Glossary
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.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called Win+H, Windows+H.
Windows key + H, written Win+H, is the keyboard shortcut that turns on voice typing in Windows. Put the cursor in a text box, press the shortcut, and speak. Microsoft's steps say to press Windows key+ H on a hardware keyboard, or to press the microphone button on the touch keyboard 1.
What the shortcut does
Win+H starts voice typing in the text box that has the cursor. It does not open a separate app. The words you say are written into that box, which is why the cursor has to be in a text box first.
Guides often use "dictation", "voice typing" and "Voice Access" as if they were one thing. They are different features, and Win+H is the shortcut for voice typing. The commands for stopping and correcting are different for each feature, so check which one you are using before you follow a command list.
Windows 10 uses the same keys under another name
Microsoft's Windows 10 steps use the same combination for a different name. You select a text field and press the Windows logo key +H to open the dictation toolbar 2. So a Windows 10 guide may say dictation where a Windows 11 guide says voice typing, while the keys stay the same.
Example: a reply in Outlook on a Windows 11 laptop
You are answering an email in Outlook. Click in the message body, press Win+H, and dictate the reply. The text is written where the cursor was, so click in the body before you press the shortcut, not in the subject line.
Why Win+H can seem to do nothing
Win+H belongs to voice typing. Voice Access is a separate Windows feature. If Voice Access is already running, Microsoft says that pressing Windows key + H does not start voice typing, and Windows tells you to dictate with Voice Access instead 3. So when Win+H seems to do nothing, check whether Voice Access is on before you check your microphone.
Why it matters for dictation
Win+H is the built-in way to dictate in Windows, so it needs no extra app. Its main limit is the connection. Voice typing uses online speech recognition, powered by Azure Speech services 4, so the shortcut depends on a network. Use Win+H when you have a connection and want to write text. Use Voice Access when you need to control the PC by voice, or when you need to dictate with a connection that you cannot rely on.
Related terms
- Voice typing launcher: the setting that offers voice typing when you are in a text box.
- Voice Access (Windows): the feature that controls the PC and blocks Win+H while it runs.
- Windows Speech Recognition (WSR): the older speech feature that Microsoft replaced with Voice Access.
- Online speech recognition: the cloud service that voice typing uses.
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.
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
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.
- Voice typing launcherThe 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.
- 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.
Pages that use this term
- Dictation on Windows: Voice Typing, Voice Access, AppsTopic
- Windows Voice Typing: How to Dictate with Win+HGuide
- How to Turn On Voice Typing on Every DeviceGuide
- Voice Access in Windows 11: Setup and How It WorksGuide
- Windows Dictation Not Working? Fixes for Win+HGuide
- How to Turn Off Voice Access in Windows 11Guide
- Can you dictate in Excel?Question
- How do you disable the Voice Access keyboard shortcut?Question
- How do you hide the Voice Access bar in Windows 11?Question
- What is the best free dictation software for Windows?Question
- What is the difference between Voice Access and voice typing?Question
- What is the keyboard shortcut for Voice Access in Windows 11?Question
- Why is the Windows key + H not working?Question
- Why is Word dictation not working on Windows 11?Question
- Number and grid overlays (Voice Access)Glossary
- Online speech recognitionGlossary
- Phi SilicaGlossary
- Voice Access (Windows)Glossary
- Voice typing launcherGlossary
- Windows Speech Recognition (WSR)Glossary