a specialized chip for AI-intensive processes, such as real-time translation and image generation. Microsoft says many new Windows AI features require an NPU that can run at 40 or more trillion operations per second, and a speech model can run faster on one.
- Number and grid overlays (Voice Access)Number and grid overlays are Voice Access views for clicking things you cannot name. Show numbers puts a number on each clickable item so you can say it, and Show grid divides the screen into numbered tiles that narrow the mouse pointer step by step.
- Online speech recognitionOnline speech recognition sends your voice to a cloud service that turns it into text, instead of processing it on your PC. Microsoft says voice typing on Windows uses online speech recognition, which Microsoft describes as giving more accurate recognition.
- Phi SilicaPhi Silica is Microsoft's on-device language model, which runs on the neural processing unit of Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft says it is being replaced by Aion Instruct, and its voice typing help names it as the download to watch while fluid dictation gets ready.
- Speech pack (Windows)A speech pack is the set of on-device language files that Windows needs before it can recognize speech in a language offline. Microsoft says you must download a speech pack for a language in Voice access before you can use it, and the first download needs an internet connection.
- Voice Access (Windows)Voice Access is the Windows 11 feature that lets you control the whole PC and write text by voice, not only dictate. Microsoft says it works without an internet connection after setup, and it replaces Windows Speech Recognition.
- Windows key + H (Win+H)Windows key + H, written Win+H, is the keyboard shortcut that starts voice typing in Windows, so you can dictate into the text box where your cursor is. Microsoft says it does not start voice typing while Voice Access is running.
- Windows on ArmWindows on Arm is Windows running on processors that use the Arm instruction set instead of x86 or x64 chips. It runs native Arm apps and many unmodified x86 and x64 apps, and Microsoft says Arm-native apps give the best performance and battery life.
- Windows Speech API (SAPI)The Windows Speech API (SAPI) is Microsoft's interface that lets Windows apps use speech recognition and text-to-speech without building the speech engine themselves. Windows.Media.SpeechRecognition is a separate API for command and control in Windows Runtime apps.